The Casey Award and Willie Mays: Art in the Outfield

Categories: Sports , Local Interest , Arts & Crafts

Winter can be a very long stretch of time for a baseball fan.  Dreams of sunny afternoons at the ball park begin to float around with increasing frequency.  There is an art exhibit currently installed in the atrium of the Main Library that serves to make those idealistic images even more alluring.  For a generation of fans, Willie Mays is the embodiment of grace in the outfield.  In oils, watercolors, collage, and pencil drawings, Mays is represented for his artistry and for his love of the game.

Originally gathered in 2006 in honor of Mays' 75th birthday, the collection was first displayed at the Louisville Slugger Museum.  Cincinnati author Mike Shannon, editor of Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine and creator of the annual Casey Award, was the curator of this art collection; the Library has it on display through March 20.  Mr. Shannon will appear at the Main Library on Saturday, March 1 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in the Reading Garden to meet the public and to sign books. The accompanying book can be purchased at the Library Friend's Shop, open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The Casey Award is given to the Best Baseball book of the year, and the award for 2007 was just announced.  Joe Posnanski's The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America was selected from a field of ten nominated titles. 

This year's Casey Award banquet will be held at the Carnegie Arts Center in Covington, Kentucky on March 2, 2008.  Open to the public, this is an informal afternoon of hot dogs, baseball trivia, and fun.  For reservations, contact Mike Shannon at (513) 385-2268, or at: spitball5@hotmail.com