Mike connects with the far-distant land of Wisconsin. The language of Baseball is universal!

WSCO-AM 1570, The Score
Appleton, Wisconsin
Thursday, July 26, 2012

For this "baseball travelogue," father Mike Luery and son Matt Luery visited 32 Major League Baseball stadiums over a 16-year period, bonding as they traveled. Mike Luery is an investigative reporter for Channel 3 (KCRA) in Sacramento.

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Another great discussion on KOMO Radio.

1000AM / 97.7FM KOMO News Radio
Seattle, Washington
Friday, June 1, 2012

"A moving read with advice on forming a really strong parental bond, Baseball Between Us is a fine exploration of the sport and a powerful relationship, very much recommended reading."

-Midwest Book Review

Click here to read article in the "Contra Costa Times".

Click here to read article in the "Rancho Santa Fe Reader".

Mike had a great discussion with Mark Cope about Baseball Between Us, and all things Texan relating to baseball!

102.3FM KXYL Newstalk Radio
Brownwood, Texas
Monday, March 26, 2012

See Mike discuss Baseball Between us on KUSI-TV

KUSI-TV
San Diego, CA
March 24, 2012
Interview on Good Morning San Diego

See Mike discuss Baseball Between us on San Diego 6

XETV
San Diego, CA
March 24, 2012
Interview on San Diego 6

Mike and Grant had a great discussion about Baseball Between Us on Grant's show. Check out the interview by clicking on the link below.

1140AM KHTK The Fan
Sacramento, California
The Grant Napear Show

First of all, I'm jealous.

No, not because Mike Luery went to 32 ballparks. Well ok, I am jealous about that, too.

But mainly I am green with envy because his adventure came with a sidekick: his son, Matt. You see, my son sees baseball the way Mike Luery's wife sees it: like watching paint dry. (Luckily, my son and I have something in which to bond us: football.)

The travels of Mike and Matt are detailed in "Baseball Between Us". 16 Years. 32 Ballparks. 43,000 Miles. And while there is a lot of baseball between pages 1 and 266, there is also the right amount of "us": a father and son arguing over things like Teddy Roosevelt versus 50 Cent, and ultimately finding out they had more in common than they ever would have dreamed.

* * *

Mike Luery speaks from the heart. Sounds like someone I know. He is, as Matt points out near the end of their journey, a hopeless romantic seeking the fairytale ending. But that is not where there the similarities between the elder Luery and I end. We were also introduced to this game - like many others, I suppose - by our fathers.

Mike's recollection of his dad scoring a pair of tickets to the opener of the 1963 World Series called to mind my dad doing the exact same thing - alas for my older siblings - during the A's run of three consecutive World Series triumphs in the early 70's.

We also received ringing endorsements for our books by our very own Ken Korach. Says the voice of the A's of "Baseball Between Us":

"Mike and Matt experienced that baseball could serve as a conduit for them to grow as a parent and son. Any parent, or anyone who loves baseball, will appreciate the stories and the messages in the book. This is a book for fathers, mothers, sons and daughters."

The eloquence of Korach - and much more! - can be found on the "Baseball Between Us" website, including his upcoming book-signing schedule.

And even though Mr. Leury ranks that "other stadium" first on his list, and our (cough) lovely ballpark at Number 28 (which would be last if not for the two Florida ballparks), "Baseball Between Us" is a heartwarming tale of a father and son, and their love for baseball and each other.

A book, that as Blez pointed out when he introduced Mike to me, is right up my alley. If you love baseball - and you wouldn't be here if you didn't - you will find that "Baseball Between Us" is right up your alley, too.

"Mike and Matt experienced that baseball could serve as a conduit for them to grow as a parent and son. Any parent, or anyone who loves baseball, will appreciate the stories and the messages in the book. This is a book for fathers, mothers, sons and daughters."

- Ken Korach, Play-by-Play Announcer, Oakland Athletics

"In Baseball Between Us, Mike and Matt Luery have completed a dream voyage that every father and son should be blessed to experience...a voyage that forged two generations and nurtured a bond that only baseball could have created. I am honored to have been part of their journey."

- Bernie Williams, 5-Time All Star New York Yankees and Jazz guitarist

"A great read! Anyone who has ever played catch or watched a game with their son or daughter will absolutely be touched by the book. Mike truly captures the spirit of what baseball has meant to generations of families."

- Ed Sprague Head Baseball Coach University of the Pacific and
World Series star, Toronto Blue Jays

"If you love reading stories about how baseball can help make connections between people, you will love this book."

-Scott Barzilla Editor, HardballChat.com

The trip from sea to shining sea was held in segments over many years.  Mike and Matt experienced a lot of history.  They were there when Barry Bonds hit his 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time home run list.  They were in the Dakotas when they ran across the biggest buffalo in the world, saw a real T-Rex skeleton, rode to the top of the St. Louis arch, visited both the Rock and Roll and Baseball Halls of Fame, saw some important monuments like Boog Powell, Bernie Williams, Niagara Falls, and the Liberty Bell. (Mike provides photos of them all in the book.)

More than anything, though, this book is about parenthood and the pain of a father watching a son grow up and move away.  It's not easy to do.  Fathers want to keep their sons with them forever.  I know I did.  (My son is living in L.A.)  But Mike and I both knew for their mental health and for their future, it was necessary to let go.  And though it wasn't easy, Michael at last was able to do that.   The old-time baseball fan who loved Mickey Mantle and the Beatles finally had to lovingly admit that his little boy, who loved rap music and who was wedded to his iPod, had grown into a man.  In this book we get to watch that too.

Peter Golenbock is the author of the definitive biography on George Steinbrenner: George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built the Yankee Empire.  He also wrote The Bronx Zoo and Dynasty: The New York Yankees 1949 – 1964 along with more than a dozen other sports books.

I got to meet a lot of interesting people at the national SABR conference, so I thought I would begin a series of interviews with those nice enough to come on with us. Mike Luery was one of those interesting people I came across. Like me, he was attending the SABR conference for the first time. We quickly discovered we had something else in common: both of us were self-published. Instead, in Mike's case he really was self-published. He formed his own company and truly published the book himself. more→

CBS 13 News Reporter Mike Luery has just written his first book: " a story of how a father and son discovered each other on a cross-country journey, made possible through the magic of baseball." It's titled, "Baseball Between Us" and its story begins in 1994, when Luery took his family to a Cardinals game during a trip to St. Louis. Luery noticed his wife wasn't too excited about home runs and hot dogs, but his son Matt, who was five years old at the time, really enjoyed checking out the stadium and kicking back with dad.

As the years went by, the family went to games in Phoenix, Seattle, Denver, Chicago and San Diego. By the time Matt was a teenager, Luery says they often talked about the art of stealing bases and pennant races but says, "discussions about girls or school dances were off limits." When Matt was sixteen, Luery figured out a way to bond with his son. The father and son duo set off on a journey to visit every Major League stadium in the U.S. and Canada, with hopes of growing closer together.

During their first trip, they flew to Detroit to watch a Tigers game. From there they rented a car and drove to Chicago to see the White Sox and then to Minnesota to see the Twins. Along the way, Luery says they had a "war over music," and couldn't agree on a bedtime. They traveled more than 43,000 miles over the span of six years and along the way they met former players Bernie Williams, Dave Stewart, Ed Sprague Jr. and Maury Wills. In the end, they discovered their adventure was the perfect road map to a winning father/son relationship.

Luery chronicled their adventures in his self-published book, which will be released next March and will be sold at all major retailers and online. Luery also launched a Web site: http://www.baseballbetweenus.com/ featuring information about the book, photos of their journey and a "baseball blog." By the way, after visiting every MLB stadium, Luery says "AT&T Park is the best placed to see a game." Contact Luery:mike@baseballbetweenus.com

The book is called Baseball Between Us and the author is Mike Luery, a news reporter at CBS13 in Sacramento, Ca. Mike was my mentor when I was an intern at KCRA quite a few years ago. I was fortunate to be interning for a reporter who was so committed to the craft of telling interesting and educational stories. Mike's daily news reports focus on documenting government spending, waste and mismanagement. So this book is a big departure from all of that!

Here is my Q & A with Mike about his new book...
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Technology changes. The economy changes. But some things never change. Some fathers still take time out with their sons – fishing, playing sports or video games, tinkering on cars. Even in challenging times, these unshakable dads more→

Bernie Williams bounds across the floor with a major league swagger. He is on the road again, only this time he's armed with a jazz guitar instead of his trusted Gold Glove that made him one of baseball's top defensive players four years in a row. Yes, the six-time All-Star Centerfielder for the New York Yankees is on another winning streak, more→