Book progress-it's going well!

Time for an update on the McNally book. We, my publisher, Sunbury Press, and I are progressing nicely. Sunbury assigned me an editor, Andrew Smith, a young guy in the Midwest, and we’ve been collaborating well.

At the moment, I’m going through Andrew’s useful edits. I’ve accepted most of his suggested changes, but my decades of experience as a professional writer has given me leave, so to speak, to use my own style choices in some instances. I also should give credit to my first editor, Jim Thomsen in Washington state, whose work made this round of editing easier for both Andrew and me.

On another front, Lawrence Knorr, who heads Sunbury, has decided to use the cover I already had for the book. It was designed by a graphic designer from Australia, Hina Zubi, whom I found on Upwork and contracted with way back when I thought the book would be self-published,

Hina did a terrific job of capturing one of the pinnacle moments in Dave’s career: the 1970 grand slam home run against the Cincinnati Reds that remains the only grand slam hit by a pitcher in World Series play. I paid the Associated Press for its photo of Dave at the bat on that memorable day, and Hina used it to create the cover. I’ve included the cover image here.

I haven’t confirmed this with Sunbury, but so far as I know we’re still shooting for a “soft release” of the book around the middle of September or late in the month. Just in time for the start of major-league playoffs and then the World Series.

Having a book launch this fall also will allow the release to coincide with this year’s 50th anniversary of the Seitz labor decision, which Dave’s name will always be attached to. That ruling overturned baseball’s reserve clause and gave players workplace rights roughly comparable to what the rest of us take for granted.

If all goes according to plan, I’ll work with the good folks at This House of Books in downtown Billings to launch the book at an event in that bookstore. I also hope to use my connections in Baltimore to find an independent bookstore or two there willing to feature me on a Zoom author event.

Then, after we get through winter in Montana, Cathie and I will take off in our motor home to really market the book. It’s not just in Baltimore where McNally is remembered as one of the American League pitching greats of the 1960s and 1970s. People of a certain age, fellow Baby Boomers and slightly younger baseball fans, in cities like Minneapolis, Washington, New York, Chicago, and elsewhere can also venture down memory lane and remember when the Orioles No 19 came to their park and put on a display of crafty pitching that often baffled their lineups.

So, I hope to see you in your city in 2026!