Reading Baseball

WSIU Radio contributor Pete Peterson had a successful career as a professor at SIU-Carbondale, But, while growing up, he dreamed of playing professional baseball.

The start of the Major League Baseball season is -- for some -- a sign that spring is finally here and a time for new beginnings.

Over 100 years after he broke into Major League Baseball, Babe Ruth is still one of the most revered names in the history of the game.

January 1969 turned out to be a momentous time for the SIU-Carbondale Department of English and for a future professor from western Pennsylvania.

Christmas is coming, so that means it's time for Pete Peterson's annual holiday edition of Reading Baseball.

The 2018 World Series is underway featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox.

The St. Louis Cardinals failed to make the playoffs this season, but maybe the franchise's biggest loss was when Red Schoendienst passed away in June after 67 years with the organization.

Baseball's familiarity makes it a great subject for American literature.

Former St. Louis Cardinal and Los Angeles Dodger player Wally Moon passed away earlier this year. The Arkansas native took advantage of the oddly configured Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to hit dozens of home runs.

Anyone can get caught up in the excitement of a Major League Baseball game.

The organizers of Illinois' bicentennial celebration say it's a time to celebrate the state's influence on music, art, transportation, agriculture and more. In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson says it's also a good time to recognize the state's impact on sports writing, especially on America's national pastime.

July 6 is the 85th anniversary of the very first Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Last month's royal wedding of Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle captured the attention of people across the world. In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson tells us how the international event even had a connection related to arguably one of the greatest baseball teams in history.

A new PBS series highlights the power of reading through the prism of America's best-loved novels -- as chosen in a national survey.

Irish-born ballplayers have played a pivotal role in Major League Baseball since the sport's early days.

It's almost time for the 2018 Pittsburgh Marathon.

Illinois' bicentennial year in 2018 features plenty of celebrations.

In this edition of Reading Baseball, Pete Peterson tells us why he thinks a baseball film from nearly 70 years ago should've been included on Illinois' bicentennial list of all-time great movies.

The Southern Illinois University Press is struggling financially and a committee is currently studying the best way for the press to move forward, if at all.

The first half of Ken Burns' 10-part PBS series on the Vietnam War aired September 17-21 on WSIU-Television. The second half of the series will begin on September 24.

Major League Baseball took a step last month to reach out to young people with a big league game called the Little League Classic.

Retired SIU-Carbondale English professor and WSIU Radio contributor Pete Peterson is an avid runner.

You may have heard something about a Total Solar Eclipse in the area on August 21st.

Pete Peterson has produced essays and commentaries for WSIU Radio for more than 13 years now.

You may have heard the story recently about a Major League Baseball umpire saving a woman who apparently was about to jump off a bridge in Pittsburgh.