Amid all the hullabaloo around Selena Roberts’s sensationalistic exposé on the narcissistic train wreck that is Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, one baseball book released this week will likely (and very unfortunately) be overshadowed. Longtime Sports Illustrated writer S.L. Price’s wonderful new Heart of the Game: Life, Death, and Mercy in Minor League America tells the intertwined stories of Mike Coolbaugh and Tino Sanchez. Both minor-league lifers, they became forever linked during the summer of 2007, when Coolbaugh was killed by a line drive hit by Sanchez during a game in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Price, rather than letting Coolbaugh, an otherwise unremarkable player, be defined by this tragic event, uses it to talk to the families and other people involved in the less glamorous side of professional baseball. Price stopped by our office and gave us here at TONY a rare chance to sit down and talk sports for a few minutes.

I was on my way to a Phillies game a few weeks ago, and the guy on the radio was talking about how it was a shame that so many people would be paying attention to the Selena Roberts A-Rod book, because Heart of the Game was such a better look at the essence of baseball.
Wow. I’ll take it. I hope somebody pays attention to it. Well, I did a story originally for SI on it that ran in 2007, and I have been there for 15 years, but this was the first time that I’ve ever done a story where I thought there was a lot more to tell and a lot more to write about.

Read the rest of the interview after the break.

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The 2009 baseball season is only about a month old, but it’s already turning into a giant shit sandwich for the team from the Bronx. Not that I need more reasons to dislike those guys, but maybe in an alternate universe where I’m a goateed Yankees fan, I’d be seriously pissed off with…everything. Last night, the team lost its fourth straight game, this time to Tampa Bay, in its unfilled palace of a new stadium (one made to look exactly like the old stadium, and constructed directly across the street—uhh…). Exorbitant ticket prices, stupid policies (including the absurd bag-checking-for-dudes rule resulted in my iPod being destroyed last season) and weird sinker-ball-affecting wind patterns have all combined to mark the lowest point for the storied franchise in well over a decade. The one ray of good news is that the team’s three-time MVP and onetime Madonna consort, Alex Rodriguez, is rumored to be making his return from hip surgery tomorrow night. But wait! A flawed (but still juicy) exposé on A-Rod by Selena Roberts was conveniently released this past week, alleging (among other things) that A-Rod used steroids since high school, cheated and hit on teammates’ wives. Classy.

I always thought I’d rejoice at the decline and fall of the Yankee empire, but really I just want someone to invoke the mercy rule and throw them a bone.

(Photo: Sophia Wallace)

The first Saturday in May is Pilates Day!

In celebration of the event, the Pilates Movement and Smart Workout will be offering complimentary classes today. Smart Workout’s 10:30am and 11:15am classes will be free to the public. The Pilates Movement will be hosting intro classes throughout the day, some of them specifically for teens and older students. Classes start at 9am, but there are four more offered at 11am, 1:30, 2 and 2:30pm. Both venues’ classes are limited to four people, so be sure to reserve your spot or come early.

Grab your [metaphorical] unitard, roll yourself out of bed and give your day a healthy jump-start. If you’re looking for additional fitness options check out this  gym roundup.

As the number of swine flu victims continues to climb (according to reports on Monday night, 28 of the 40 reported U.S. cases are in New York City!), we’re on the hunt for ways to protect ourselves. Ways that don’t involve wearing those silly little masks.

1. Use hand sanitizers
The Purell hype might seem quieter these days, but while most companies seem to be losing money, its parent company reported earnings of $12.9 billion in 2008 (up 18.3 percent from 2007). And for good reason, too. According to a Harvard Medical School study, families that used alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel (like Purell) had 59 percent fewer gastrointestinal illnesses, compared with families that didn’t use sanitizer.

Three more suggestions after the jump.

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Today’s rainy April weather blows. To make it a little less blowy (is that a word?), we tested four umbrellas to find the best protection as you trudge through your day. We might have caught a cold doing so, but for you, dear reader, it’s worth it. See our review of four umbrellas here. And please don’t start singing that Rihanna song. We just managed to get it out of our heads!

Bonus: Rain boot tests and other waterproof gear.

In my experience, if an item is good enough to go on your skin, like avocado or honey, it’s good enough to eat. But snacks for my tummy was not an option when I received the Geisha Facial at Shizuka New York Day Spa, instead bird poo was smeared on my face. Gross? A tad. Thankfully, this isn’t crap from your typical pigeon: The nourishing and cleansing droppings are from nightingales, a historic symbol of beauty in Japanese culture. And don’t worry, the poop is UV-sterilized and turned into a relaxing facial treatment that left my complexion glowing and refreshed, not irritated or smelling of doo-doo. Since this luxury can’t be replicated with the bowel movements of regular birds, the price tag is steep ($180), but the experience wasn’t too crappy. (Sorry!)—Melissa Ward

Earth Day is exactly one week from today. To celebrate, Gigi Salon, an Aveda concept salon in Astoria, will be giving away haircuts between 8am and 10am that day. After 10am, haircutting services will be offered at 25 percent off. Thanks, Gigi! Earth will be a prettier planet if its inhabitants have nice, fresh ‘dos.

Turns out, this giveaway isn’t just a gimmick—the salon really cares about being green. The space is run by wind power, uses a touch-screen appointment system that eliminates the need for paper receipts, is lit by energy-saving lighting and tidies up with green-cleaning products. And in the future, the salon will install a water-recycling system.

But wait, there’s more! The hair clippings will be collected and donated to Matter of Trust, an environmentally conscious charity that turns hair into mats used to clean oil spills in oceans. That’s one part really impressive and one part kind of creepy.

Bowlmor Lanes is throwing the most affourdable late-night party in the city. You might be wondering why affordable is spelled wrong. Well, get this, every Wednesday from 11pm to close, bowling and draft beers cost just $4 each. It’s a great deal for the fourmerly employed and/or the broke!

Beauty Bar and Dashing Diva aren’t the only spots to get a spa treatment and a drink. Tonight, Park Slope’s Southpaw hosts a bar night to benefit the Brooklyn Free Clinic, a medical center in Bed-Stuy run by students of SUNY Downstate Medical School. The clinic offers free health care to the uninsured. Pay the $10 cover and you’ll get access to a few health boosts for yourself: Comedian Jon Bander will provide the best medicine—laughter—by performing some stand-up, a masseuse will give $1 massages, the bartender will serve recession-friendly drink specials (perfect for numbing pain), and you get to experience a surge of pride in helping out a very worthy cause.

Don’t you feel better already? The event begins at 7pm.

Yesterday we told you about free dry cleaning for the jobless, and today there’s more good news for out-of-work New Yorkers. Eric Slayton, owner of New York Underground Fitness, says that anyone who shows him proof of lost employment will be welcome at his gym–free of charge. “I feel an obligation, and am in a position to help people through this tough time,” Slayton says. “There’s more to this business than just counting how many memberships you can sell. I’m not forgetting why I own a gym and train—it’s because I have a sincere belief in what I do, and what establishing a healthy and fit lifestyle can do for the other parts of your life,” he adds. What a guy. Bet you never thought unemployment could work wonders for your waistline! New York Underground Fitness, 440 W 57th St between Ninth and Tenth Aves (212-957-4781, nyundergroundfitness.com)

The economy is down and stress is up, so now is a great time to treat yourself to a little (discounted) pampering. We picked a selection of $50 treatments that will help you relax, unwind and calm down. For a full list of participating spas, visit spaweek.com. Mon 13–Apr 19.