stephen bratkovich

Steve Bratkovich was born in rural Pennsylvania and rooted for the Pittsburgh Pirates as a youngster. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Forest Science from Penn State University. He met his wife of nearly 50 years at the University of New Hampshire. While working for Ohio State University, he was awarded a Ph.D in 1991.

Steve moved to Minnesota in 1992 to work for the U.S. Forest Service in St. Paul. After retirement, he worked in Minneapolis for Dovetail Partners in the area of forestry and wood products.

 

Steve wrote his first book in 2015 titled “Bob Oldis: A Life in Baseball.” The genesis of the book dates back to 1960 when Steve’s beloved Pirates defeated the New York Yankees to win the World Series. Oldis was a backup catcher for the Pirates that championship year. Oldis later became a coach with the Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos. He continued his baseball career as a scout and minor league manager for 40+ years, earning his second World Series championship in 2003 with the Miami (now Florida) Marlins.

 

Bratkovich’s second book “The Baseball Bat: From Trees to the Major Leagues, 19th Century to Today” was published in 2020. Steve’s knowledge of wood and wood products, and the broken bat crisis in Major League Baseball in the early 2000’s, were the impetus for his book. “The Baseball Bat” won the 2021 Society  for American Baseball Research award for “an outstanding research project that expands our knowledge of baseball.”

 

“Baseball Puzzles: Word Finds, Crosswords, Trivia, and More” grew out of “brain game“ books to improve one’s mental abilities. In 2016 Steve was diagnosed with Cerebellar Ataxia, a neurological disease impacting walking, talking, and fine motor skills. During the ensuing years Steve’s daughter Emily gave him the brain improvement books, which led to the idea for a baseball-themed puzzle book.

Steve lives in Medina, Minnesota. He now roots for the Twins while closely following the Pirates.