Reading Baseball

Wearing a mask has become a divisive issue during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his latest edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson looks at how crime-fighting heroes in the early days of radio and television -- and some in the sports world -- made wearing a mask popular.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard "Pete" Peterson, author of Growing Up With Clemente and editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.      

Baseball is back with a late July start date in the works.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of the 2020 baseball season, you may have forgotten about the dark cloud hanging over the game with the cheating scandal involving the Houston Astros’ 2017 championship season.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson looks at how cheating and stealing are part of the game, except when they cross the line.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard “Pete” Peterson, the author of Growing Up With Clemente and the editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

Baseball fans in the Pittsburgh area who don't already know what a Saluki is are about to find out as former SIU baseball player Derek Shelton will be the manager of the Pirates in 2020.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, retired SIU professor and Pittsburgh native Pete Peterson takes a look at how Shelton went from Carbondale to a major league managerial position.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard "Pete" Peterson, co-author, with his son Stephen, of The Slide: Leyland, Bonds and the Star-Crossed Pittsburgh Pirates and the editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

Pete Peterson has been entertaining and informing us with his Reading Baseball essays and commentaries for nearly 16 years.

This latest edition is a milestone for the series.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard "Pete" Peterson, co-author, with his son, Stephen, of The Slide: Leyland, Bonds and the Star-Crossed Pittsburgh Pirates and the editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

Thanksgiving is November 28. In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson has his version of a baseball Thanksgiving feast.|

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard "Pete" Peterson, co-author, with his son, Stephen, of The Slide: Leyland, Bonds and the Star-Crossed Pittsburgh Pirates and the editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

Thanksgiving is November 28. In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson has his version of a baseball Thanksgiving feast.|

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard "Pete" Peterson, co-author, with his son, Stephen, of The Slide: Leyland, Bonds and the Star-Crossed Pittsburgh Pirates and the editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

A discussion about the greatest controversy in World Series history would undoubtedly produce a number of opinions.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson explains how a controversial play in the 2019 Fall Classic got him thinking about another controversy nearly a century ago.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard "Pete" Peterson, co-author with his son, Stephen, of The Slide: Leyland, Bonds and the Star-Crossed Pittsburgh Pirates and the editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.

The World Series is underway. If the best of seven series goes the distance, it will end the day before Halloween.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson has a fun look at some of the scariest player and team nicknames in baseball history.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard "Pete" Peterson, co-author with his son, Stephen, of  The Slide: Leyland, Bonds and the Star-Crossed Pittsburgh Pirates and the editor of  The St. Louis Baseball Reader.
 

Major League Baseball players rarely play their entire career with the same team, even the best of the best.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson takes a look at how fans often have their hearts broken when their favorite players end up on a different team.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard "Pete" Peterson, co-author, with his son, Stephen, of  The Slide: Leyland, Bonds and the Star-Crossed Pittsburgh Pirates and the editor of  The St. Louis Baseball Reader.
 

Over a quarter of the players in Major League Baseball are of Latino descent.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson highlights some of the 14 Latino players in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Reading Baseball is a series of essays and commentaries by Richard "Pete" Peterson, co–author with his son, Stephen, of The Slide: Leyland, Bonds and the Star–Crossed Pittsburgh Pirates and the editor of The St. Louis Baseball Reader.