By WB Aronson
Sporting Press
OAKLAND (SP) -- Sportswriter-turned-bestselling-novelist Mitch Albom wrote his newest book, "I Went to Heaven for Just One Day and Had Conversations With People I Met There," during the seventh-inning stretch of Wednesday night's American League Championship Series game between the Detroit Tigers and the Oakland A's.
Albom says the 30-page book recounts a recent trip to Heaven, during which he met with a number of deceased sports personalities who shared their insights on the afterlife.
"I was just sitting at the baseball game and I started thinking about baseball and heaven and wondering what lessons baseball people in heaven might have for us," said Albom, who wrote the book in 15 minutes while eating a hot dog.
"People eat this crap up," said Albom. "I mean … hot dogs. People eat a lot of hot dogs. At baseball games."
In "I Went to Heaven for Just One Day and Had Conversations With People I Met There," Albom recounts conversations with Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Roberto Clemente and Peter Gammons.
When informed Gammons had actually survived a near-brush with death and was back working and doing well, Albom shrugged it off and said the details of whether or not someone is actually at a given location wasn't important to him.
Albom, a columnist for the Detroit News, said the most insightful comment came from former Tiger great Ty Cobb, who asked, "What the hell am I doing here?."
"When it comes right down to it, isn't that the question we're all asking?" said Albom.
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