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Of Red Sox & Red Herrings: Mary-Ann Tirone Smith and Jere Smith talk Dirty Water (Part 1)
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With the authors of Dirty Water: A Red Sox Mystery
“We had a ball!” As I overhear Mary-Ann Tirone Smith sum up the experience of co-writing Dirty Water: A Red Sox Mystery with her son Jere, two thoughts pop into my mind. First, I am delighted with the use of the pun, whether or not it’s intentional. Second, I realize that this inquisitive person has stolen my first interview question. Strike one!
As the mother-son team is introduced to an enthusiastic crowd that includes local author Karen E. Olson, the audience learns March is mystery month. This is certainly appropriate, considering we are gathered to hear the story behind the story of Dirty Water, a book that boasts an abandoned infant (named “Baby Ted Williams”) found in the Red Sox clubhouse, a dead body discovered in the swampland near Fenway Park, and a dirty little secret of Major League Baseball: player trafficking.
“My Dad taught me to say ‘Yankees Stink’ at age three,” quips Jere Smith, a Boston enthusiast and founder of the blog “A Red Sox Fan in Pinstripe Territory,” which he has maintained for five years. Growing up in a predominantly pro-Yankee community, he quickly learned to take pride in all things Sox, a family tradition. (His great-grandfather learned to speak English by listening to radio broadcasts of the games.) His mother, a third-generation fan and author of eight previous novels and the critically acclaimed memoir Girls of Tender Age, induces more laughter by responding “We have yet to hear anything from anybody” when asked if they have received feedback on the book from members of the Red Sox organization.
As for how the collaborative process worked, it went something like this: First came joint brainstorming of the plot; next, development of an outline; then, Mary-Ann would write a rough draft of a chapter and send it to Jere for his input. As for the blog…well, that came later. When asked to further clarify how they could use real life personas in a fictional work, Mary-Ann explains that the players are in the public domain, which allows for their names to be used as long as they are not slandered. The last question from the audience takes the form of an old adage: “Are you in love with the uniform, the city, or the team?” Their fond smiles are answer enough.
After signing copies of Dirty Water-the title comes from a song of the same name that is played at Fenway following each victory-and handing out many bars of “Big Poppy Soap” (Dominican mango with poppyseed exfoliant, compliments of the Stella Marie Soap Company) to book-buyers, the authors sit down for an exclusive interview.
Asked about the inspiration for the plot, Mary-Ann explains, “There was an agent smuggling Cuban ball players out of Cuba. It was human trafficking, a commodity that was worth a vast fortune.” Calling it “a very hushed up story by Major League Baseball,” she questions, “and what happens to the ones who get here and they don’t make it? They’re out on the streets somewhere.” Further, she maintains that her books are not “schlock,” as they all incorporate elements of reality, which the trafficking story lent itself to. “Jere thought it was a great idea, and that’s where the story came from.”
For his part, Jere explains that “I used a lot of what I know from blogging everyday” to give the book a sense of authenticity. He calls the blog that runs throughout the story “a separate character in the book,” and an accurate depiction of the fan-run Internet sites. In addition to his expertise in that area, he also took the photo that graces the book’s cover. “We wanted the light tower…when you see those lights, you know the Red Sox are going to play that night. It’s a big thing around Boston.” What you won’t see in the picture is the actual dirty water that inhabits the swampland, though not for a lack of trying.
Before the Smiths can speak on how they also “tried to make Boston a character” in the book, a straggler requests their signatures. When Mary-Ann inquires as to who the book should be inscribed to, she is told Coach Calhoun. “The Coach Calhoun?” Yes. “He once refused to throw the first ball out at Yankee Stadium because he’s a Red Sox Fan.” The words slip from Jere’s lips with ease, no doubt only one of many bits of trivia that can be recalled at a moment’s notice. Momentarily stumped as to what to write, Mary-Ann jokes, “We’re only writers-what can we say to him?” She is reminded that Calhoun just notched his 800th career win, and that’s all the inspiration she needs.
Shortly, the conversation resumes. You can read all about it in the next installment of this column. Just call it a double-header…
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