The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, has at last recognized the contributions to baseball of a heretofore neglected group: women. The "Diamond Dreams: Women in Baseball" wing on the museum's second floor features a photograph of Perry in her umpire's mask, with her name inscribed on a plaque on the wall. The 2006 induction of the first elected woman Hall of Famer, Effa Manley, signaled a tectonic shift in a long-standing prejudice held dear by too many for too long that decreed women and their participation in diverse capacities in the greatest game on earth unworthy of appreciation or acknowledgment by its greatest institution. So kudos to the Hall of Fame, its Director of Research, Tim Wiles, and Curator John Odell for recognizing the enduring contributions of the women who have played, portrayed, and umpired baseball, and for paying tribute to Perry and her fellow Women in Baseball in such a spellbinding and illuminating way.
** ON SALE NOW! "End of An Era," a poignant and uniquely personal look at the last game the New York Baseball Giants played at the Polo Grounds on September 29th, 1957.
As the Mets and Yankees settle into new homes, it's worth recalling the romance and mystery of the fabled "bathtub beneath Coogan's Bluff" where Say Hey Willie Mays made his spectacular catch-and-throw in deep center, Bobby Thomson launched his electrifying Shot Heard 'Round the World into the lower deck of the left field stands, and the indefatigable Christy Mathewson frustrated foes with his fabulous fadeaway. Perry's longtime friend, sports chronicler/actor/stand-up comic/die-hard Cubs fan and still-active player for the Pelham Mets, Moe Resner, has produced a thrilling cinematic homage to a team and a time that are no more from 16 mm. footage he shot on the field that day in 1957. Moe has also had the unimpeachable good taste to include Perry's song "Baseball" on the soundtrack to the DVD. You can listen to "Baseball," featured on "End of An Era," by clicking below on the link to Perry's CD, "Belle of the Ballfield."
"End Of An Era" is available for purchase at endofaneradvd.com, which you can reach by clicking on the link below.
** Also Coming, sometime this century: "Kiss The Umpire," Perry's baseball memoir.
** Did You Know: Perry's friend Steven Goodman, composer of "City of New Orleans," "Banana Republics," "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request," and the victory anthem of the Chicago Cubs, "Go Cubs, Go!" is the subject of a meticulously researched and beautifully written biography by award-winning author Clay Eals titled "Facing the Music." Click on the link below to go to Clay's website and learn about Goodman through Perry's recollections and those of his more famous friends Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, and former classmate Hillary Rodham Clinton. Goodman was a fascinating and unforgettable tunesmith whose words and music still resonate with songwriters and performers the world over a quarter of a century after leukemia cut his life short in 1984.
** On Sale Now! Noted sports historian Dennis D'Agostino, who is also Perry's longtime friend and go-to guy for Mets trivia, has authored "Through A Blue Lens," a visually stunning collection of never-before-seen photographs by legendary Brooklyn Dodgers shutterbug Barney Stein. Barney's daughter, Bonnie Stein Crosby, and Dennis have paired his peerless commentary with the marvelous Stein images to fashion a gorgeous memorial to the Dodgers of Ebbets Field. "Through a Blue Lens" is the companion piece to a two-part HBO special, "The Ghosts of Flatbush," and is not to be missed! Click on the link below to peruse this wonderful photographic paean to Brooklyn's beloved Bums, available through amazon.com.
** Dennis Locorriere, former lead singer for Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, has released a CD anthology of the band's chart toppers titled "Hits and History." Song number 22 is Dennis' rendition of "Stuck on the Wrong Side of Love," which Perry wrote and performs on her CD "Belle of the Ballfield." Click on the link below to go to the "Hits and History" website where you can order this catchy compilation of danceable, hummable hits including "Sylvia's Mother," "Sharing the Night Together," "Sexy Eyes," "When You're in Love With a Beautiful Woman," and many more.
**** Fun Fact: Perry's CD, "Belle of the Ballfield," is also in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Click on the link below to hear Perry's version of "Stuck on the Wrong Side of Love," as well as her friend and fellow umpire Ila Valcarcel's moving tribute to the fallen heroes of 9/11.
** We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. - T.S. Eliot
** All knowledge leads to self-knowledge. - Bruce Lee
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Perry Lee Barber