Off season reading.

by alox on Dec 24, 2006 10:44 PM PST Comment 42 comments

Unlike some of my fellow AN members, I do not follow any sports other than baseball. I will watch football on occassion, but I only pay significant attention when the playoffs roll around. And really only then because for me that marks the countdown to spring training. The long winter is almost over, or close enough that I can begin a countdown towards the day when the glorious words, "Play Ball" ring out across the Coliseum.

Which brings me to my point. During the off season I pass the days watching baseball movies and reading baseball books. I have recently been introduced to MLB 2006 by the coolest little dude I have ever met. He's my four year old son and he likes nothing more than to play the baseball video game with his old man. He insists that we always be the A's. Having raised three daughters, the oldest of which is now 20 years old, I am very well aware that these are the halcion days of our time together. All too soon, other things are going to pull my son's attention away from time with his dad. That is as it should be I suppose, but I dread those days none the less.

Anyway, I wanted to recommend a book to the rest of AN. The book is titled, "A Well-Paid Slave" by Brad Snyder. It documents the life and times of Curt Flood and his epic battle with MLB over the right of free agency. It is a fanastic read and offers a detailed account of the events which led to modern free agency. Mr. Snyder is an attorney as well as a writer. He lays out the anti-trust exemption afforded to baseball and exactly how the exemption came to exist and what it entails. It is an eye opening read and will enhance your understanding of modern baseball. It is written with they layman in mind and explains the exemption in an easy to understand format. Interestingly enough, I had a question after reading the book and emailed Mr. Snyder. He replied promptly and personally. I was duly impressed. If your going to buy a book to read before spring training starts, I highly recommend this one. By the way, Mr. Flood was from Oakland. His formative years are laid out in detail in the book. Enjoy.

0 recs | Comment 42 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

I'll keep that in mind

Reading way too many books simultaneously right now, including Michael Lewis' latest effort (which, only 50 or so pages in (which represents the amount of progress I was able to make while sipping one coffee at the Borders' cafe), already seems like a read worthy of a recommendation (not the least bit surprisingly, I suppose)) to take on another, but seeing as the winter is also my peak reading season, I'll have to look into Snyder's book once I'm done with one or more of Next, The God Delusion (I'm really testing the limits of my belief in a higher power here, heh), Sacred Hoops, and Lewis' book, The Evolution of A Game. Doesn't take long to read the insightful musings of the greatest ("greatest" is opinion; having the most playoff wins is fact...though the current/recent bloated NBA playoff format has admittedly contributed to that status...) coach in the history of professional basketball, so the third one should be crossed off the list soon.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 25, 2006 4:37 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

nice diary, btw

You had me scurrying to dictionary.com for "halcion"; after getting no results, I then vaguely recalled "halcyon" a few minutes later, realized you must have intended that...and returned to dictionary.com, heh. Proper usage/understanding being more important than accurate spelling (why I didn't first take adavntage of the red squiggly line of Word/Works before consulting dictionary.com, I don't know), you win there, hah.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 25, 2006 4:46 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Halcyon

Our notion of halcyon days derives from a lovely myth, in which the princess Alcyone is transformed into a kingfisher. Like so many myths, the final version is a hodgepodge of earlier stories. It has been suggested that "Alcyone" is an older name which happens to sound similar to the Greek word for kingfisher, and the transformation part of the story was added due to that.

The part about the kingfisher's nesting habits (described in more detail in another source version) is completely non-factual; they are nothing like what the storytellers describe. It's true, however, that the Mediterranean is calm around the time of the winter solstice.

"...but we're also always open to hearing about other sandwiches if it can make our lunch better." -- Nico, channeling Billy Beane

by iglew on Dec 25, 2006 11:04 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Wow. Thanks for that...

elucidation??? Good stuff.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Dec 25, 2006 12:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Damn, your absolutely

right about the spelling. I am always reluctuant to post diaries because my ability to spell correctly is sorely lacking. I have no excuse for that particular error, because I actually debated myself as to whether or not I had it correct. Ah well. Next time. As usual, the brilliant minds on AN pounce on error! Sometimes I freaking hate that! That and I really should learn how to use the spell check function. But what's the fun in that?

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Dec 25, 2006 12:50 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Offseason listening

Though it's not exactly a new release, as it's been out since May, I can't recommend 10,000 Days by Tool highly enough. For people of any musical taste...it's thought-provoking, powerful stuff. Probably powerful enough to merit a felony drug possession charge and life in prison though, so be careful. Being never seen without headphones would constitute probable cause, I would surmise. Ah well, there's got to be someone to serve a lengthy jail sentence for listening to the latest, and best, Tool album; it may be worth it to hear a prison guard unlock your cell and tell you in 27 years or so that "10,000 days in the fire is long enough, you're going home"...see, you have to hear it to get that reference. In all seriousness, the song that that lyric is from (Wings For Marie Part II) is far and away the most moving song I've ever heard. 11-minute epic with the singer eulogizing his mother, and making a heartfelt plea for her unwavering religious faith, which he does not share, to be rewarded in some way in the/an afterlife. 10,000 days represents the approximate amount of time she spent in partial paralysis after suffering a stroke; her Christian faith remained constant despite the trauma.

(here singing from his mother's point of view):
"Fetch me the spirit, the son, and the father...tell them their pillar of faith has ascended...it's time now, my time now, give me my wings"

"please forgive this...bold suggestion: should you see your Maker's face tonight...look Him in the eye, look Him in the eye, tell Him...I never lived a lie, never lived a life, surely saved one...hallelujah, it's time for you to bring me home."

Yes, I cried.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 25, 2006 5:09 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Not a book, but

if you haven't seen it, get your hands on "A Player to be Named Later". The movie came out about 5 years ago, but it's still a good one. It follows a handful of players (including our own Marco Scutaro) through the Brewers' farm system for a season.

"I guess more players lick themselves than are ever licked by an opposing team." ~ Connie Mack

by Flyin As on Dec 25, 2006 11:26 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Classy Curt

I met Curt on several occasions, and he was a real gentleman. Ahh, what a breeding ground for baseball talent Oakland once was. I went to grade school with Curt's niece and high school with Vada Pinson's daughter.

by Mudcat on Dec 25, 2006 12:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Both Oakland Tech Grads

As I recall Curt and Vada both went to Oakland Tech back in the 50's, about the same time I was at Fremont High in Oakland. Also, think both played for Bill Erwin American Leagean Post Baseball. A national power at that time.

by robertmelvin on Dec 26, 2006 5:54 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Books I got this year

My family got me some baseball books this year, I got

Ball Four by Jim Bouton
The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth by Leigh Montville
Built to Win: Inside Stories and Leadership Strategies from Baseball's Winningest GM by John Schuerholz

Anybody read any of them? I'm pretty excited about Ball Four and the Schuerholz book will probably have some interesting parts to it. The Ruth book is last on the list to read, but I expect it to be fairly interesting.

by Eric in Atlanta on Dec 26, 2006 8:23 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Ball four

is a very good book. The material covered is a little quaint for this day and age, but it was cutting edge and controversial in its time. Bouton was "blacklisted" by the MLB establishment for years over that book. It also contributed to the demise of his marriage, for obvious reasons. It's still a good read even after all these years.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Dec 26, 2006 10:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I think that book

"Ball Four" came out while I was in high school and I remember all the hoopla over that book--Jim Bouton made the TV talk show circuit back then with people like Dick Cavet, Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas and so on. I don't really know why, or I don't remember exactly why he came up with the title of "Ball Four" other than kind of maybe being a mataphor for the material being out-of-bounds from the more normal traditional baseball writing format of the day. Baseball people were just furious with Bouton like he broke some code of honor--more like several codes of honor.

by Salvatore on Dec 26, 2006 5:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

"Ball Four" is awesome.

It's just fascinating reading it given our perspective nowadays on issues like payroll, PEDs, etc.

Plus, the book is just hilarious. Bouton's definitely got style.

"This must be heaven," he says.
"No. It's Oakland."

by Kyli on Dec 27, 2006 3:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not a fast reader (,Jenny [Gump voice])

And since I am not very fast at reading and since -- with the time that I do have -- I prefer to read blogs rather than books, I have taken to purchasing books on audio and then being read to while in my car, commuting. I found an excellent website for people like me who want to 'take in' a good book but, for one reason or another, don't manage to get through as many as they'd like. Some of you may already know of this website but I've just discovered it recently and wanted to share my discovery with you in case you are one that didn't know of it yet.

4 8 15 16 23 42

by LowcountryJoe on Dec 26, 2006 10:55 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Hey Forrest...

I've got one book recommendation for you, that I know will challenge you beliefs, and does so concisely enough that it probably takes less time to read than the average monkeyball Poetic Interlude. What book is that, you ask? A Letter to a Christian Nation, by Sam Harris. 91 large-print pages (I think) of solid argument against the religion I was brought up in and still adhere to today...I'd be interested in hearing your take on that. In this thread...don't want a discussion of that book to necessarily spill over into other diaries.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 27, 2006 3:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Crisis of faith Cut?

He's not the first to challenge Christianity, and no doubt he will not be the last. Another in a long line of challengers, all of whom are dead and yet somehow God oddly continues on. Try Josh McDowell and his series of books. He started from an investigative reporter angle to disprove Christianity. In the end he became a convert. I think the title is "Evidence that Demands a Verdict". It's a very good read on faith and God from the Christian perspective. I also like the philosophies of Kant, thought I wont pretend to entirely understand him.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Dec 27, 2006 4:33 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

not a crisis of faith, no

Crisis is not the correct word at all. More like underlying discontent with the disconnect between religion and science, which has widened exponentially since the days of Kant (and even McDowell, I'm sure). I certainly can't provide any answers here, but I'll continue to inquire.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 27, 2006 4:40 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

disconnect, grown; gulf, widened

Take your pick on which to replace...I'm a stickler for word choice.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 27, 2006 4:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I suppose the disconnect

can become magnified if you sieze upon any percieved contradiction. But science and history are full of percieved contradictions that later turned out not to be contradictions at all. Merely a lack of knowledge. I don't think the fundamentalists can explain the meaing of it all based on their texts alone, but neither do I believe that science is capable of doing so either. Much is yet to be learned about both I suppose. I do know that absolutely two things are true, albeit subjectively. First, there is a God. Second, I'm not Him.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Dec 27, 2006 5:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Okay.

If you guys want a website done by a real honest-to-goodness scientist--phycisist/astronomer who started out a stone-cold athiest, and through his own epiphanies in his scientific endeavors switched to being one of the preminent Christian apolegists today proving God the Creator through the nature of the Universe, along with what is written in the ancient bibical texts, then go to the site of www.reasons.org, and there you don't have to read a whole long book, although Hugh Ross has written plenty of them on this subject and has them for sale.

by Salvatore on Dec 27, 2006 5:53 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

thanks for that, Sal

Is Sal cool, or should I stick with Salvatore? Heh. Anyway, given this guy's credentials I'm going to trust that nowhere on this website does the phrase "Intelligent Design" appear...

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 27, 2006 6:08 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It's all cool...

Sal--Salvatore--Sal's shorter and easier.

by Salvatore on Dec 27, 2006 9:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

What beliefs of mine do you think that...

...this book would change? My libertarian political beliefs, my beliefs about the perversions of modern-day religion(s), or my beiefs about who I believe Jesus was/is and what His ministry means for me personally?

4 8 15 16 23 42

by LowcountryJoe on Dec 27, 2006 5:39 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

first and third

and after reading the book, there might be two out, if you get my drift

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 27, 2006 6:10 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Something so profound as to replace my...

...beliefs in individual freedom, the belief that people make decisions based on the satifactions they will precieve to gain from such decisions, that people who live under tyranny long to escape the tyranny, that power corrupts people and corrupt people will become perverted and want to squash individuallity, and that far too many people seek this power to pervert because they believe that they know best.

I doubt any book, at this point in my life, could change my core beliefs -- some of which I listed above.

4 8 15 16 23 42

by LowcountryJoe on Dec 27, 2006 7:10 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

without consulting Sam Harris (yet)...

let me argue (perhaps even convincingly) against your sweeping (if there was one word that would encapsulate all the problems I have with your amazingly rigid opinions, it's a tossup between "sweeping", "oversimplified", and generalization"...but I don't have to really choose among them, because I can just say that you're prone to sweeping, oversimplified generalizations) assertion that people who live under tyranny long to escape the tyranny. There are lots of relevant factors to take into consideration in regards to that statement...the fact that they exist must necessarily make that broad of a statement untrue. If the tyrannical leader is oppressive (that's a bigger "if" than it may appear, on the surface), then most people are likely to be of a subversive mindset (probably not resorting to overtly subversive actions due to the fact that they will endanger their lives, however). But the tyrant will inevitably have a group of cronies, however small, that would support the status quo, probably out of economic self-interest more than anything else. In some situations (Latin American politics come to mind), the tyrant will have a larger, more fervent group of supporters; these supporters may have even voted for the tyrant in an "election" that only one person was going to win. But given the long-standing fluctuation between free market and protectionist economic policy in nearly every South American country, people tend to gravitate towards the option that they prefer, and thus in many cases tolerate what we would likely consider tyranny.

Then there's the recent finding that might pose the most problems for you: that there is a segment of the population that possesses a so-called "dictator's gene", which all the world's most notorious dictators are thought to have possessed. That the dictators possessed the gene isn't what's problematic; it's that other people who didn't rise to such prominence also possess it...and in lieu of being dictators themselves, they simply suppport a monarchy/fascist system, because of their genetic predisposition towards that political structure. I found that quite interesting, but now I can't remember where I read it. Perhaps "Next" by Michael Crichton, which weaves fiction and non-fiction to the point where it's sometimes hard to separate one from the other...or it could have just been in the NY Times or something.

Anyway. There are some facts to contemplate; I'll be interested in hearing your defense against them. Which brings me to a final point...how is it consistent to be so stringent in one's personal beliefs, which you acknowledge here, saying it's unlikely you'll ever change (and your posts on AN have certainly demonstrated an almost unparalelled aversion to change of attitude); yet you say in the "goodbye for now" thread that you would in a hearbeat vote for a politician who admitted a mistake and was willing to make a 180 degree turn change in policy? Looks like you won't be voting for yourself anytime soon then.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 27, 2006 10:17 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

last paragraph...

*unparalleled.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 27, 2006 10:19 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If my only rigidness exists in my belief that...

...individual people should have their own beliefs that they may espouse, should be entitled to freedoms (as long as those freedoms do not directly interfere with the freedoms of others), and representatives should not have such power that they curry the favor of fellow rent-seekers at the expense of others.

Those are core beliefs of mine that are highly unlikely to change. This does not mean that I am so rigid that I do not understand the value of acquiring new knowledge that helps me see points of view that I did not recognize before or see consequences to choices that I didn't have the wisdom to see without the benefit of the knowledge. One can be closed-minded in some regards but yet be very open-minded to the ideas of others. You see this in our society under our systems and institutions: groups of communists can openly form, live, and thrive in America...but could the same have been said of capitalists in the former Soviet Union? Who is/was more rigid and who more open?

I am only interested in helping affect policy that achieves the highest degree of my core beliefs. I think I can say with a fair amount of certainty the I did not inherent the dominant strain of the dictator gene.

4 8 15 16 23 42

by LowcountryJoe on Dec 27, 2006 11:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

My dad bought me

"The Luckiest Man -The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig" . Said its one of the best books he's ever read. I'll let ya all know.

by digsthelongball on Dec 26, 2006 6:07 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I really enjoy books

about ballplayers and their teams from that era. Also highly recommended is the "Summer of 49" and "Teammates", both by David Halberstrom. I know it's the Red Sox and the Yankee's, but the A's are represented as well, although they are the Philadelphia A's. "Teammates" is endearing because of the warm frienship shared by Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doer, Dom DiMaggio, and Ted Williams. It's about a final reunion of these men as Williams lay dying in Florida. A really tender book, and one that tempers the cynicism of the modern age.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Dec 26, 2006 9:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks

Thanks for the recommendations, they both sound pretty good-and are available at the local library.

I thought The Men in Blue: Conversations with Umpires, was a good book. Its basically just the narratives of these umpires from 1940s to the early 1970s. Very interesting, gave me a look inside the players I knew only from stat lines.

The Ticket Out-a book about the Crenshaw High baseball team that featured Darryl Strawberry and other talented teammates, and how life and the dangers of urban poverty ruined many of them.

Ball Four was a pretty awesome book too.

I thought Juiced was really good-gave me an eye inside Canseco's head. I also liked Fantasyland.

by apilgrim on Dec 27, 2006 12:37 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Fantasyland

That's definitely on this offseason's list, for me. I keep passing by it at the bookstore, telling myself I'm going to finally pick it up and read it today based on the rave reviews I've read online about it, then wind up settling on something else. If only baseball was my only interest, things would be a lot easier, heh.

Is The Ticket Out still available wherever you look for your books, like the library you mentioned? Sounds like something I would be interested in.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 27, 2006 3:53 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Ticket Out

The Ticket Out : Darryl Strawberry And The Boys Of Crenshaw / Michael Sokolove

It's available in both the Oakland and San Jose public library system. It's a decent book, just gets depressing and repetitve. For example, one of the most talented players on the team gets into a fight defending his brother and ends up in the big house, and can never make it back to baseball. The author then goes into what makes a great athlete-a question of talent or training.

I think Fantasyland is the more entertaining book of the two. It's hard to put down Fantasyland, it's a fast and fun narrative that will make you laugh. It's an easy read too. Fantasyland is also available in the Oakland and SJ library system.

by apilgrim on Dec 27, 2006 8:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

thanks for the info

Don't live in the Bay Area, but I guess I have reason to hope that The Ticket Out is available in my county's library system. As for Fantasyland, I'll probably check that out at the Borders' cafe I frequent.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 27, 2006 9:53 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

all non-baseball related

but a few books I've enjoyed in the last few months:

"Ancestor's Tale" Richard Dawkins:

Dawkins is a must for anyone with any interest in biology, espeially evolutionary biology. Also by Dawkins and worth reading are "Unweaving the Rainbow" and "The Blind Watchmaker."

"Why People Believe Wierd Things" Michael Shermer:

Michael Shermer is a PhD in Psychology. He examines cults, UFOs, religous fanaticism, etc. He relates his experience as a former born-again christian throughout. Shermer is the current president of the skeptics society.

"Yemen, The Unknown Arabia" Tim Mackintosh-Smith:

Basically the travel diary of a brit living in Yemen. Extremely well written, insightful, and funny.

by MrIncognito on Dec 27, 2006 8:58 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Yemen, the unknown suburb of Buffalo

Anyone remember the Lackawanna Six (which turned into the Lackawanna Seven, eventually), which was a suspected "terror cell" of Al-Qaeda sympathizers exposed in the fall of 2002? Well if you do, I live about five miles from there...I always found the concentration of Yemen natives in a small pocket of Lackawanna, NY, home of the former industrial powerhouse that by and large drove the Buffalo area, Bethlehem Steel, to be somewhat curious, in that their community is confined to a very small area in a not-so-diverse metro area. Always wondered how they came to settle in Buffalo...but man, terror cell or no terror cell, I'm grateful, as a former opponent of the soccer teams they'd field in competitive local leagues...some of the best games I've ever participated in.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Dec 27, 2006 9:50 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Books

A good travel book is The Places in Between by Rory Stewart.

This guy walked across Afghanistan in January of 2002 as part of a larger walk from Iran across to Nepal. Really excellent.

"Swinging and missing to me is like 'Jesus, what happened?'" Hatty

by Razr on Dec 27, 2006 11:51 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Books

Right now, I'm reading this old book. It was just something I picked up at the library to make my flight from SD to OAK a bit more enjoyable. But it's been pretty good. Still trying to figure out why Charles Nagy is on the cover.

The next two books I'll be reading - The Life of Reilly and Friday Night Lights. I read Who's Your Caddy, and that got me hooked on Rick Reilly... a great writer.

As for non-sports, Chuck Palahniuk is probably my favorite author. I highly recommend Survivor and Choke. Just my two cents.

HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS?!?!

by JLaff on Dec 27, 2006 4:13 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

not at all baseball- (or monkey-) related ...

... is anyone else reading the new Pynchon?

you corrupt bitches @('.')@

by monkeyball on Dec 27, 2006 4:56 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Got some news for you, Monkey.

Maybe you already know this. Werner Herzog's coming out with this new feature film set in 1966 Vietnam--the early days of the war about this American pilot who gets captured by the enemy.

by Salvatore on Dec 27, 2006 5:43 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

oh, I know!

Christian Bale stars. Can't wait. I'm also trying to get my hands on Herzog's S-T-DVD scifi thing w/Brad Dourif.

you corrupt bitches @('.')@

by monkeyball on Dec 29, 2006 1:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

3-Nights in August

Is an excellent book written by the same guy who wrote Friday Night Lights. I just finished the book today and the A's are represented pretty well. The book chronicles a 3 game series between the Cards and Cubs in 2003 and really gets into the head of Tony Larussa. It explains his history as a manager and how he broke into the game as well as his thought process behind every little move he makes throughout a game. It's amazing how much he's sacraficed to be a manager (his family lives in Alamo while he lives in a hotel in STL during the season). Great read for any die-hard baseball fan.

by enz on Dec 27, 2006 6:42 PM PST reply actions 0 recs