For more information:
Frank R. Scatoni
619-807-1887
frank at ventureliterary.com

"No Kill Date"

Venture Literary Sells Sportswriter’s In-Depth Look at Lou Piniella’s Chicago Cubs to Lyons Press

On April 1, 2008, Frank R. Scatoni of Venture Literary, representing baseball journalist and radio personality George Castle, sold World English rights to an untitled book about Lou Piniella and his Chicago Cubs, to Keith Wallman at the Lyons Press.

Castle’s book concentrates on baseball’s ultimate firebrand, Cub’s manager Lou Piniella, a man who has embodied the history of baseball over the last four decades. According to Castle, Piniella wishes to be better known as a “smart baseball man,” demonstrating a quieter, more cerebral, baseball-savvy side as he heads into the twilight of his storied career. As a journalist who possesses a long-standing rapport with the team, Castle weaves a complex profile of Piniella and his relationship with the team, explaining how baseball’s most colorful manager was able to mesh his two conflicting personalities and eventually transform the star-crossed Chicago Cubs from lovable loser to World Series contenders.

While some sportswriters have gained the reputation of “snakes in the grass” by disgruntled players, Castle is unique in that he has been able to gain the confidence and trust of the majority of the Cubs’ clubhouse, including Piniella. The two of them traded barbs and compliments all season long in 2007, when Castle often took the manager aside for one-on-one insight on how he was able to master the precarious balancing act of coaching a team and managing a roster. Castle’s reporting style will bring readers an inside look into a team and manager rarely ever seen anymore. Any devoted Cubs fan will appreciate the close-in look at Piniella and his players that is the centerpiece of Castle’s narrative.

George Castle is a longtime sportswriter who has covered the Cubs since 1994 for The Times of Northwest Indiana, as well as for his hugely popular syndicated radio show, Diamond Gems. Since 1998, Castle has published eight baseball books with emphasis on the Cubs. His seminal work was in 2000, with The Million-To-One Team, a comprehensive look at the Cubs overall management and ownership since the 1940s.

To learn more about Venture Literary, visit: www.ventureliterary.com.
To learn more about the Lyons Press, visit: www.lyonspress.com
To learn more about George Castle, visit: http://www.diamondgemsbaseball.com/login.php