Scholars usually date Yiddish from the 11th century, when modern linguists believed the language began as a German dialect spoken by newly arrived Jewish immigrants from France and Northern Italy living along the Rhine. Over time, it became an actual language incorporating elements of Hebrew, Aramaic, and the Slavic and Romance languages. As the story proceeds through the centuries, Karlen highlights the intertwining fates of Judaism and Yiddish. The language would reach literary heights in the 19th century and 20th centuries.Yet in the middle of the 20th century, while the language and culture was at its zenith, Yiddish faced two of its gravest enemies - the genocidal Nazis and the early, proud Zionists who founded Israel in the wake of the Holocaust and decided that with a new Jewish homeland, there would also have to new kind of Jew, speaking a different kind of language. It wasn't until roughly a decade ago that a new generation has begun to work zealously to recapture Yiddish before it disappears.

In his classic account of two years with the most audacious bush league ballclub ever to plumb the bottom of the pro sports barrel, Neal Karlen presents a dizzying collection of characters: co-owners comedian Bill Murray and sports impresario Mike Veeck; baseball's formerly winningest pitcher Jack Morris; outfielder Darryl Strawberry, on his way back to the majors; the back-rubbing Sister Rosalind; baseball's first woman player Ila Borders; frantic fans, a ball-carrying pig, a blind sportscaster, and a host of others. They all prove the credo of the Saints: Fun is Good. "Hilarious, insightful, touching, informative, Neal Karlen's baseball account delivers a world of vivid characters and ironic redemptions. Karlen is simply one of the best, most sophisticated, and literate practitioners of journalism we have. He goes out and gets the full story, while turning himself into a wonderfully self-mocking, truthful, and likable narrator. I loved every page of this book." --Phillip Lopate, author, essayist, and film critic "Two things make it great: characters and story line. The tale is rendered in hilarious fashion, mixing plenty of baseball with plenty of laughs." --"Rocky Mountain News" "A fun-is-good book . . . with] enough oddballs to make Alice's Adventures in Wonderland seem like a straightforward account of a schoolgirl's visit to a theme park." --"Sports Illustrated" this isn't from a review, must be from a column] "The funkiest team in baseball." --"The New York Times "
Neal Karlen, who has written for the "New York Times," "Newsweek," and" Rolling Stone," is the author or co-author of seven books, including "Augie's Secrets" from the Minnesota Historical Society Press.

"Karlen offers a colorful and impressively researched account of the Minneapolis underworld and his fascinating relative that feels right out of Damon Runyon's "Guys and Dolls."" "Star Tribune "
"Deliciously snappy." "American Jewish World"
"Karlen brings back the days when Peggy Lee walked into Augie's straight off the bus from North Dakota, when mid-century celebrities like Frank Sinatra visited Hennepin Avenue, and when the most powerful crime lords in the land checked their guns at the door when they visited Augie's."" MinnPost"
""Augie's Secrets" is filled with stunning, stylish prose that captures the flavor of the Jewish underworld of downtown Minneapolis down to its last rubout and pastrami sandwich." Paul Maccabee, author of "John Dillinger Slept Here: A Crooks' Tour of Crime and Corruption in St. Paul, 1920-1936"
Neal Karlen, who has written for the "New York Times, Newsweek, " and "Rolling Stone, " is the author or coauthor of six books.

Justice: O. J. Simpson is a lying, murdering bastard who cut the head off the mother of his children.

Boxing: Yes, Don King once beat a man to death. Yes, he ripped off fighters. But he also saved boxing.

Trash Talk: A lot of today's jocks bring nothing to the game but trash talk. They talk the talk, but their game sucks. Shut up and play ball.

Portland, Oregon: The plumber's butt of American.

Sports Marketing: Unless sanity returns, the leagues will be taken over by shoe and soft drink companies that won't be satisfied until they sew their logos on Michael Jordan's butt.

The Modern Athlete: You never hear about athletes getting into fights with guys anymore. All you ever read about is jocks beating up women. What up wit' dat?

Fans: People who expect athletes to be role models for their children are mostly ignorant rednecks who don't have the brains or balls to take care of their own kids.

Other Sports Talk Show Hosts: They're boys stewing in their own testosterone who don't know about anything beyond eating pizza, jerking off, and playing Fantasy Football.