So here we are. Schools are closed. People are going on vacation. Time to relax and catch up on some reading, right?
Trouble is, I approach reading like I’m still in college, trying to juggle several classes at once. Some are for general interest and pleasure, while others are more of an “assignment” as I try to figure out who to ask on as a guest for the Bookshelf Conversations.
A small sampling of what I have on my nightstand:
- Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love, by Joe Posnanski and Michael Schur. Because I’m a big fan of both of these guys. Posnanski is a three-time BC guest (does he get a gold jacket when he hits five appearances?) and Schur is a genius in his own field. I love it when two seemingly disparate souls come together for projects like this.
- The First All-Star Game: Babe Ruth, FDR and America at the Crossroads, by Randall Sullivan. Trying to get this done in time for this year’s midsummer classic.
- The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball’s Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses, by Addy Baird. This would be my “elective” fun class.
- How Retrosheet Saved Baseball History, by Jay Wigley. Combination of math and history.
And that doesn’t count the numerous other “text books” I feel obligated to get to because the authors were kind enough to send me their work.
No wonder I feel like Henry Beemus in the Twilight Zone episode, “Time Enough at Last” (Kids, ask your grandparents). Not that I wish anything bad to happy so I can indulge…
