Babbling Echoes

Harvey Dorfman was an educator for twenty-seven years before entering the field of sport psychology. His stature in the field grew significantly during the twenty-six years of his second career. But through most of both professional pursuits, he was also a writer. Seven books and hundreds of newspaper columns and magazine articles have appeared under his name. This final volume is a collection of some of his favorite pieces. Included are personal reflections and social commentary, both sobering and satirical. Interviews of both public and private personages are included, as well as feature stories on subjects of general interest. These works appeared in local newspapers while he was living and teaching in Vermont and in The Rutland Herald, where he was a columnist and a feature writer. They have also appeared in The New York Times, The Miami Herald, and many other national periodicals.

H.A. Dorfman has worked in education and psychology as a teacher, counselor, coach, and consultant. In 1999, Dorfman became a full-time consultant in sport psychology for the Scott Boras Corporation, an agency that represents professional baseball players.

Introduction 1. Edmund and the Birds Upland Winter, January-February, 1973 2. A Labor Day Revisited The Manchester Journal, August 30, 1973 3. Theo North: Scourge of Christmas Past The Bennington Banner, January 5, 1974 4. Good News for Mankind The Manchester Journal, March 14, 1974 5. Youth Revisited, or, Victory for Milton and Friends The New York Times, April, 21, 1974 6. Trying to Go Home Again The Manchester Journal, April 25, 1974 7. Dear Visitor, Enjoy Our Home The Vermont Times, September, 1974 8. The Udder Side of the Mountain The Vermont Times, October, 1974 9. The Umpire Is Always Right, Except When He Is Proved Wrong The New York Times, October 20, 1974 10. A Tongueless Grief The Manchester Journal, December 19, 1974 11. The Chocolate Surprise Incident The Manchester Journal, January 9, 1975 12. The Pinewood Project The Manchester Journal, February 6, 1975 13. Lincoln Lore The Manchester Journal, February 13, 1975 14. Relationship of Sports, Society, '75 The Rutland Herald, March 19, 1975 15. The National Pastime Or, A Little Bit of Luck The New York Times, April 6, 1975 16. Call This Phenom's Story a Change of Pace The Boston Globe, May 9, 1975 17. You Get the Message? The Manchester Journal, July 24, 1975 18. Woman Umpire Story: The Perils of Christine The New York Times, August 17, 1975 19. Books, Children and Parents The Manchester Journal, December 18, 1975 20. Christine Wren: Another Season The New York Times, June 6, 1976 21. Casey Stengel, Facts and Much Fiction The New York Times, September 26, 1976 22. Things Have Gone Real Well for Floyd Patterson The Rutland Herald, October 10, 1976 23. No Hugging, Ma'am, Just the 3 R's The Rutland Herald, May 4, 1978 24. A Big Snoot Full of Very Sour Grapes The Rutland Herald, June 22, 1978 25. A Barrel Full of Uneeda Philosophy The Rutland Herald, August 3, 1978 26. Turning Back to One Who Made a Mark The Rutland Herald, August 10, 1978 27. Dear Ms. Jane Pauley The Rutland Herald, May 3, 1979 28. A 19-Year-Old Metamorphosis The Rutland Herald, May 17, 1979 29. Their Night at the Races The Rutland Herald, May 31, 1979 30. Dealing with Skeptics, the Little League, Coaches and Mothers The Rutland Herald, June 7, 1979 31. Aunt Rose's Lasting Gift The Rutland Herald, June 14, 1979 32. Three Cheers Please for a Sportswriter The Rutland Herald, August 2, 1979 33. There She Goes, His Ideal - and Hope The Rutland Herald, August 16, 1979 34. A Father Gives His Young Son a Lesson, and Also Learns One The New York Times, August 26, 1979 35. The Lone Ranger's Call Heard Clearly Here The Rutland Herald, August 30, 1979 36. From the Armchair of Harvey Dorfman The Rutland Herald, September 12, 1979 37. Real Hearts Have Their Reasons The New York Times, February 14, 1981 38. An Old Man and a Sand Castle The Miami Herald, March 15, 1981 39. Coffee Cutoff Causes Chaos The Boston Herald American, April 23, 1981 40. Pragmatism Is Perpendicular The Rutland Herald, May 28, 1981 41. Banana Belt Still Fights an Old Battle The Rutland Herald, August 15, 1981 42. Galbraith's View of Vermont The Rutland Herald, August 24, 1981 43. Herbie Dorfson Fights Back The Hartford Courant, November 3, 1981 44. Lola Aiken: Another View from Putney The Rutland Herald, February 2, 1982 45. The Right Idea, The Wrong Button The Rutland Herald, April 1, 1982 46. It's Also the Molly Stark Trail The Rutland Herald, April 25, 1982 47. Hell Hath No Fury Like Nancy Kissinger The Rutland Herald, June 17, 1982 48. Dad and Me The Rutland Herald, June 20, 1982 49. Some Lives Go On Previously unpublished, July, 1989 50. Late Shot The Los Angeles Times, October 3, 2001 About the Author