Josh Chetwynd

I'm a journalist, broadcaster, book writer, lawyer, and former baseball player. All of this has led to a life filled with nice Zelig-like moments, including (but not limited to) flying on Air Force One, walking down the red carpet at the Academy Awards, doing live radio color commentary at the World Series, co-hosting a national TV show, arguing a case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, negotiating professional contracts for athletes, and representing Great Britain in baseball -- in addition to playing the sport as a professional on two continents.

I've also written seven non-fiction books on such eclectic topics as how sports changed the English language, the origins of all things nice, Idioms from Hollywood, the stories behind our favorite sports and recreation balls, European baseball, and the history of accidental discoveries and unexpected inspirations in the kitchen. (I’ve written one novel as well.)

So why do I write about these seemingly varied topics? I love an underdog -- whether it's the often discarded concept of nice, the rarely contemplated sports ball or the history of baseball in places like the Netherlands or Croatia. For the most part, I seek out stories that most people either think are so mundane as not to be interesting (when in reality they are riveting) or, on the other end of the spectrum, are considered obscure but really have an impact on our daily lives.

Who knew that the development of billiard balls led to our everyday use of plastics? Or the word "Hello" only became a regular conversation opener following a war of words (so to speak) between Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell? No doubt, some readers are aware of these historical moments but, hopefully, there are enough of those types of tales in my work to make even the most erudite person raise an eyebrow after learning something new.