If you’ve spent any time at all in Westport, you know there’s a connection between this town and every major event, all over the world.
And if you’ve been following “06880” for any time at all, you know we’ll find that connection.
Today’s example is the Texas Rangers, recent World Series losers. And the link is a lot closer than that a bunch of Westporters watched them beat the Yankees in the ALCS.
Talmage Boston
Deep in the heart of Texas — far from his Connecticut roots — lives Talmage Boston. The 1972 Staples grad (and former Wrecker player) is an uber-Rangers fan. But unlike most baseball fans, whose devotion consists of drinking beer and wearing replica jerseys, Talmage walks the talk.
And he writes it.
His baseball essays have appeared in the Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Dallas Business Journal — and on the walls of the Nolan Ryan Center in Alvin, Texas.
He’s written 2 books: Baseball and the Baby Boomer and 1939: Baseball’s Tipping Point.
Talmage has lectured on baseball history at Princeton, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, SMU’s Cox School of Business, and Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts. The Texas Baseball Hall of Fame has inducted him as a media member.
As you can imagine, Talmage’s writing is far more than praise of Josh Hamilton and Cliff Lee.
In one book Talmage “captures the heart and soul of the game that we, as baby boomers, inherited,” says no less an expert than John Grisham. In the other, he insightfully describes baseball’s centennial year — 1939 — as a tipping point that transformed the game.
His blog posts tackle such subjects as the “justice (that) occurred over the course of more than two months in the Texas Rangers bankruptcy proceedings.”
It should be noted that Talmage’s day job is trial lawyer. A shareholder and commercial litigator, he has been named a “Super Lawyer” by Texas Monthly every year since 2003. Talmage currently serves on the State Bar of Texas board of directors.
Still, like many American boys who grew up in the 1950s and ’60s, Talmage’s work takes a back seat to baseball.
He likes the courtroom — but he loves the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington more.
Earlier this year he interviewed Ken Burns onstage as part of the SMU Athletic Forum speaker series. Talmage then accompanied the PBS documentary filmmaker — working on his “Tenth Inning” film about the history of baseball from 1993 to 2010 — to the stadium, where he threw out the 1st pitch.
And when presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin spoke at the State Bar of Texas annual meeting, Talmage chatted with her — about their common love of baseball.
Next May, Talmage returns to New England. He’ll talk about baseball history and memorabilia at Fenway Park.
And, no doubt, the Texas Rangers’ amazing (if ultimately unsuccessful) 2010 season, that Talmage waited so long to see.
Talmage and I served for several years on the president’s advisory board at the Baseball Hall of Fame and, until recently, on the Texas Rangers marketing council. During all that time — and until today — we never knew we shared a Staples connection!
I love Talmage! I sat next to him in 10th grade English at Staples. Baseball’s Tipping Point is one of my all-time favorite baseball books. So glad to see a posting about him, Dan.
Prill, if you don’t mind, I just forwarded your post to Talmage. He’ll appreciate it. He tells me that we can read about his new book on boomers and baseball at http://www.talmageboston.com and order from Amazon….TA ’66
I also read Talmadge’s book about 1939 a while back, and enjoyed it very much. I look forward to reading Talmadge’s book about baseball and the boomers. But , sorry, Talmadge– I was pulling for the Giants since they were my childhood team.
I suspect that no malice was intended, but I have to take umbrage with the following statement:
“But unlike most baseball fans, whose devotion consists of drinking beer and wearing replica jerseys, Talmage walks the talk.”
In fact, as a baseball fan of more than 40 years, I take that comment as an insult.
I can assure you there are many, many baseball fans whose devotion consists of more than “drinking beer and wearing replica jerseys.”
There is an emotional investment involved.