A long, strange journey to the press box and clubhouse -- Old-time players and scribes -- The baseball beat writer -- Celebrity players or upstanding role models? -- Not baseball's golden children -- Latroy and Carl as Jekyll and Hyde -- A lot less chewin' the fat with managers -- All the news that's not fit to print -- The red and blue states of baseball journalism -- The politics of baseball media -- Chicago a toddlin', but soft, baseball media town -- No-shows in the press box and clubhouse -- Sports-talk radio -- No more Harry Carays -- Old versus new media -- Afterword.