DAVE KENT

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BOOKENDS

Patrons often ask me to recommend a good book and I usually have success in the titles I suggest. It dawned on me recently that sometimes I wish I could suggest a particular book but nothing of that type has been published yet.
So I thought for this column I would recommend books that might make a fabulous read but don’t actually exist yet. Maybe it will inspire some innovative writer to take the plunge.
Of instant interest here would be stories on local history and baseball. There are so many that could combine the two. We could have one on Doubleday Field called “When Football Was King: Doubleday in the Old Days.”
How many non-locals know that Cooperstown once played its high school football games at Doubleday Field? And how many (non-locals) know that Cooperstown and Oneonta had a heated football rivalry? It would be nice to know when and why all these traditions changed.
How about a book titled “1839: The Year Abner Doubleday Disappeared?” Considering all the wasted space that pundits in Washington write on books of non-substance, why doesn’t someone write about a true mystery? If Doubleday couldn’t have been in Cooperstown in 1839 because he was a plebe at West Point then where’s the documentation proving that?
Wouldn’t it make a great storyline if he went AWOL to come home and invent baseball? Even if you have to make it all up it would make a great historical novel. Many of today’s political writers excel in turning fact into fiction anyway. This would be right up their alley.
Speaking of political writers, can you imagine the great books on politics that would actually have staying power? Not the type that are created to be on the best-seller list for four weeks and then are no longer relevant (I’m still to figure out why I bought a book that critiqued the first two years of the Clinton Administration that was out-of-date before it was even published).
Perhaps a bible of politics called “The Audacity of Audacity” could explain why people continue to re-elect Congressmen when they have an approval rating in the single digits. The “my guy is great but the rest are scoundrels” line of thinking is wearing thin. Wouldn’t it be beneficial to discover why your “good guy” is a scoundrel too?
And how about one on good ol’ Bud Selig, the commissioner of baseball? Maybe he can explain why he expects us to believe that the appearance of steroids in the game shocked him but nobody else.
Or how he can blow off the Hall of Fame Game when it was the last tradition left that wasn’t solely about money? Perhaps it can be called “Profiles in Porridge: Only the Green Stuff Mattered.”
The greatest book of all, of course, would be “Parking in Cooperstown: the Solution.” The problem there is that the book would be pure fantasy and we already have plenty of titles in that genre. Some things never change.

Labels: 09-12-08, Bookends, Columns, Dave Kent

DAVE KENT

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BOOKENDS

I just got back from a week visiting family in California.
A library serving 58,000 residents is going to be larger than one serving 2,000, but does that make it better? The answer is not necessarily obvious.
My hometown is Palo Alto. It is located 30 miles south of San Francisco. College football fans may have heard of it because it’s the home of Stanford University. High-tech fans may have heard of it because it’s the home of Hewlett-Packard. And public library fans may have heard of it because the library actually has a parking lot! But other than that it’s a typical medium-sized American city.
The Palo Alto Main Library is basically state-of-the-art. It has public access computers, self checkout (think BJs), a user-friendly online catalog, and a security system to protect theft of materials.
Palo Alto also has around 300,000 volumes compared to our 21,000 but we can make up for a lot through interlibrary loan. It has many more books, computers and online catalogs than in Cooperstown, but clientele is 30 times as large.
The benefits to Cooperstown are a brighter atmosphere, an historic building, and a less crowded arena. Charm and comfort are clearly on our side.
We also have a sufficient number of public access terminals to serve our patrons and can connect to the same amount of information on the Internet.
When it comes down to it the only advantages to Palo Alto are the express checkout, user-friendly catalog, security system, and parking lot. And those aren’t all necessarily a plus.
When checking out here you usually don’t have to wait in line and as a bonus get to deal with a real person instead of a machine. Their user-friendly catalog is furnished by Dynix which by coincidence just merged with Sirsi, our database provider. That means either our system will improve or theirs will come down to our level. That’s a wash. And perhaps the lack of a security system here simply means that our patrons are more trustworthy (or maybe it’s because we can’t afford one).
That just leaves parking.
The bottom line is that Cooperstown holds its own when it comes to library services. We offer a more relaxed atmosphere than larger institutions and access to just as much information. A bigger library may provide more instant gratification but it has more headaches as well. We can be proud of what we have here.

Labels: Bookends, Columns, Dave Kent

DAVE KENT

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BOOKENDS


Induction weekend has passed and there is a collective sigh of relief that we survived another one. It wasn’t the same as last year when the worst-case scenario occurred and 75,000 people showed up.
This year’s crowd was closer to 10,000. But with baseball, baseball everywhere I feel I can’t ignore it this week. I’ll offer my 2 cents worth on this year’s inductees, and a few recommendations on some worthwhile baseball titles.
I’m one of those people who believes that some players have gotten in the Hall that don’t exactly deserve it. (Usually it’s due to the Veteran’s Committee, but that has changed). Sometimes a player who doesn’t get in on the first few ballots shouldn’t get in at all. But that is not the case this year.
Rich “Goose” Gossage was simply the best reliever in baseball in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Every team wanted him. The Yankees and Padres were the lucky ones during his prime. And he wasn’t a “wimp” in that he often pitched more than one inning, unlike today’s closers.
He also had a trait that every fan would appreciate. He didn’t waste time between pitches. One of his catchers even said that he “quick pitched” him sometimes. Gossage is a true Hall of Famer.
Dick Williams managed the Boston Red Sox and guided the “Impossible Dream” team to the pennant in 1967 on the last day of the season. He later led the Oakland A’s to World Series titles in 1972 and 1973.
He deserved Hall of Fame consideration just by lasting for than one year with Charlie Finley, the owner of the A’s. Finley was notorious for firing his managers after one season (a quicker hook at times than even George Steinbrenner).
One thing I remember about Williams is his tendency to over-manage. Major League Baseball has a rule that limits a coach or manager to two visits to the mound before having to remove a pitcher.
It used to waive the rule during the World Series. Williams abused it to such an extent when he was with the A’s that I assume baseball eliminated the waiver because of him.
Still, it’s hard to argue with the results. Managers usually don’t make a difference, but Williams clearly did.
My book recommendations (I hope I’ve avoided duplication) are a celebration of baseball’s past and present.
In this age of steroids, inflated ticket prices, and loss of tradition, there are still some very positive people and characteristics in the game. “The Oldest Rookie,” by Jim Morris, is the true story of a 35-year-old high school baseball coach who is encouraged by his players to pursue his life-long dream of being a major league pitcher. It’s almost too unbelievable to be true.
“The Teammates,” by David Halberstam, portrays the life-long friendship of four Red Sox players, including Ted Williams, after Williams becomes ill late in life. Even Yankee fans will enjoy this book.
“Clemente,” by David Maraniss, looks at the career and personality of one of baseball’s all-time greats, and a true hero in life and death.

Labels: Bookends, Dave Kent

DAVID KENT

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BOOKENDS

Before I get to the subject of this week’s column I want to acknowledge the great work of the Friends of the Library on another successful book sale. There are three people in particular who deserve special recognition. If it weren’t for Linda Selover, Giles Russell, and Hugh MacDougal the book sale simply couldn’t happen.

• One of the most difficult tasks an author faces when writing about war is how to mix in a positive theme while describing all its horrors.
Recently I found a title that actually does find a way to describe the horrors of war yet not upstage what is in essence a warm-hearted love story. It is especially relevant because it’s about the Iraq War and gives the reader an idea of what our soldiers are going through over there. Since most people do not have a loved ones fighting in Iraq, and we haven’t really felt the effects of the war (except perhaps with the price of gas) the book takes on added significance.
“From Baghdad With Love,” by Jay Kopelman, is the story of a Marine officer’s attempt to transport his adopted puppy out of Iraq to the United States. It’s easy to become endeared to the mutt just by looking at the book’s cover. Who doesn’t love a cute puppy? The whole effort is complicated from the start because there is a military regulation that forbids the adoption of pets. It doesn’t take long to understand why.
The story begins with the Marines on patrol in Fallujah going house to house to clear out Iraqi insurgents. They’ve been trained not to trust anybody or anything. The insurgents will use any means to kill our soldiers, including boobytrapped animals and mentally handicapped human beings. In one house the troops hear a movement and have their rifles cocked. Instead of an insurgent or booby-trapped animal what appears is an innocent little puppy (stray dogs are very common in Iraq).
Thus begins the story of Lava (so named after the battalion’s moniker) and Kopelman’s quest to transport him out of Iraq. Two mitigating factors are the constant attempts to hide Lava, and Kopelman’s upcoming transfer stateside.
Besides the suspense of whether Kopelman actually succeeds in rescuing Lava, the backdrop of Iraq provides the reader with exactly what our soldiers are dealing with in a war zone. It is not pretty. But the book also illustrates how something as innocent as a puppy can provide relief from the stresses of war, and allow even battle-hardened veterans to exhibit a softer side. “From Baghdad With Love” is more than just a cute story about a dog and his devoted master. It is a description of war in a way that most of us can’t comprehend but does so by playing on our fuzziest of emotions. It’s a different way of telling a war story and one that I highly recommend.

Labels: Bookends, Columns

DAVE KENT

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BOOKENDS

What a crazy time of year! And I’m not talking about the influx of tourists from the Dreams Park. This time I’m referring to the library and all the changes that are going on. We just got new carpeting installed in the adult and children’s areas and the result is a brighter future (literally).
Anyone who has experienced moving (who hasn’t?) knows what a nightmare it can be. We were fortunate. The only nightmare we experienced was self-inflicted but I’ll get to that later. The moving of books and bookcases, the installation of new carpets by Krazy Tom’s, and the putting back of the materials could not have gone smoother. The library is blessed by a community that really cares about its institutions.
We had several volunteers arrive on Thursday, June 5, to help box books. We allowed ourselves two days to fully pack and move everything. Instead it took less than two hours! Talk about efficient!
The return of the books to their rightful place went just as well. Much thanks goes to Tom Steele, the village building maintenance man, who almost single-handedly moved some of the bookcases himself.
But special citations go out to the many volunteers, including Carla and Roger MacMillan, Andy Timmerman, Sally Trossett, Sally Goodwin, Rebecca Weil, Carl Quimby, Betty Davidson, Sandy DeRosa, Mary Brodzinsky, Katie Lambert Suzanne Stack, May-Britt Joyce, Lois Edwards, Lang Keith, Dottie Hudson, Ann Marie Bascio, Hugh MacDougall, Lin Vincent, Nancy Herman, Barb Harmon, Peg Leon, Maureen and Melissa Schuermann, and Debra LeCates.
Special thanks go to the Scriven Foundation and the Village of Cooperstown Trustees for funding this project.
I also want to compliment Brian Clancy for his assistance, and also my staff (Martha Sharer, Claire Ottman, Mary Nolan, and Sarah Wilcox) for their enthusiasm during this process. Their efforts helped the move proceed like a dream.
Now for the nightmare…
The adult room required little in the moving of books as only the mysteries were shelved on movable bookcases. In order to save time later (yeah, right!) yours truly decided it would be a good time to re-shelve the mysteries in with the general fiction. This idea required removing a bookcase-and-a-half worth of non-fiction out of the stacks where they were currently located.
All I can say is that we will get this “mess” cleaned up eventually. For my sake please just admire the new carpeting and avoid tripping over a pile of books.

Labels: 062708, Bookends, Columns, Dave Kent