Things People Do in the Name of Competition

Slammin' Sam on Sports Media
In “Field of Dreams”, Shoeless Joe Jackson comes out of a cornfield and can’t believe where he ended up. “Hey, is this heaven?” he asks in awe and wonder. If a baseball field in Iowa is as close as it gets to the great beyond, what’s the alternative? Leave it to Rick Reilly to answer that question in his new book, “Sports from Hell: My Search for the World’s Dumbest Competition.”

No Home Run Controversy Here

Slammin’ Sam on Sports Media

Late last week, Tim Redding had people chattering about baseball’s most famous home run number. Out of the blue, Redding claimed that former teammate, Mike Bacsik, surrendered No. 756 to Barry Bonds on purpose. That way, Redding said, Bacsik would forever be linked to history. Bacsik claims this accusation is ridiculous.

This week, Slammin’ Sam on Sports Media looks back at baseball’s most famous home run, “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.” The blast is the subject of Brian Biegel’s 2009 book, “Miracle Ball.”