College basketball is over; the good weather is finally here; and it’s time to turn our attention to the national pastime, a transition that is frankly a mixed bag for a Mets fan like me. Staring down another season of likely heartbreak and self-doubt, I will gladly seek out bright spots like the Pitching in A Pinch: Baseball from the Inside presentation happening at powerHouse Arena this Wednesday evening. Pitcher Christy Mathewson was one of the game’s first real superstars, and his anthropological account of baseball’s early days–originally published in 1912–was re-released for contemporary fans last month by Penguin Classics. Chad Harbach, who wrote the foreward and also a little novel called The Art of Fielding, will be joined by Deadspin founding editor and sportswriter Will Leitch to talk about the enduring impact of Mathewson’s seminal book starting at 7pm. You can save a seat by emailing RSVP@powerhousearena.com, and keep your eyes peeled because this is just the first event in an ongoing series in which Penguin and powerHouse will bring together well-known authors, critics, and editors to discuss influential rereleased classics.–K.H.
