9 minute read
Books
from 09032021 WEEKEND
by tribune242
A universe of ‘What if?’
Bahamasbased author introduces new alternate history anthology
Advertisement
By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
Bahamian-based author and publisher Leo McBride is set to join several authors from around the world in exploring “history with a twist” in the new anthology “Tales of Alternate Earths 3.”
The book is the third alternative history collection and the tenth book published by Inklings Press - the publishing house founded by Leo and several of his friends five years ago.
“Back then we were just a group of friends who wanted a way to get our stories out there and so we created Inklings Press. We managed to have some success and now five years later we are at book ten and we have reached the point where some of the biggest names in the field are working with us,” he told Tribune Weekend.
“When we first started, we didn’t know where this would go, so it just goes to show, you don’t know what you are capable of.”
For their tenth book, Inklings has returned to a genre that is one of their signatures.
“Alternate Earths has been our most successful book - it has won awards and was our bestseller and we wanted to return to the theme,” said the author.
Alternative history is a genre that continues to grow thanks to a variety of books, TV shows and movies on the subject.
“Just recently, Disney +launched ‘What if…?’ which answers the question what if things had turned out differently in the Marveluniverse. There is something intriguing about the idea of changing world history. It draws people in to imagine that the smallest difference or change could have a huge impact on the way things could be,” he said.
Leo says the new anthology is packed full of “history with a twist”.
“There’s a little bit of everything in this one. There’s a story where Guy Fawkes succeeded in blowing up the English Parliament, Alfred Hitchcock directed the Titanic movie, Jack the Ripper turns out to be different and the Roman Empire never fell,” he said.
“We have some big names and award winners on board for this one, including Minoti Vaisnav, who is one of the writers for the TV show ‘The Equalizer’, and Alan Smale, who is one of the best-known writers in the genre.”
In his own contribution, ‘Heaven Above, Hell Below’, Leo explores the aftermath of one of NASA’s biggest disasters - the Challenger explosion.
“It’s one of those moments that was felt around the world, where you which was an idea to build a space elevator - to literally ride on an elevator to a space station.”
Leo is sure current world events will lead to a myriad of alternate history stories in the future.
“The current pandemic has been a big turning point in the world, and there are many top scientists around the world already wondering what if we had handled it all better. So I am sure that there will be a lot of authors exploring this topic in the future,” he said.
Leo himself chose an alternative ending to the Spanish Flu pandemic as his contribution to the first Alternate Earths anthology.
“That pandemic swept through the world and wiped out millions of people. You would think we would have learned our lessons from that. But here we are again battling another pandemic.”
Tales of Alternative Earths 3 is now available on Amazon at mybook.to/AlternateEarths3.
literary lives - Willie Mays A giant of baseball history Part II
Sir Christopher Ondaatje continues to write about the centre fielder nicknamed “The Say Hey Kid”, who spent almost all of his 22- season Major League Baseball career playing for New York/San Francisco Giants (1951-1952, 1954-1972) before finishing his career with the New York Mets (1972-1973). He is still regarded as being one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
“I’m not trying to brag or anything, but I had the knowledge before I became a professional baseball player to do all these things – and know what each guy would hit.”
- Willie Mays
In 1958, Willie Mays led the Giants with 130 runs, 36 doubles, 49 home runs, 141 stolen bases, and 78 walks. On September 30, Mays hit a game-winning home run forcing the team into a tie for first place with the L A Dodgers. With the Giants trailing 4 – 2 in the top of the ninth inning, Mays had an RBI single, eventually scoring as the Giants took a 6 – 4 lead. Mays caught a fly ball in centre field at the top of the ninth, advancing the Giants to the World Series against the New York Yankees – which they sadly lost in game seven. It was Mays last World Series appearance as a member of the Giants. However, he revelled in the fact that he had finally won the support of the San Francisco fans. It took them five years to accept him.
Mays signed a contract with the Giants worth $105,000 (equivalent to over $900,000 today). On July 2, he hit a 16th-inning home run against the Milwaukee Braves, giving the Giants a 1 – 0 victory. In the 1963 All-Star Game he caught a long fly ball by Joe Pepitone of the American League, winning the game for the National League 5 – 3. He was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. He batted .314 with 38 home runs, and 103 runs batted in, but stole only eight bases.
Alvin Dark, the manager, named Willie Mays captain of the Giants. He was the first AfricanAmerican captain of a major league ball club. Ten days later he played a 33-inning double-header against the New York Mets; and on September 4 he made one of the most acrobatic catches of his career when Ruben Amaro, Sr hit a ball to the scoreboard at Connie Mack Stadium. May, who had been playing close to home base, ran full speed towards the ball, catching it in mid-air, and had to kick his legs forward to stop his head from hitting the ballpark’s fence. But he held on to the ball. He batted under .300 for the season but led the National League with 47 home runs.
Mays tore a shoulder muscle in a 1965 game against the Atlanta Braves, but kept the injury a secret from opposing players –making a few practice throws before games to discourage players from running on him. He stopped a brawl between the Giants and the Dodgers and tackled a team-mate to stop him attacking an umpire. He was kicked in the head but still hit a game-winning three-run home run against Sandy Koufax, one of the best all-time pitchers. Dizzy with the head injury, he didn’t finish the game.
In August 1965, Mays won his fourth and final National League Player of the Month Award. On September 13, he hit his 500th career home run off Don Nottebart of the Houston Astros. The next night, also against Houston, Mays hit what he considered to be his most dramatic home run. With the Giants trailing the Houston Astros by two runs with two out in the ninth, Mays swung and missed the first two of Claude Raymond’s first two pitches, took three balls to load the count, and fouled off three pitches before hitting his home run off the ninth pitch. The Giants won 6 – 5 in ten innings. Mays won his second Most Valuable Player Award behind a career-high of 52 home runs in what may have been Mays’ best year. He batted .317 leading the National League in onbase percentage (.400) and slugging percentage .645. He scored 118 runs – the 12th year in succession that he had scored 100 runs in a season.
Mays tied Mel Ott’s record of 511 home runs on April 24, 1966, against the Houston Astros. After that he went nine days without a home run. He finally set the record on May 4. Despite an injured thigh muscle on September 7, Mays reached base in the eleventh inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He then attempted to score from first base on a Frank Johnson single. It was a close play and the umpire Tony Venzon ruled him out, then changed his call when he saw that Roseboro of the Dodgers had dropped the ball after Mays had collided with him, The Giants won 3 – 2. Mays finished the season batting .288 with 29 scored, 37 home runs, and 103 runs batted in. Only Babe Ruth had hit more home runs than Mays (714 to 542).
Mays had 13 home runs and 44 runs batted in with the Giants in 1967, but then went into a slump. Gary Nolan of the Cincinnati Reds struck him out four times in a game – the first time it had ever happened to him. He got some kind of a fever in July and checked himself into a hospital for five days. He was never the same again that season. He hit .263 with 83 runs scored, and 22 home runs.
The next year, 1968, on May 6, Houston Astros owner presented him with a 569-pound birthday cake – the pounds representing all the home runs he had hit in his career. He shared it with the players and sent the rest to the Texas Children’s Hospital. Mays played 148 games, accumulating 84 runs scored, 144 hits, 23 home runs and 70 runs batted in.
In 1969, the new Giants manager moved Mays to the lead off position in the batting line-up because Mays was hitting fewer home runs. Mays didn’t like the decision. He hit his 600th home run on September 22. In 117 games, he batted .283 with 13 home runs and 58 runs batted in. Sporting News named Mays as “Player of the Decade”.
In one 139 games played in 1970 Mays picked up his 3,000th hit. He batted .291 in the season, with 94 runs scored, 28 home runs, and 83 runs batted in. But his best days were over.
Mays was 40 years old in 1971 and, although he played mostly at centre field, he was moved to first base for 48 games. He only hit 18 home runs – partly because he was walked 112 times. He batted .271 and stole 23 bases. The Giants won the National League West title but lost to the
