Nine innings gives you exactly what it says on the label. The very best of red smith, and baseball anecdotes. The game was called rotisserie baseball, named after the french restaurant in new york city where the game got its start. He was also associated with dan okrent in the creation of the rotisserie baseball league, the 1980 group that started the fantasy sports craze. How to win at rotisserie baseball, 1993 ed by peter golenbock. Dan okrent is credited as the inventor of fantasy baseball. Okrent and waggoner created the instructional book. Okrent invented rotisserie aka fantasy league baseball, but hes also a crossword puzzle champ, a former public editor of the new york times and one of the creators of the play old jews telling. Many people i know are not affectionate towards baseballs. About the same time, a group in new york including glen waggoner, who was a dean at columbia, and dan okrent, another editor, and steve wulf, a writer at sports illustrated, began a league. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. I did the ultimate baseball book, i began writing about baseball.
Jan 22, 2004 but if okrent is only remembered for a single thing, it will be his creation of the first rotisserie baseball league in 1980, which was also the first fantasy sports league of any kind. I did the ultimate baseball book, i began writing about baseball, i. When okrent published the instructional book, rotisserie league. Dan okrent, founder, rotisserie baseball belsky and fine are two of the sports worlds greatest sleuths, uncovering the kind of nuggets that will make anyone who reads this delightful book smarter, funnier, and the toast of any conversation. The first public editor of the new york times and one of the. Rotisserie baseball was invented by daniel okrent and friends, arising at the exact moment that sabermetrics was gaining critical mass as a field of serious inquiry. Daniel okrents first book since the prizewinning last call tells the chilling story of how antiimmigration activists of the early twentieth century most of them wellborn, many of them progressives used the bogus science of eugenics to justify closing the immigration door in 1924. Though his focus is on a single moment in the if youre a baseball fan youll find lots of fun in nine innings. With a weird green cover, bantam books was proud to present rotisserie league baseball. Apr 19, 2015 the game was called rotisserie baseball, named after the french restaurant in new york city where the game got its start. It is widely regarded as the most complete, best written, and easiesttouse reference on the subject. He is also known as a founder of rotisserie baseball, the forerunner of numerous fantasy sports games.
On monday, we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first ever fantasy league draft when we have the founding father of fantasy, dan okrent, stopping by. And last, but certainly not least, he is considered by many to be the founding father of what has now morphed into the multibillion dollar industry of fantasy sports. Those board games had been using historical stats to simulate games and seasons for quite a few years, but 40 years ago dan okrent dreamed up what most of us now know as fantasy baseball. While many associate him sportswriting due to his two books on baseball, his.
Dan okrentrotisserie inventor as a student, i had heard about. Then, during the mid70s, i got more deeply into baseball than i had ever been before. May 25, 2010 okrent has worn many hats in his careerveteran magazine editor, author, new york times public editor,and founder of rotisserie league baseball. Once again, we have another special guest to introduce our readers to this month, daniel okrent. A book this informative has no right to be this much fun. Apr 05, 1998 about the same time, a group in new york including glen waggoner, who was a dean at columbia, and dan okrent, another editor, and steve wulf, a writer at sports illustrated, began a league. When okrent published the instructional book, rotisserie league baseball, in 1984, the book was dedicated to waggoners secretary, sandy. From 1992 to 1996 he was managing editor for life magazine and from 1991 to 1992 he was an assistant managing editor there. We, the people of the rotisserie league, in order to spin a more perfect game, drive justice home, kiss domestic tranquility goodbye, promote. His most recent book, published may 2019, is the guarded gate. The 1993 edition is revised and expanded to include complete stats as well as winning strategies, clear explanation of the rules, and trading tactics. The rise and fall of prohibition, is an exceptional and vibrant piece of cultural history. Okrent is the editorauthor of several baseball books, including the ultimate baseball book, nine innings, american pastimes.
Mar 18, 2014 okrent is the editorauthor of several baseball books, including the ultimate baseball book, nine innings, american pastimes. Beveridge prize, awarded by the american historical association to the years best book of american history. Okrent is responsible for the first rotisserie baseball league, now known as fantasy baseball. Feb 23, 2010 dan okrent rotisserie inventor as a student, i had heard about gamsons game from sklar, but it didnt make an impression on me other than it probably buried itself somewhere deep in my cerebellum and became the germ of my idea. Written by waggoner and edited by okrent, it went into. A detroit native and a graduate of michigan university okrent has been in the writing business for his entire adult life. Dan okrent, founder, rotisserie baseball belsky and fine are two of the sports worlds greatest sleuths, uncovering the kind of nuggets that will make anyone who reads this delightful book smarter, funnier, and the toast of any. He is best known for having served as the first public editor of the new york times newspaper, inventing rotisserie league baseball, and for writing several books such as last call. By 1983 books were being published to help fans pick their teams. New media, the thirdhighest editorial job in the company, the post has learned.
Okrent spent more than 25 years in magazine and book publishing. Daniel okrent 1948, is an author, editor, and publisher perhaps best known for his appearance on ken burns documentary baseball and his revered status as the inventor of fantasy sports. On the origins of sports by gary belsky overdrive rakuten. Fantasy baseball creator daniel okrent vanity fair. He is best known for having served as the first public editor of the new york times newspaper, inventing rotisserie league baseball, and for writing several books. Okrent, editor of 1979s the ultimate baseball book, invited his friends to join the league. Daniel okrent the creator of rotisserie league baseball.
Thirtyfive years later, fantasy baseballs creators. A native of detroit, and a graduate of the university of. Okrent worked extensively in book and magazine publishing as an editor, writer and consultant. The rest, as they say in the rl, is rotissehistory. The saga commences with testimony by selfdescribed serial obsessive dan. The greatest game for baseball fans since baseball. He is best known for having served as the first public editor of the new york times newspaper, inventing rotisserie league baseball, and for writing several books such as. Thirtyfive years later, fantasy baseballs creators remember.
Dan okrent invented whip statistic, fantasy baseball wsj. If you have never before played rotisserie baseball, you should buy the book once, for the rules. After reading the entire book in one sitting, i got on the phone and called. On the origins of sports is an illustrated book built around the original rules of twentyone of the worlds most popular sports, from football and soccer to wrestling and mixed martial arts. By 1984, the originators of the game including okrent and glen waggoner published the first edition of rotisserie league baseball. Currently, he is the ombudsman for the new york times. He is best known for having served as the first public editor of the new york times newspaper, inventing rotisserie league baseball, 1 and for writing several books such as last call. Untold stories of 40 years of fantasy baseball espn. Hes been the public editor of the new york times and the managing editor of life, and one of his books got nominated for a pulitzer prize. Each inning contains a historical overview of the decade, followed by an essay written by baseball s literati. Dan okrent rotisserie inventor as a student, i had heard about gamsons game from sklar, but it didnt make an impression on me other than it probably buried itself somewhere deep in my cerebellum and became the germ of my idea. He is the author of several books, most recently great fortune. Dan okrent, founder, rotisserie baseballon the origins of sports is an illustrated book built around the original rules of 21 of the worlds most po. Golenbocks book has become the premier handbook for all fans of rotisserie or fantasy baseball.
He was, still is, daniel okrent, owner of the okrent fenokees. I had even read the bible on socalled rotisserie league baseball, by dan okrent, founder of fantasy and gm of the okrent fenokees. So, intelligently, they started to use the name fantasy instead. This shouldnt be a surprise since, at the same time, bill james was selfpublishing the baseball abstract and selling it through ads placed in the back of the sporting news. Currently, he is the ombudsman for the new york times okrent is responsible for the first rotisserie baseball league, now known as fantasy baseball. But daniel okrent is best known as the inventor of.
The following is from rotisserie league baseball the official rulebook and complete guide to player values pp 1030, by glen waggoner and robert sklar, bantam books, new york, 1989. Dan okrent i cant imagine naming it something else but rotisserie baseball, because its always been that for me. Daniel okrent born april 2, 1948 is an american writer and editor. Mar 09, 2020 rotisserie baseball was invented by daniel okrent and friends, arising at the exact moment that sabermetrics was gaining critical mass as a field of serious inquiry. Ew york for years, ive been known as the guy who invented rotisserie league baseball, said the guy who invented rotisserie league baseball, daniel okrent. But the onetime editor of life is not gone from the magazine and bookpub.
Any book calling itself the ultimate baseball book has a lot to live up to. After reading 9 innings by daniel okrent, i understand a little how they feel. Bigotry, eugenics, and the law that kept two generations of jews, ital. The game itself was named for a new york restaurant frequented by league. The rotisserie baseball time machine rotisserieduckdotcom. Upon its publication, okrents book served as the bible. Jun 21, 2004 dolphins and current cbs analyst dan marino, r. This form of baseball has become very popular with other journalists and now has a huge following. Father of fantasy sports never profited from his creation business. He edited the ultimate baseball book, has written a book about the milwaukee brewers entitled nine innings, to be published next year, and is the editor of new england monthly magazine. More than a close analysis of that particular game, okrents book is an analysis of baseball in the late 20th century and an analysis of the brewers. The book runs the gamut from playground favorites like kickball to mainstream monsters like football. Dan okrent, a new york writer and editor, invented rotisserie league baseball in 1980. Jul 16, 2010 daniel okrents latest book, last call.
Dan okrent gives a literary toast to the days of prohibition. Apr 25, 2011 journalistturnedhistorian daniel okrent clearly has been around the media blocka founder of the much heralded new england monthly, book editor, the first public editor ombudsman at the new york times, head of time, inc. A description, in minute detail, of a single baseball game between the milwaukee brewers and the baltimore orioles. Jan 15, 1990 golenbocks book has become the premier handbook for all fans of rotisserie or fantasy baseball. But when ken burns tags it the cadillac of baseball books, the authors have obviously succeeded. He joined with other likeminded baseball fans to form the rotisserie league baseball association or rlba, the very first rotisserie league. Daniel okrent follows the action, pitchbypitch and outbyout, through nine chapters. Espn the magazine morty ain an oral history of rotisserie.
Daniel okrent born april 2, 1948 is an american writer and editor he is best known for having served as the first public editor of the new york times newspaper, for inventing rotisserie league baseball, and for writing several books, such as last call. Daniel okrents first book since the prizewinning last call tells the chilling story of how antiimmigration activists of the early twentieth century most of them wellborn, many of them progressives used the bogus science of eugenics to justify closing the immigration door in 1924 the guarded gate features a cast of characters ranging from theodore roosevelt to margaret sanger to. Journalistturnedhistorian daniel okrent clearly has been around the media blocka founder of the much heralded new england monthly, book editor, the first public editor ombudsman at the new york times, head of time, inc. The book is divided up into innings, one per decade.
As daniel okrents new book the guarded gate explains, it was the conclusion of a 30year campaign on the part of many elite social scientists to keep america from being overrun by nonwhite people. It used a scoring method devised by daniel okrent, who invented the system. Okrent deserves every accolade he has ever gotten and many. The reason that its become fantasy baseball is because my fellow founders and i trademarked rotisserie baseball. Daniel okrent, a writer and baseball fan, came up with the idea for fantasy. Daniel okrent born april 2, 1948 in detroit, mi usa. The epic of rockefeller center viking penguin, 2003. Okrent has worn many hats in his careerveteran magazine editor, author, new york times public editor,and founder of rotisserie league baseball.
Daniel okrent is currently considered a single author. And he has every baseball book ever written, including yankee stranger, the ed figueroa story. It used a scoring method devised by daniel okrent, who invented the. The father of the multibillion fantasy sports industry never imagined it would. For founder of rotisserie baseball, a reality check. By jonathan kelly hes been the public editor of the new york times and the managing editor of life, and one of his books got nominated for a. We were, still are, the rotisserie league, a flock of loons who have and hold our own.
Daniel okrent is a writer and editor, and best known for having served as the first public editor of the new york times. Dan okrent, a dedicated baseball fan with a penchant for numbers, came up with the. Daniel okrent on a familiar immigration panic 100 years ago. He edited the ultimate baseball book, has written a book about the milwaukee brewers entitled nine innings, to be published next year, and is the editor of new england.
Okrent, based on discussions with colleagues at usa today, credits rotisserie league baseball with much of the early success of usa today, since the paper provided much more detailed box scores than most competitors and eventually even created a special paper, baseball weekly, which almost exclusively contained statistics and box scores. Okrent, he is the creator of rotisserie league baseball which he developed in the 1980s when he was a managing writereditor for a magazine that he worked with at this time. The rise and fall of prohibition, which served as a major source for the 2011 ken burnslynn novick miniseries prohibition. But daniel okrent is best known as the inventor of rotisserie baseballthe forerunner of the fantasybaseball leagues that consume zillions of american manhours every year.
Okrent is a great writer, but his transitions from the game and story were very wide. Upon seeing the book, the 81 article came to mind and i couldnt wait to consume the details of this fascinating hobby. In november of 1979, while on a flight to dallas, texas, okrent sketched out the rules and format for the first fantasy baseball league in history. From 1999 to 2001 he was an editor at large at time inc. Ive loved the fame of it, but more and more, in pleasant social situations, people would come up to me and describe in numbing detail their team, and their last 50 trades.
1593 1099 576 43 794 1005 1063 19 699 1205 386 500 1226 440 786 997 1344 747 1393 1495 1435 1447 660 973 645 1207 498 958 508 985 1487 1494