{"title":"Whaley's Words","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"sidebar-author\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eMike Whaley, two-time NH Sportswriter of the Year, is our resident historian and one of the greatest sportswriters around. Check out his two books and purchase your copy today...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"a-pen-for-all-seasons-by-mike-whaley","title":"A Pen For All Seasons by Mike Whaley","description":"\u003cp\u003eLongtime NH sportswriter and Ball 603 contributor Mike Whaley has released a book – “A Pen For All Seasons: Dispatches From a Rural New England Life in Sports.” It contains 65 of Whaley’s favorite stories and columns with photos from 35 years in the newspaper business.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRochester and Farmington figure most prominently in the book, which includes stories Whaley has written since the late 1980s from the Rochester Courier, Rochester Times, Foster’s Daily Democrat and Portsmouth Herald.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere's plenty on basketball. Here's a list: Spaulding boys and girls basketball, including long-time former SHS coach Tim Cronin; Holy Rosary HS of Rochester, 1955 Class C boys champs; Nute's David Burrows; Farmington's 1970 state championship boys team and the 1967-68 Tiger Tigers, who were undefeated that season in volleyball, basketball and softball; Portsmouth's Dan Parr and Sox great Carlton Fisk; Newmarket's Ron Weitzell and Bert McGloughlin; UNH coach Gerry Friel; Oyster River girls coach Cathy Coakley; Whaley's old college hoop teammates and friends, Bill Fitzgerald and John LeMieux, and the Austin-Cate Wildcats, 1971 NH Class S boys champs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhaley was a full-time area sportswriter from 1987 until his semi-retirement in 2019. He still writes occasionally for Foster’s and the Herald, as well as Ball603. A two-time New Hampshire Sportswriter of the Year, Whaley lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife, Jill.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e– – – – – – – – –\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou can purchase the book in person starting Monday, May 22, at Collins Sports Center in Rochester, N.H. during their regular business hours: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Cash and checks accepted only.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIf you're interested in paying via check, please email \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewhaleym25@gmail.com.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ball603","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43094264578199,"sku":"BOOK1","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0606\/6189\/1223\/files\/APen4AllSeasonscopy.jpg?v=1683745663"},{"product_id":"floor-burns-by-mike-whaley","title":"Floor Burns by Mike Whaley","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBall603’s Mike Whaley, a veteran New Hampshire sportswriter, has written a colorful, intimate and sprawling book that celebrates small-college basketball in New England, centered around the lesser-known college sports organization – the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Whaley’s book (620 pages, more than 190 photos) highlights all six New England states, starting in New Britain, Connecticut, in the 1940s and wrapping up in present-day Boston at tiny Fisher College.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Floor Burns: A Wild Journey Across the Forgotten Backroads of NAIA Basketball in New England” has been published by Bondcliff Books in Littleton for $29.95 (plus S\u0026amp;H).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhaley was a college player himself in Vermont, so the book is part memoir. Mostly, however, it’s a definitive chronicle of the NAIA in New England, rich with stories and anecdotes from 120-plus interviews, mostly with former and current players and coaches.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor New Hampshire hoop junkies there are stories on players and\/or coaches from Franklin Pierce University, Keene State College and New England College, as well as defunct Nathaniel Hawthorne and Notre Dame colleges. It will be a stroll down memory lane recalling Bruce Kirsh, Greg Trotman, Bob Witts, Paul Trocki, Al Hicks, Glenn Theulen, Joe Yaris, Dave Morissette, Josh Lee, Phil Rowe, and others.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe book’s cover has some Granite State flavor. Featured is Franklin Pierce’s Larry Leach, who starred for the Ravens during their NAIA era from 1978 to 1982. He still holds the men’s career scoring record with 2,226 points. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThere are National Basketball Association (NBA) connections with Stan Van Gundy, the former NBA coach with Miami, Orlando, Detroit and New Orleans who got his start as a head coach in Vermont at Castleton State; as well as ex-coach and current NBA executive, Steve Clifford, who cut his teeth as a player in the NAIA at the University of Maine at Farmington. The popular “Jungle Jim” Loscutoff retired from the pro ranks in 1964 after nine seasons and six NBA championships with the Boston Celtics. He quickly segued into coaching at old Boston State College (1964 to 1976), building the program into a regional NAIA power.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Floor Burns” can be ordered online at \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.shopball603.com\/\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewww.shopball603.com\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e or purchased at select bookstore locations (coming soon).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhaley has been an award-winning sportswriter in Maine and New Hampshire since 1987, and has written for Ball603 since its inception in 2021. A two-time New Hampshire Sportswriter of the Year, he played basketball at Lyndon State College (now VTSU-Lyndon) in northern Vermont from 1979 to 1983 in the era of short shorts with no 3-pointer or shot clock. This is his second book. Whaley lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife, Jill Rosenblum. You may contact him via email (\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"mailto:whaleym25@gmail.com\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewhaleym25@gmail.com\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ball603","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45143298211991,"sku":"Book2","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0606\/6189\/1223\/files\/FloorBurns-COVER.jpg?v=1738938426"}],"url":"https:\/\/shopball603.com\/collections\/whaleys-words.oembed","provider":"Ball603","version":"1.0","type":"link"}