The Writer's Life 2/20 - Touching Bases

RIP Dodgers legend Don Newcombe, 92. He was a mainstay on the teams of the late 40's into the mid-'50's. His career spanned 10 seasons, eight with Brooklyn. A four-time all-star, his record was 149-90, ERA 3.56. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1949, and won both the MVP and Cy Young awards in '56 when he posted 27 wins. Justin Verlander is the only other player to have won all three of those distinctions. Newc' appeared in three World Series, all against the Yanks. He did not fare well, losing all four of his starts. I vividly remember a part of Ken Burns' baseball documentary that involved a heated pennant race. It may have been 1951, when the Giants broke the hearts of Dodgers fans with the miracle of Coogan's Bluff and The Shot Heard Round the World. Newcombe was in the midst of a grueling stretch of innings pitched in the final week, and mentioned how tired he was. Jackie Robinson said: "Keep pitching until your arm falls off." Newcombe may have had an even better career if not for alcoholism. He got sober in 1966 and became active in the cause, founding a group specific to the Dodgers. Well done, sir.

Ever see shark-related products on vitamin shelves? I sniffed and rolled my eyes the first time I noticed them. Turns out the manufacturers may have been on to something good. According to the Weird But True column in today's NY Post, scientists mapping the genes of Great Whites found self-repairing DNA. They hope to use it to treat cancer. I hope they have a big enough boat.

The owners of a shop are catching flack about the name of their business:

Since it was too cold and icky for the floating book shop, I had to fill the hours devoted to it. One task involved one of my novels, Exchanges. A few months ago I noticed that new print copies were no longer available. I waited until work was finished on Inside Out before addressing the issue. I emailed Amazon asking if the book's ownership could revert back to me. I was advised to contact the publisher, WheelMan Press, which has never paid me royalties for the copies that sold online. My guess is there were 40, counting Kindles, not a lot of money, but that isn't the issue. Ownership is. I want new print copies to be available. A few days ago it occurred to me that the publisher may have passed away. He was in ill health his entire life, confined to a wheel chair. Sure enough, I found an obit and sent a link to it to Amazon. They sent me a form, which I filled out even though it didn't make sense in a few regards. I sent it back to the company about an hour ago. Here are four of the options involved. One had to be selected, although none seem to apply:
The physical product or its packaging includes unauthorized copyrighted content or images without being pirated.
The product or its packaging is pirated (wholesale copying of the copyrighted product or packaging).
The image is used without authorization on the Product Detail Page.
The text is used without authorization on the Product Detail Page.
Since none are pertinent, I went with the first. If any money from sales is going to his estate, fine. I just want print copies to be available. I'm not getting into a legal entanglement. If there were only one sale per year I'd be happy. There may be none.

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