How do you launch a hardcover baseball book that was three years in the making, contains more than 150 images, rare illustrations and cartoons, and 400 pages of baseball facts and follies, all highlighting a 163-year love affair between the City of Buffalo and the grand old game? You start by creating a lineup of special guests whose stories are featured in the book. Then, add a team of sports broadcasters from across the United States to carry the event, highlighted by Bob Costas, an eight-time National Sportscaster of the Year and the recipient of 28 Emmy awards.
The Seasons of Buffalo Baseball 1857-2020 virtual launch will take place Tuesday, Dec. 8, beginning at 7 p.m. It is a free-to-the-public event with registration required via this link: https://bit.ly/SeasonsBuffaloBaseballLaunch. Bob Costas will appear during the opening 30 minutes of the 90-minute virtual live broadcast. Pete Weber, former voice of the Bisons, a member of the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame and now voice of the NHL Nashville Predators, and Greg Brown, Weber’s former broadcast partner in Buffalo and now voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates, will co-host, making this launch a national event the book truly deserves. According to Costas, Buffalo and baseball are a perfect match.
“Baseball in Buffalo has a rich history and it is well documented in The Seasons of Buffalo Baseball,” Costas said from his California home studio for the Major League Baseball Network. “I look forward to talking about some of that history with Pete Weber, Greg Brown and launch host Mike Billoni during Tuesday’s launch event.”
Special guests appearances at the launch will be made by former Buffalo Bisons slugger Rick Lancellotti, the 1979 Eastern League MVP who led the league with 41 home runs and 107 runs batted in; former Bisons pitcher Morris Madden, who today runs The Carolinas Metro Reds, a Charlotte, N.C.-based youth baseball program that uses baseball as a vehicle for academic and life skills development; and recent Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame inductee catcher Brian Dorsett, one of the few Bisons to have played at both War Memorial Stadium and the team’s downtown ballpark. James Overfield, Seasons of Buffalo Baseball 1857-2020 editor; Brian Frank, assistant book editor and founder of HerdChronicles.com; Michael J. Billoni, book publisher and former vice president/general manager of the Bisons; Marta Hiczewski, former Bisons assistant manager and Rawlings Woman Executive of the Year; and Brad Bisbing, Buffalo Bisons assistant general manager, will also be on hand to join in the conversation. Overfield notes the launch as the culmination of his father, Joe’s, baseball dream.
“In 1985 when my father wrote The 100 Seasons of Buffalo Bisons Baseball, it encouraged widespread interest in the team’s history,” Overfield stated. “His plan had always been to write an update, but sadly he passed in 2000 before accomplishing that objective. After going through his boxes of notes and memorabilia on the subject, I decided to take on my father’s book editing and writing challenge. The release of this book is truly the culmination of my father’s dream and my tribute to him and his passion for Buffalo baseball.”
For publisher Billoni, also a member of the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame, he is most excited about charitable aspect of the project. “This update and revision of Joe Overfield’s original book means a lot to me because I worked closely with Joe on getting it to print. I look forward to keeping Joe’s legacy alive through a portion of our book sale proceeds and sponsorships funding through the Joseph M. Overfield Memorial Baseball, Softball, Soccer and Mentoring Program. It’s a collaboration with Omega Mentoring and the Willie “Hutch” Jones Education and Sports Program that will operate out of the Johnnie B. Wiley Amateur Athletic Sports Pavilion, formerly War Memorial Stadium, which is where Joe threw out a first pitch to launch his book during the 1985 Bisons season.”
The Seasons of Buffalo Baseball 1857-2020 is available at the following retail locations: Made in America Stores at 1000 West Maple Court, Elma; 6041 Transit Road, Depew; and 3701 McKinley Mall, Hamburg. The BFLO Stores at 130 Main St. (in the Explore & More Ralph C. Wilson Children’s Museum lobby), Eastern Hills, McKinley, Galleria and Boulevard Malls. The Buffalo History Museum, One Museum Court, Buffalo. The Bookworm & BW Gifts, 34 Elm St., East Aurora. Bases Loaded Sports Collectibles, 794 French Road, Cheektowaga. Riverside Men’s Shop and S&E Jewelers, 6470 Transit Road, Depew. Olde Editions Bookshop & Gallery, 954 Oliver St., North Tonawanda. Dog Ears Bookstore & Café, 688 Abbott Road, Buffalo. Talking Leaves Book Store, 951 Elmwood Ave. Buffalo. The Buffalo Holistic Center, 39 Delaware Road, Kenmore. Native Pride Travel Plaza Convenience Store, 11359 Southwestern Blvd., Irving. Thin Ice, 719 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo and Niagara Frontier Publications, 1859 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island. The book can be ordered online through the Buffalo Bisons at https://bit.ly/BisonsBuySeasonsofBuffaloBaseball.
