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October 5, 2005
New Biography of Sports Broadcaster Mel Allen to Be Discussed on Oct. 18
Stephen Borelli, the baseball editor of USA Today Sports Weekly, will discuss his new book, "How About That! The Life of Mel Allen," at the Library of Congress at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 18, in Dining Room A on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.
A book signing will follow the presentation, which is part of the Center for the Book’s Books & Beyond author series at the Library. The Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division is cosponsoring the event. The program is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are required.
"How About That!" is the first biography of Allen, who was one of the most famous sports broadcasters in American history. CNN’s Larry King praised the volume as "a wonderful book about a wonderful life; I knew and loved Mel Allen and Borelli captures him in full measure."
From the 1930s until his death in 1996, the unmistakable voice and phrases of Allen attracted an enormous following of sports fans on radio and then television. Allen’s signature phrases, "How about that?" (after a spectacular play) and "Going … going … gone!" (during a home run) made him an American icon. After more than three decades as the announcer for the New York Yankees, the team dismissed him in 1964. Allen’s second broadcasting life, during the late 1970s through the mid-1990s, centered on the groundbreaking television show "This Week in Baseball," which he hosted.
Borelli has covered all levels of baseball as well as other sports for USA Today, The Washington Post, Harvard University’s Nieman Reports and Tennis Magazine. He grew up outside New York City, where he learned baseball from watching Mel Allen on "This Week in Baseball" and going to New York Yankees’ games. He began his newspaper career in the South, working for the Pensacola News Journal in Florida, the Commercial Appeal in Memphis and as a sportswriter in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
The Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division was created in 1978 to centralize the collection, preservation and access to the Library’s unparalleled audiovisual collections.
Established in 1977 as a public-private partnership, the Center for the Book uses the resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books, reading and libraries. For information about its events and activities, visit its Web site: www.loc.gov/cfbook.
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PR 05-211
10/05/05
ISSN 0731-3527