Douglas J. Gladstone, the author of A Bitter Cup of Coffee: How MLB & The Players’ Association Threw 874 Retirees a Curve, will appear at the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum on Saturday, September 13th, to talk about how the union representing today’s players, the Major League Baseball Players’ Association (MLBPA), refuses to go to bat for a number of retirees without Major League Baseball (MLB) pensions, including many who played for the Baltimore Orioles.
A valentine to those men who are not receiving MLB pensions, because they played prior to 1980, when new vesting rules were adopted by the league and the MLBPA, A Bitter Cup of Coffee: How MLB & The Players’ Association Threw 874 Retirees a Curve was originally published in April 2010 by Word Association Publishers. Gladstone’s updated version, A Bitter Cup of Coffee: The Extra Innings Edition, was published in February 2019.
Sponsored by the Baltimore chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), the program starts at 11 a.m. The Babe Ruth Birthplace is located just two blocks east of Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard at 216 Emory Street in Baltimore. Metered parking is available on Pratt, Portland and Emory Streets.
An outspoken critic of the MLBPA, Gladstone is a SABR member who has frequently taken the union to task over its failure to assist these non-vested men, including former Orioles pitchers “Bullet” Bob Reynolds and Bill Dillman, catcher Jim Hutto and infielder Mickey McGuire. Baltimore native Gene Hiser, a Sporting News First Team All American in 1970, when he was the Most Valuable Player on the Maryland Terrapins’ nationally ranked squad, is also impacted by this blight on the national pastime.
Individuals interested in purchasing advance copies of Gladstone’s updated book may order it online from Word Association Publishers or call the publishing house directly at 1-800-827-7903. You may also order it at Amazon.com; an e-Book of the original is also available online for $12.99 at BarnesandNoble.com.
Media coverage is kindly requested. For more information about the program, please feel free to contact Baltimore Chapter President Peter Coolbaugh at 570-466-3745 or Gladstone at 518-817-8253.