Steve Van Dien
Steve Van Dien is a journalist with myriad interests and a broad range of knowledge about numerous subjects. These include military, political and cultural history, baseball, boxing and opera, with stops along the way for classic rock, jazz, theatre, film, literature and more.
Steve’s work includes theatre, film and book reviews as well as op-ed pieces, columns, poetry, and essays. He has published in venues as diverse as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the CollegePress.com, the Windy Hill Review, the UWM Post and FACET magazine.
Steve has interviewed theologian Martin Marty, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan, triathlete Heather Gollnick and jazz guitar virtuoso Jack Grassel, among other well- known individuals.
His background also includes semi-professional acting and singing.
Steve has received feature-writing awards from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, the Wisconsin Association of School Boards and Wisconsin Community Newspapers. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Carroll College (now Carroll University).
Latest Articles
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Bob Gibson in The Year of the Pitcher
In 1968, Bob Gibson had the kind of season that most pitchers don't dare dream about, because such a dream couldn't possibly come true.
May 16, 2009
- Steve Van Dien
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Robin Yount in 1982
In 1982, Robin Yount had one of the greatest overall seasons of any major-league shortstop, before or since.
Mar 6, 2009
- Steve Van Dien
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Three Perfect Pop-Rock Recordings
Most pop-rock records are hit or miss. But Jimi Hendrix, The Police and Gordon Lightfoot, respectively, have made three that, quite simply, are perfect.
Mar 5, 2009
- Steve Van Dien
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George Brett in 1985
George Brett's best season was 1985, when he hit .335 with 112 runs batted in and a career-high 30 home runs.
Mar 3, 2009
- Steve Van Dien
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Willard Hershberger's Life and Death
Willard Hershberger had two and a half successful seasons for the Cincinnati Reds. But personal demons drove him to self-slaughter.
Feb 25, 2009
- Steve Van Dien
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Marlon Brando in Julius Caesar
Defying expectations, Marlon Brando was an impressive Marc Antony in the 1953 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
Feb 23, 2009
- Steve Van Dien
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Sandy Koufax's 1965 and 1966 Seasons
Sandy Koufax's 1965 and 1966 seasons were his best, despite severe and ultimately career-ending arthritis in his pitching elbow.
Feb 21, 2009
- Steve Van Dien
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What's Wrong with Steroids in Baseball?
What 's the big deal about steroids in baseball?
Feb 13, 2009
- Steve Van Dien
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Film Review: Friday Night Lights (2004)
Friday Night Lights explores an intriguing cultural phenomenon: the devotion of small-town Texans to high-school football.
Feb 7, 2009
- Steve Van Dien
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The Complete Popeye, Volume 2
Today's Popeye the Sailor has little in common with the character created 80 years ago by Elzie Crisler Segar.
Jan 29, 2009
- Steve Van Dien
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