"The Victory Season," by Robert Weintraub

Jeff Glor talks to Robert Weintraub about "The Victory Season: The End of World War II and the Birth of Baseball's Golden Age"

Jeff Glor: What inspired you to write the book?

Robert Weintraub: I wanted to write about baseball related to WWII, and the more I dug in to the research, it seemed that the immediate post-war moment was most interesting. 1946 was fraught with domestic tensions and difficulties as the country transitioned from war to peace, and baseball was one of the things that eased the time for many who were otherwise put out. Also, you had the first glimmerings of the massive changes that were coming for the game -- a black man signing to play in organized baseball, unionizing attempts, and the players first taste of freedom from the odious contractual restrictions on their movement and pay. It was a fascinating, and the play on the field was pretty great too, so I felt strongly compelled to write about it.

JG: What surprised you the most during the writing process?

RW: Probably the story of an extraordinary "World Series" that was played at the Hitler Youth Stadium in Nuremberg in 1945, contested by American soldiers based in Germany and France, right on the spot where the Nazis had paraded their power only a few years earlier. More amazingly, one of the teams in the Series was integrated with a pair of Negro Leaguers, Leon Day and Willard Brown, so this was sort of an out-of-town preview of what was coming shortly stateside with Jackie Robinson. In addition, one of the players on the losing team, Harry "The Hat" Walker, would drive in the winning run in the real World Series of 1946, just over a year later.

JG: What would you be doing if you weren't a writer?

RW: Before I ever started writing, I was a television producer (ESPN, ABC Sports, Discovery, Speed, many more -- including CBS Sports as well!), and remain so to this day, so I suppose that's an easy answer for me.

G: What else are you reading right now?

RW: I'm reading "The Angel's Game" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and "Tough Without a Gun," a biography of Humphrey Bogart, by Stefan Kanfer. Gothic mystery combined with gritty realism!

JG: What's next for you?

RW: I'd like to expand my horizons a bit and write about something other than sports, or with sports only in the background. Time to really stretch my legs and get out of my comfort zone a bit, methinks.

For more on "The Victory Season," visit the Hachette Book Group website.