Luke Epplin
@lukeepplin
Author of MOSES AND THE DOCTOR (USA Today bestseller) and OUR TEAM (on Larry Doby, Satchel Paige, Bob Feller) lukeepplin.com Contact: lepplin@gmail.com
One of the biggest differences between the publishing of "Our Team" and "Moses and the Doctor" is the sheer amount of spam emails I now get from book clubs, influencers, and marketers. Today, I got an email from "James Patterson" that read simply this. What does this even mean?
In honor of LeBron James signing with the 76ers, here's a scene from "Moses and the Doctor" of when Moses Malone first came to Philadelphia after signing with the 76ers in 1982. He's with a team employee named Tim Malloy, and it's after a press conference at Veterans Stadium.
Now that LeBron James is heading to Philly, if you want to read more about the last huge free-agent signing by the Philadelphia 76ers (Moses Malone back in 1982), my book "Moses and the Doctor" came out earlier this year. www.amazon.com/Moses-Doctor...
Me too. And by the way, if you like the Sixers, you might be interested in my recently published book. www.amazon.com/Moses-Doctor...
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar just out there cutting everything down to their essence.
Colson Whitehead and his assessment of writing as a profession now. Bleak. www.theringer.com/2026/07/21/b...
The first few sentences of James Baldwin’s essay collection “Notes of a Native Son.” What a writer.
Today’s free bookshelf find at work. I love that Colson Whitehead won two Pulitzers and then used his cache to work on a hard-boiled crime trilogy set in Harlem. I loved the two previous volumes.
Imagine thinking that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, of all people, is stating something out of jealousy rather than conviction. This is a guy who skipped the 1968 Olympics to protest racism and is saying things like this now. He's been walking the walk for more than a half century.
It's no surprise that @pamelacolloff.bsky.social's "Catch the Devil" is as gripping and insightful as I expected. The amount of research is staggering, yet the narrative never gets bogged down in it. This is an excellent book expertly told by a a master storyteller. Highly recommended.
A quote from Larry Doby that I’ve never seen, from Jack Olsen’s book “The Black Athlete.”
The great Satchel Paige would've turned 120 today. For my money, he's the foremost legend in baseball history, the game's greatest storyteller and businessman. Here's the first two paragraphs that I wrote about him, from the Introduction to "Our Team."
While we're on the subject again, if you want more on the Boston Celtics/Philadelphia 76ers rivalry, my book "Moses and the Doctor" goes deep on it. Email me (my address is in my bio) and I'll send you a signed bookplate for your copy.
From Patty Smith’s latest book, “Bread of Angels,” a paragraph on her late husband. She’s a tremendous writer.
I don't agree with this paragraph, especially because I saw the Marcel Duchamp show at MoMA and absolutely loved it, but I appreciate a writer who doesn't mince words. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
This paragraph from a 1970 Sports Illustrated article on Sidney Wicks and the UCLA men's basketball team is the most 1970 paragraph imaginable.
And if I turn to the right along my route, I see the Statue of Liberty. What a blessing.
Got up at five to run and the views of NYC at sunrise along my path are stunning.
My wife and I went out to dinner alone for the first time since our daughter was born. We’re both from other places with no family in the area, and we’ve been reluctant to do babysitters. But it’s time to start.
At the Barnes and Noble in Springfield, IL, it’s me, the Sports Guy and @petecroatto.bsky.social