I’m slowly getting caught up on my reading. Shortly after Cheater’s Guide, I finished Watching Baseball Smarter, so now I’ve got one or two more half-read books to deal with. As is my wont, I am currently investigating other things to read via Amazon. With the whole steroids thing, that first Jose Canseco book is calling my name really hard, but the online reviews are definitely mixed; the general consensus seems to be that Canseco is either a truth-telling angel, or a self-serving lowlife – and people do not beat around the bush when it comes to their opinions of him and his story. I’m curious, but at the same time get the impression that it’ll be like reading the Star Magazine of baseball. I also feel I should get something on SABR, but that’s more of a crapshoot, because I need a book that’s going to educate me without putting me to sleep. I am looking into other books (aside from Canseco’s) written about steroids in baseball, but am unsure of what to go for. There are a few that have caught my attention in the past, but I never really wanted to go negative with my reading before, I didn’t think I was quite ready to hear some of that stuff. I am still conflicted about giving some of these people my money, but I can probably find things on sale (you’d be shocked, shocked, I say, to see all the books about past scandals on sale at Amazon currently), and I figure it’s not quite fair of me to limit myself to books about the happy, shiny side of the sport. Cheater’s Guide talked about dark points in the history of the sport, but did it in such a manner that it didn’t seem so bad, really.
Right now, among others, I’m looking at The Yankee Years (the Joe Torre book that seems to have caused so much online furor over the past week or so, and, per some of the reviews, isn’t really worth that much of a fuss), a book called Game of Shadows, which was written a few years ago and looks like it covers a lot of the Barry Bonds scandal, when it first started (just for kicks, the reviews are amusing to read, having been written when the book came out, before Bonds’ positive test results were released), and a book called Understanding Sabermetrics, which seems to be an introductory-level tome on the subject. I’d like to find this last one in a bookstore somewhere so I can leaf through it and see if it’d be good for me – I can get a pretty good feel for writing style by skimming a few pages of a book, and that method has only backfired on me maybe two or three times in the past few years. Unfortunately, Amazon has no “see inside” option for this one.
I also have a movie called Bigger, Faster, Stronger on our XBox Live NetFlix qeue, and will be watching that as soon as I have some time. I was interested in it a few weeks ago, but kept putting it off; I have to be in the mood for documentaries; some of them can be terribly depressing, regardless of how fascinating the subject matter might be. But recently, someone on some recent discussion thread online somewhere mentioned it and reminded me, so now it’s a priority. I also find it interesting that the guy who actually made the documentary is on steroids himself, along with some members of his family. I have a busy next few days ahead of me, but will try and find time to watch it if at all possible.
The most recent rumor on Griffey seems to be that all the other rumors are just rumors. I’m rolling my eyes so hard I can actually see my brain. This is suddenly starting to feel like it will never end. I’m going to continue to side with the USSM/LL crowds and maintain that he’s coming back, because honestly right now, there isn’t much else that makes any sense. Also, I’m tired of thinking about it.
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http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/sea/ebrochure/index.jsp?partnerId=ed-2198789-71363518&source=ed-2198789-71363518
And he said….
“Ah yes, Let there be baseball”
— Dave Niehaus
That intro is totally cruel, given the fact that we still have almost two months to go. haha!
Its an older book (I think amazon has used for like $2+$4 shipping) that I always liked:
Art Thiel’s
Out of Left Field: How the Mariners Made Baseball Fly in Seattle
I thought it was well written and had good “insider” stuff and interviews of players and all of all the craziness that was saving baseball.
Its been a while since I read it…….but its an excellent history of the franchise…..and a reminder of how bad the mariners use to be, and for such a long time.
In 2003 when the mariners were getting squeezed out of the playoffs in the last week…and as well as the season of 2004 horror….I just made myself reread a couple of the pages about the earlier years, to remind myself that I shouldnt throw things at the TV when we lost a game in the 9th……because it will never be as bad as it was back then. (then losing 90 games every year was expected and there was zero hope to finish higher than 4th in a 6 team division)
I reccomend it….its one of the best Mariner related box out there.
Oh, and yeah….thats why I posted the link……the intro is on the edge of being Cruel to a Mariners fan…..2 months away and I still can smell the hotdog I am gonna get on opening day.
I did actually see that the other day when I was doing research – and I was trying to remember where I’d heard the name Art Thiel before – has he written other Ms books? (I probably already know the answer to this question, but if I read something and it doesn’t really sit well with me, I tend to forget everything about it other than the title. Ichiro on Ichiro was kind of like that.)
I’d be interested in more Ms history stuff, but it doesn’t look like we’ve been around long enough for people to be too into writing books about us. ha!
Thiel has been a sports columnist for the Seattle Post Intelligencer newspaper….for a long long time (30ish years i think).
He does about 2-5 columns a week on sports….mainly Mariners and Seahawks…but also covers other sports of the day.
When the PI didnt have blogs and 10 different reporters for each sport….He was basically the main sports guy at the PI (he is still one of them…but he is more columnist than “reporter” now
I think he also has weekly sports on KPLU which one of the
NPR station a Pacific lutheran University.
As far as books…
I know he did
A Magic Season: The Book on the 1995 Seattle Mariners
(to be honest I dont remember this one…it was done at the end of 1995 early 1996…)
I know it was with Laura Vecsey and someone else collaborating (Vescey was a columnist for the PI for a while as well as a columnist for the Baltimore Sun-times)
Mariners 2001: A Joy Ride into the Record Books
(This Thiel and Vecsey again maily produced by the PI…if I remember right, lots of pictures and aritcals from the season)
I dont really remember either book that much…I think I read them….the 2001 I can say for sure I did..I remember it having alot of pictures as well.
Of the 3, Out of Left field is the best choice (well as far as my memory serves me….I cant remember a think about the 1995 book…..which is suprising….since I watch the Game playoff Game once a year, and it still gives me goosbumps and on the edge of my seat.
I totally forgot about Vescey as a columnist…I actually kinda of liked her….I think she left Baltimore and is in WA…but I dont think its at the PI.
Is she related to a George Vecsey, by any chance? He wrote a book that I’m working on reading (can’t remember the title, off the top of my head).
Maybe I just remember Thiel from seeing the name on the Amazon listing. I’ll keep an eye out for them, thanks!