Jason Turbow
Official Website of Best-Selling Author of
They Bled Blue
Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic
and
The Baseball Codes
... as well as the Internet's preeminent unwritten rules blog.
IN THE PRESS
Carefully researched and often hilarious . . . ‘Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic’ has plenty to offer fans both serious and casual . . . Turbow has unearthed new perspectives on brief but important chapters in team history . . . This is also a very funny book, especially if you read Turbow’s many footnotes.
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An exciting chapter in West Coast sports history ... A must-read for A’s fans.
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LIBRARY JOURNAL
Starred Review
“
An absorbing, detailed and entertaining look at the dynasty that Major League Baseball probably wanted to sweep under the rug. … The anecdotes Turbow spins in this book are alternately hilarious, sad, and shake-your-head amazing. … Turbow’s prose is lively and entertaining, and some of the footnotes he writes are mini-chapters in their own right. Don’t skip them; some will make you laugh out loud, while others will offer a solid explanation of a particular episode.
BOB D'ANGELO
The Sports Bookie
“
Turbow keeps the narrative flow moving while offering thumbnail backstories for the principals and just enough tidbits—a knife-wielding Campaneris going after Jackson at a “celebration” dinner the night of the team’s 1973 championship win—to give the book some pop. Entertaining reading for fans whose interest in baseball history extends back 40 years.
BOOKLIST
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The narrative benefits immensely from Turbow's many interviews with the long-retired players from the Athletics' dominant stretch. … A pleasing slice of baseball nostalgia that offers relevance to today's game.
IN THE PRESS
Praise for Twin Cities
“Engaging account of grappling with inequities as a Black police officer and football coach ... Adams raises awareness about the conflicting linkages among policing, athletics, and ideals of manhood in Black communities. ... His examination of the Minneapolis police department is unsparing ... while his unsettling experiences as a police officer are revelatory—particularly the Floyd killing’s grim aftermath, including riots and an exodus of Black officers—the heart of the narrative lies in the author’s exploration of the holistic and communication aspects of building championship teams…. Adams conveys a strong understanding of the cultural resilience of Black communities. The writing style is approachable, mordant, and sometimes funny or profane….A valuable perspective on the challenges facing both police and ordinary citizens in places like Minneapolis."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Starred review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Starred review
LIBRARY JOURNAL
Starred Review
“
An absorbing, detailed and entertaining look at the dynasty that Major League Baseball probably wanted to sweep under the rug. … The anecdotes Turbow spins in this book are alternately hilarious, sad, and shake-your-head amazing. … Turbow’s prose is lively and entertaining, and some of the footnotes he writes are mini-chapters in their own right. Don’t skip them; some will make you laugh out loud, while others will offer a solid explanation of a particular episode.
“This work successfully tells the story of a unique team that won it all in the strangest way. An entertaining work for all reading baseball fans.”
TOM HOFFARTH
Los Angeles Times
“A perfect summary to the wart of an imperfect 1981 mess of a season. ... A World Series trophy hoist worthy of any in the collection of Dodgers' literary history.”
“
Turbow keeps the narrative flow moving while offering thumbnail backstories for the principals and just enough tidbits—a knife-wielding Campaneris going after Jackson at a “celebration” dinner the night of the team’s 1973 championship win—to give the book some pop. Entertaining reading for fans whose interest in baseball history extends back 40 years.
BOOKLIST
“
BOB D'ANGELO
The Sports Bookie
The beauty of Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic is that it works on two levels: as a great yarn but also a sharp illustration of the game as it existed just before free agency changed it forever. Turbow tells the story with a facility that makes it the read of the season.
… The anecdotes Turbow spins in this book are alternately hilarious, sad, and shake-your-head amazing. … Turbow’s prose is lively and entertaining, and some of the footnotes he writes are mini-chapters in their own right. Don’t skip them; some will make you laugh out loud, while others will offer a solid explanation of a particular episode.
BOB D'ANGELO
The Sports Bookie
BOOKLIST
The narrative benefits immensely from Turbow's many interviews with the long-retired players from the Athletics' dominant stretch. … A pleasing slice of baseball nostalgia that offers relevance to today's game.
Praise for They Bled Blue
Casey Award finalist
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“
"With a heady mix of reportage, biography, and classic play-by-play coverage, Turbow meticulously traces the arc of the team’s rise from the late 1970s postseason failures to the fateful, strike-filled season where the team defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series. ... Fluidly written and expertly paced, this exciting look at a turbulent team will thrill baseball enthusiasts of all stripes."
“Turbow delivers the goods. … A skillful mixture of biographies, on-field action, and behind-the-scenes baseball politics.”
An exciting chapter in West Coast sports history ... A must-read for A’s fans.
Praise for Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic
Casey Award finalist
“
“
A hugely entertaining new book.
Carefully researched and often hilarious . . . ‘Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic’ has plenty to offer fans both serious and casual . . . Turbow has unearthed new perspectives on brief but important chapters in team history . . . This is also a very funny book, especially if you read Turbow’s many footnotes.
Turbow vividly captures the ups and downs of this team through interviews with former players. … An exciting and engrossing book with stories that are worth telling. This work will engage fans of Charlie O. Finley and the Oakland Athletics, along with anyone captivated by baseball history.
LIBRARY JOURNAL
Starred Review
Turbow captures the deep weirdness of the era as it was refracted through the prism of baseball. ... Thanks to Jason Turbow, fans of baseball history have the opportunity to dig deeper into one of the most bizarre – and fun – teams in the storied saga of the national pastime.
Turbow keeps the narrative flow moving while offering thumbnail backstories for the principals and just enough tidbits—a knife-wielding Campaneris going after Jackson at a “celebration” dinner the night of the team’s 1973 championship win—to give the book some pop. Entertaining reading for fans whose interest in baseball history extends back 40 years.
RAVES
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They Bled Blue was eye-opening, thought-provoking, and hands down the most accurate portrayal of events and personalities of the 1981 Dodgers that I've seen. I enjoyed every minute reading it, and no doubt will page through it again to relive the best baseball year of my life.
JERRY REUSS,
Los Angeles Dodgers, 1979-1987
1981 was a special but strange year. The baseball strike in the middle of the season, my first All-Star appearance and a championship…They Bled Blue captures the season extraordinarily well. A thoroughly engaging look at a truly wild ride.
DUSTY BAKER,
Los Angeles Dodgers, 1976-1983
Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic masterfully recounts a thrilling period in Oakland A’s history. Jason’s storytelling vividly captures the cast of characters that made up the Athletics of the 70’s, starting with their ringleader, Charlie Finley. The stories of those memorable teams come to life in the pages of this fascinating book.
BILLY BEANE, Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, Oakland A's
The essence of the period is captured perfectly. The epilogue is expertly written and explains the previous 300 or so pages with a sense of empathy as well as a sense of history. I recommend this book to anyone who is remotely interested in that tumultuous period. Thanks for clarifying our legacy. I'm sure Bergy [Oakland Tribune beat writer Ron Bergman, author of The Mustache Gang] would be proud."
The names are larger than life, the games are some of the greatest in Major League history. But what makes They Bled Blue a fantastic baseball book is the passion. Love the Dodgers or hate the Dodgers, this return trip to 1981 will leave you pining for Fernandomania and and wishing you were a kid again, sitting in front of your TV with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Ron Cey at the plate and Goose Gossage throwing smoke. Bravo, Jason Turbow. This is epic.
JEFF PEARLMAN,
New York Times
bestselling author
Not to be believed, and yet 100 percent true – this is Jason Turbow’s colorful, hilarious, and impossible-to-put-down account of the Swingin’ A’s, from their tyrannical, unhinged, and wildly innovative owner to the brawling players whose locker-room dysfunction fueled one of baseball’s greatest dynasties. Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic reads like the script for HBO’s next great series.
KEN HOLTZMAN
Oakland A's, 1972-1975
Two-time All-Star
Three-time world champion
STEVE FAINARU
Author, "League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth"
JOURNALISM
2012 MLB Postseason
Verlander, Valverde no help for Tigers in World Series Opener
New York Times, Oct. 25, 2012
MVP Scutaro leads Giants into World Series
New York Times Oct. 23, 2012
Gregor Blanco leaves Cabrera's shadow behind
New York Times, Oct. 15, 2012
A's take curtain call after bowing out
New York Times, Oct. 12, 2012
A's manager provides calmness in wild series
New York Times, Oct. 11, 2012
Newspaper Writing
New York Times, May 9, 2022
He Knows It All Because He's Seen It All
New York Times, Aug. 26, 2021
Discontentment in the Heart of Texas
USA Today, Oct. 7, 2013
Big Payoff in Harbaugh's Gamble
New York Times, Jan. 15, 2013
Meet 30-Down: Wilson is the answer for the Giants
New York Times, March 30, 2011
A Cal-Stanford score, off the field
New York Times, Nov. 20, 2009
Wall Street Journal, Aug. 27, 2009
The brainiest team in baseball
Wall Street Jounral, June 16, 2009
Magazine/Web Writing
How New York's Bagel Union Took on the Mob
Grub Street, January 2020
SB Nation Longform, June 2014
Will the Last Warriors Fan in Oakland Please Turn Out the Lights
San Francisco Magazine, May 2013
49ers big QB gamble might not be much of a gamble
The Atlantic, Dec. 1, 2012
The Warriors Owners Explain Their Ideas for a Waterfront Arena
San Francisco Magazine, August 2012
Panda 2.0: Pablo Sandoval
Giants Magazine, August 2011
Down by the Bay: Chris Mullin's Golden State tenure
Slam Magazine, July 10, 2010
Settling the Score: The next wave of sports stats
Popular Science August 2008
Wired
Soccer embraces big data to quantify the beautiful game
Wired, Sept. 3, 2012
Bigger, faster stronger: Will bionic limbs put the Olympics to shame?
Wired, Aug. 3, 2012
Head games: What will it take to get big league pitchers to wear helmets?
Wired, Oct. 4, 2012
George S. Patton (yes, that one) was a modern pentathlete
Wired, Aug. 10, 2012
How our always-on culture made these the most watchable games ever
Wired, July 27, 2012
AUDIO
50 Years of Classic Radio Play-by-Play Highlights from the John Miley Collection
BASEBALL FOREVER
Expanded audio program featuring play-by-play highlights from the collection of the country's premiere authority on radio game broadcasts. Clips of great players, historic moments and amazing feats, along with some of the greatest broadcasters the game has known, come alive in this audiobook. Bob Costas's inimitable voice brings the script to life.
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