High Heat Read online

  Most athletes’ autobiographies aren’t much to write home about. But I was struck by how candid Throwing Heat, Ryan’s autobiography with Harvey Frommer, was. This is where I learned how close Ryan came to walking away from the game in his early years—all because he was so frustrated by his inability to do right by this gift of a great fastball. That became the starting point for an extended interview we had in Arlington, Texas. I thank “the Express” not only for his time but for his thoughtful answers. A special nod to Rob Matwick, Dale Petroskey, and John Blake for again getting me in the door. In Durham, North Carolina, Matt DeMargel made sure I caught up with the people I needed to see, especially David Price. Thanks to Dick Bosman, Milton Jamail, and Rick Vaughn with the Tampa Bay Rays. And, of course, when it came to one of baseball’s newest pitching phenoms, nobody knows him like his mother, Debbie Price.

  Perhaps it takes one star-crossed pitcher to understand another. I’ve followed Pat Jordan’s writing for some time, starting with his memoir, A False Spring. Time and again, Jordan can be found writing about Steve Dalkowski. His profiles for Sports Illustrated (October 12, 1970) and Inside Sports (July 1982) remain classics.

  No doubt that Dalkowski has proven that a person can go home again. In New Britain, Connecticut, he was reunited with his sister, Pat Cain, as well as his old coach, Bill Huber. Thanks to all of them for their time and a nod to Ken Lipshez at The (New Britain) Herald and Mat Olkin. It’s always good to catch up with my friend Mary Collins in the Hartford area. Special thanks to John-William Greenbaum, the scholar of all things Dalkowksi.

  There may be few experiences as humbling as throwing your best fastball for the folks at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Alabama. But if one really wants to understand the dynamics behind a well-thrown ball, the trip needs to be made. Thanks to Glenn Fleisig and his crack staff for being such great hosts.

  And, finally, a thank-you to David Everett and my students in the Johns Hopkins University writing program.

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