John Eisenberg

My latest vintage interview is up at the Bird Tapes and it is a classic: It's a recording of my 25-year-old interview with Paul Blair, who won 8 Gold Gloves while playing centerfield on many of the Orioles' greatest teams. He pulled no punches during our conversation. Check it out and subscribe to the Bird Tapes, the community is growing! https://birdtapes.substack.com/p/the-bird-tapes-interview-paul-blair

Updating what's happening at the Bird Tapes -- I just posted a column that I wrote about Earl Weaver and the start of baseball's data revolution. And a heads-up, the next interview going up (next Monday) will be with Paul Blair, the legendary center fielder. I spoke to him for 90 minutes in 1999 and he talked frankly about everything that happened during his career. Honestly, an unforgettable interview. Also coming in the near future -- my interviews from 25 years ago with Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr., Dennis Martinez and Boog Powell. Please subscribe if you haven't already at birdtapes.substack.com.

Jumping on to make sure everyone here knows about the Orioles history project I've started this season. It's called the Bird Tapes . When I wrote my oral history book about the team a quarter-century ago, I interviewed all the major figures in franchise history and kept the microcassette tapes that I used while recording those interviews. They sat in a shoebox in my closet for years but now I've had them digitized and I'm going to be rolling them out in weekly posts along with some new writing that connects the Orioles' past to the present. The Bird Tapes is housed on the Substack media platform. The web address is birdtapes.substack.com. It's a subscription-based model and subscribers gain access to the vintage interviews for a small monthly fee. So far I have posted my quarter-century-old interviews with Brooks Robinson, Earl Weaver and Ernie Harwell, the legendary broadcaster who was the Orioles' first play-by-play man. Next up: Paul Blair. I've written articles about Mark Belanger and Brooks, and much, much more is coming. The response to the rollout of the Bird Tapes has been great so far. Please subscribe if interested at birdtapes.substack.com.