Attention producers and sports journalists:
Here’s a perfect supplement to spring training coverage and a great feature throughout the 2012 baseball season!

Media Inquiries:
Ellen Trachtenberg, Publicist: 610-212-1823, braintreebooks@gmail.com
Pam Golum, The Lippin Group (L.A.): 323-965-1990 x325, pgolum@lippingroup.com
Lisa Lugassy, The Lippin Group (NY):  212-986-7080, lisa@lippingroup.com

BEST-SELLING BASEBALL HALL OF SHAME BOOK SERIES RETURNS!
“BLOOPERSTOWN” EXHIBIT PLANNED TO RIVAL COOPERSTOWN

After a twenty-year absence, the best-selling Baseball Hall of Shame book series returns with the most outrageously funny collection of major league mishaps of all time in the granddaddy of the franchise,
THE BASEBALL HALL OF SHAME: THE BEST OF BLOOPERSTOWN.

Scheduled for a March 6 release by Lyons Press, this irreverent chronicle of the national pastime’s wildest and craziest moments both on and off the field will have readers rolling in the aisles with laughter. Authors Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo have “inducted” more than 200 players, managers, coaches, owners and even fans in their hallowed hall of lovable losers. From the 1885 World Series, in which there were more errors than hits, through the 2011 baseball season, this hilarious new book pays tribute to the zaniest spring training shenanigans, the goofiest fielding fiascoes, the most mind-boggling mental miscues, the wackiest plate appearances and much, much more. Among the inglorious immortals:

• Manny Ramirez, who abandoned left field to go to the bathroom—during a game!
• Ken Griffey Jr., who paid off a bet for a steak dinner by sneaking a cow into manager Lou Piniella’s office!
• Billy Herman, who knocked himself out with his own foul ball in his very first big league game!
• Outfielder Ping Bodie, who out-ate Percy the ostrich for the spaghetti-eating championship of the baseball world!
• Hall of Famer George Brett, who collected his historic 3,000 big-league hit—and promptly got picked off first base!

“Everyone makes mistakes, even major leaguers,” says Bruce Nash. “The only difference is when a ballplayer screws up, it’s in front of tens of thousands of fans. There’s no place to hide their shame.” Allan Zullo adds, “As a long-suffering Cubs fan, I’ve become used to ridiculous plays and embarrassing moments. The Cubs have a rich roster of zany players, including outfielder Lou ‘The Mad Russian’ Novikoff, who insisted his wife taunt him from the stands—because he believed it made him hit better.”

The original Baseball Hall of Shame, first published in 1985, was an instant hit with fans of all ages, becoming one of the most popular sports humor books of all time. It spawned a Hall of Shame publishing franchise, with additional volumes on baseball, as well as football, basketball and other sports. In The Baseball Hall of Shame: The Best of Blooperstown, Nash & Zullo bring back their wildly successful sports humor series for a whole new generation of fans who had never read their outlandish, out-of-left-field stories that seemed unbelievable but were all true.

Now Nash & Zullo are going a step further by collecting memorabilia from the events depicted in the book and starting a Blooperstown exhibit. Said Nash, “We are looking for the glove that Tommy John wore when he committed three errors on one ball... the table leg that Norm Cash tried to use as a bat... the ball that Lenny Randle blew foul during a game... the jerseys that Shea Hillenbrand and Jeff Fulchino wore when battled balls were lost inside their shirts... and one of the warped records that survived perhaps the most infamous ballpark promotion of all time—Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park.

“Our motto has always been, ‘Fame and shame are part of the game.’ The Hall of Fame has Cooperstown.  Now the Hall of Shame has Blooperstown.”

             BRUCE NASH, president of Nash Entertainment, is the creator and executive producer of more than 80 television series and specials, including “Before They Were Stars,” “Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed,” “Meet My Folks,” “Who Wants To Be A Superhero?” and “Most Shocking.” His “Modern Marvels” series is one of cable’s longest running programs, with more than 500 one-hour episodes. On the sports front, Nash created and produced the critically acclaimed series “Amazing Sports Stories,” which was nominated for four Sports Emmys. His company is headquartered in Hollywood, California.

             ALLAN ZULLO has written more than 100 nonfiction books on such subjects as sports, the supernatural, history, animals, war, survival, heroism and grandparenting. His latest books are Heroes of 9/11 and Titanic: Young Survivors. Among his many sports books are When Bad Things Happen to Good Golfers, Golf is a Funny Game and March to Madness. He writes two best-selling series for Scholastic, Haunted Kids and Ten True Tales. He lives near Asheville, North Carolina.

The Baseball Hall of Shame: The Best of Blooperstown—Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo
March 6, 2012—Lyons Press—296 pages—ISBN13:  978-0762778454