As seasoned baseball fans know, there's considerably more going on between the lines on the diamond than may be readily apparent.

Paul Dickson (right)  has written  more than 50 non-fiction books and countless articles on subjects from toasting to ice cream to baseball to slang to Sputnik. He says he wrote this book because he became interested in learning more about the "covert aspects" of the game of baseball.

One way in which modern major league baseball differs from the game of years past is the role of the umpires. Dickson says they are now coached to maintain a much lower profile than they once maintained.

Climbing up a sheer rock wall just your feet, fingers, and a pouch of chalk may not be your idea of a good time, but that’s what Kevin Jorgeson (above) lives to do.

Bouldering doesn’t require much in the way of equipment. The two essentials, Kevin Jorgeson explains, are the “crash pads” that are laid out at the base of the boulder, and some specialized shoes.

This sort of extreme rock climbing isn’t just about steep, near vertical ascents. Sometimes, as in the picture at the top of this page, the routes become almost horizontal. Kevin explains how that’s done.

In addition to his own exploits, Jorgeson is committed to sharing his interest in the sport, and to that end he has formed a new nonprofit and is working toward creating a climbing center based in Sonoma.

You can find photographs and videos of some of Kevin's more dramatic climbs on his website. You can also see him in the new documentary film, Core, which will have special preview screenings, with Kevin in attendance, Monday evening April 26 at the Sebastiani Theater in Sonoma, and Tuesday night, April 27 at the Rialto in Santa Rosa. See the trailer for Core below.

The most famous and successful boxer of the late 20th century, Muhammad Ali, was both a symbol and a product of the turbulent times he lived through.

This video clip offers a visual summary of Al's tumultous career: 

Michael Ezra (right) Chair of the American Multicultural Studies Department at Sonoma State University, is the author of Muhammad Ali:  The Making of an Icon. He says the fighter’s decision to change his name form Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali was a dramatic moment in his public history, but  it was even more significant in the behind-the-scenes internal politics within the Nation of Islam.

 The soon-to-be Muhammad Ali stands triumphantly over Sonny Liston as he claims the world heavyweight boxing title in 1964. Watch the rematch here:

From today's perspective, Ali's heyday is sometimes seen as a "golden age" of boxing in America, in no small part because of the quality of the competition that Ali was able to dominate.

A new plan to bring baseball back to the North Bay envisions a short summer league with a dozen teams of mostly local players, and a rolling set-up to dress up existing ball fields in area parks.

The proposed Wine Country Old Fashioned Baseball League is the idea of Dry Creek Valley winery owner Howard Leonhardt (left), who says he developed it after he was unable to purchase an existing minor league team and relocate it to Sonoma County.