After the publish of his first book, John Carvalho, associate professor and director of journalism, said he had heightened his awareness. He overcame a mental barrier, wrote a book and became completely aware that he could do it again.
On Nov. 28, Carvalho stood in front of colleagues, students and friends at Pebble Hill for his first book reading and signing. Stacks of Carvalho's first book, "Frick*: Baseball's Third Commissioner," sat waiting for a signature as a storm brewed outside, not to disturb those that were listening to the reading intently.
Carvalho's book showcased the life and career of Ford Frick, the third commissioner of Major League Baseball. According to the book's synopsis, "Ford Frick is best known as the baseball commissioner who put the "asterisk" next to Roger Maris's record."
George Plasketes, professor and associate director of media studies, walked to the podium bearing a Stan Musial jersey. The jersey symbolized the significance of the occasion, Plasketes said, as Musial was his father's favorite player.
"I'm treating this like a ceremonial throwing out the first pitch, which I know I'll never be asked to do," Plasketes said. "I'm going to live my fantasy out right here with John's book and throw out the first pitch on John's book tour."
Plasketes said the book is a significant achievement, something he is proud to acknowledge and honor. He recalled the start of Carvalho's research through the writing and editing stages, as a "labor of love," for the author.
One does not breeze through the book publishing process, Carvalho would said. From a surprise flooding in the Haley Center threatening the safety of his archives to the periods of "radio silence" in between writing, editing and reviews, the process was something to admire as Plasketes addressed, but something attainable for Carvalho.
"The book itself represents the best of John, both professionally and personally," Plasketes said. "When you read it you will hear John the journalist, John the scholar, the historian and the fan."
Carvalho — journalist, scholar, historian and fan — began his reading with an excerpt from the introduction of his book. He continued with one of the many stories told in the biography about a confrontation between Frick and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher, Dizzy Dean.
Carvalho said this confrontation and the many other encounters portrayed in his book were a puzzle he pieced together from family records and intensive research. Piecing all of the stories together presented a challenge he was unsure of at the beginning, Carvalho said. Tracing Frick's life through his stories sustained his interest.
Carvalho initially became intrigued by Frick when he came to know of Frick's beginnings in sports journalism.
"The fact that [Frick] started out as a journalist and then got into a job like commissioner of baseball, you usually don't see that," Carvalho said.
After the work dedicated to his publication, Carvalho described the next steps of his journey as a blast. Carvalho said to think that he could actually "pull it off" was a great feeling.
As a journalism professor, Carvalho said he encourages his students to be thorough and read through their articles out loud before submission. He didn't stray from his preachings. A week before he sent his work off, he read the book cover to cover aloud, a task that took him around four days to complete.
"It's different than a newspaper article, because it's like you write it and then it's there," Carvalho said. "I finished this [book] last December and it went out for a couple of reviews then I had to write, then it went out for line editing, then editing and proofing. There's so much radio silence between all of that, so when it finally gets out you think, 'Well, now I don't have to think about this anymore.'"
Carvalho will be visiting baseball enthusiast groups throughout the U.S. over the next year on his book tour. On Dec. 15, he will be giving a presentation at a baseball shop in New York City, something he is looking forward to.
John Carvalho is a former Auburn Plainsman editor and advisor.
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