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The book Sports on New York Radio: A Play-by-Play History by David J. Halberstam is reviewed.

  On Oct. 1, 1961, Red Barber was behind the New York Yankees' television microphone when Roger Maris stepped into baseball immortality, smashing his 61st home run of the season to break Babe Ruth's longstanding record. [...] in Rizzuto's 40 years of announcing Yankees games, it might have been his most famous call.

\"Branca pitches and Bobby takes a strike called on the inside corner. Branca throws, there's a long fly. It's gonna be, I believe ... The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! Bobby Thomson hits it into the lower deck of the left- field stands. The Giants win the pennant and they're going crazy! They're going crazy! Waaa-hooo!\" In his autobiography, \"My Giants,\" [Russ Hodges] maintains that [Lawrence Goldberg] was a Dodger fan who, anticipating a Dodger victory, planned to gloatingly send the tape to a dispirited Hodges. If so, the scheme, of course, backfired. Instead of lamenting the loss Goldberg supposedly had anticipated, Hodges emptied his lungs, exulting as the Giants shocked the baseball world. Hodges claims that the soothing powers of time prevailed, passions receded and Goldberg sent him the recording anyway. There was always something a little off about Hodges' explanation, though. Why would a Dodger fan not have tuned in to Brooklyn's broadcast on WMGM, where he could listen to the esteemed Red Barber? After all, the debate on the baseball-crazy streets of New York in the early 1950s extended beyond who was the best center fielder; Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays or Duke Snider. New York fans also argued over who was the best play-by-play man; the Yankees' Mel Allen, Barber or Hodges.

This unprecedented anthology asks thirty-six leading literary and cultural critics to elaborate on the nature of their profession. With the humanities feeling the pinch of financial and political pressures, and its disciplines resting on increasingly uncertain conceptual ground, there couldn't be a better time for critics to reassert their widespread relevance and purpose. These credos boldly defend the function of criticism in contemporary society and showcase its vitality in the era after theory. Essays address literature and politics, with some focusing on the sorry state of higher education and others concentrating on teaching and the fate of the humanities. All reflect the critics' personal, particular experiences. Deeply personal and engaging, these stories move, amuse, and inspire, ultimately encouraging the reader to develop his or her own critical credo with which to approach the world. Reflecting on the past, looking forward to the future, and committed to the power of productive critical thought, this volume proves the value of criticism for today's skeptical audiences. Contributors: Andrew Ross, Amitava Kumar, Lisa Lowe, Vincent B. Leitch, Craig Womack, Jeffrey J. Williams, Marc Bousquet, Katie Hogan, Michelle A. Massé, John Conley, Heather Steffen, Paul Lauter, Cary Nelson, David B. Downing, Barbara Foley, Michael Bérubé, Victor Cohen, Gerald Graff, William Germano, Ann Pellegrini, Bruce Robbins, Kenneth Warren, Diana Fuss, Lauren Berlant, Toril Moi, Morris Dickstein, Rita Felski, David R. Shumway, Mark Bauerlein, Devoney Looser, Stephen Burt, Mark Greif, Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Mark McGurl, Frances Negrón-Muntaner, Judith Jack Halberstam

Metabolic homeostasis is one of the most exquisitely tuned systems in mammalian physiology. Metabolic homeostasis requires multiple redundant systems to cooperate to maintain blood glucose concentrations in a narrow range, despite a multitude of physiological and pathophysiological pressures. Cancer is one of the canonical pathophysiological settings in which metabolism plays a key role. In this study, we utilized REnal Gluconeogenesis Analytical Leads (REGAL), a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry-based stable isotope tracer method that we developed to show that in conditions of metabolic stress, the fasting hepatokine fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) coordinates a liver-brain-kidney axis to promote renal gluconeogenesis. FGF-21 promotes renal gluconeogenesis by enhancing β2 adrenergic receptor (Adrb2)-driven, adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL)-mediated intrarenal lipolysis. Further, we show that this liver-brain-kidney axis promotes gluconeogenesis in the renal parenchyma in mice and humans with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This increased gluconeogenesis is, in turn, associated with accelerated RCC progression. We identify Adrb2 blockade as a new class of therapy for RCC in mice, with confirmatory data in human patients. In summary, these data reveal a new metabolic function of FGF-21 in driving renal gluconeogenesis, and demonstrate that inhibition of renal gluconeogenesis by FGF-21 antagonism deserves attention as a new therapeutic approach to RCC.

George W. Bush's \"Mission Accomplished\" banner in 2003 and the misleading linkages of Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 terrorist attacks awoke many Americans to the techniques used by the White House to put the country on a war footing. Yet Bush was simply following in the footsteps of his predecessors, as the essays in this standout volume reveal in illuminating detail. Written in a lively and accessible style, Selling War in a Media Age is a fascinating, thought-provoking, must-read volume that reveals the often-brutal ways that the goal of influencing public opinion has shaped how American presidents have approached the most momentous duty of their office: waging war.