EN ROUTE TO KANSAS CITY — Hi, everybody. Welcome to Joe Blogs. Today is our two-year anniversary here, and it is happening during an epic three weeks when I’m bouncing from place to place talking about my brand new book, WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL, and last night I had an utterly epic event in St. Louis with my friend and hero Gerald Early, and tonight I’m going to be in Kansas City with my friend and hot fruit nemesis Mike Schur*, and I’m blurry and happy and grateful and still somewhat confused about how all of this is happening.
Thank you, Joe. I have only one small negative point to make. I am a Canadian consumer of your books. I follow the rules to get them signed, but getting them signed in Canada seems to be hard for me at any rate.
Even though My Beloved Wife ordered the Book for Me, a very LONG time ago (Rainy Day Books and before Father's Day), I set eyes on it and held it for the first time about 48 hours ago, in Southern Pines, NC. We live on The Space Coast of Florida, but have been on a Road Trip to NC & VA, the past few days. In fact, Bernie Carbo (Beloved Friend of the past 30 years) and I were sitting in Panera Bread, on the outskirts of Southern Pines, when a good Friend of His (Zac - Analytics & Statcast Technician for the Tampa Bay Rays) walked in with that RED BOOK that I immediately recognized It! I almost HIT THE DECK, as I had just been talking about it with Bernie!! Zac showed Bernie what You wrote about that AMAZING Game 6 in the 1975 World Series. That Book is now sitting on the Dining Room Table of Bernie & Tammy Carbo, as Zac handed it to Bernie to read over the course of the next several weeks. Looking forward to Our return back to Our Space Coast Island to get my hands on the copy of WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL, that My Beloved Suzannah ordered for me. BTW Bernie Carbo wants to have a sit down or phone discussion with You soon and would LOVE to talk Baseball & Life with You Joe. Feel free to message me and I will share the contact information for getting in touch with Bernie. Hope You continue having a great Tour, as it sounds wonderful already . . .
The book is great but I’m very surprised at how many errors there are. Did you not have a good editor? Did you not see them when you read through it? Really would like to know how errors slip through. Haven’t finished yet (about two-thirds though) and I think I have five pretty flagrant boo-boos.
Damn you, Joe! I’m sitting at the Philadelphia airport waiting for my flight with my three teenage daughters. I’m on page 10 of Why and have already teared up twice. My girls think I’m INSANE! I told them that if they ever want to truly understand their father that they need to read this book. (Thank you!)
It feels wrong to congratulate you on two years of this Substack working for you (and us) so well on the one hand ... and the offer a critique on the other ... but this is the internet-era, so maybe that comes with the territory. (And, now that I think about it ... the internet-era is far too wide a time now to have a category like that even work. We’re well past the dial-up era or maybe it’d be the “just received my seventh AOL disk in the mail” era ... as Joe Sheehan says, “your mileage may vary.” We might even be past the Twitter era. Life, man, it comes at you fast.). Anyway ... a criticism ...
Goldfinger at the keystone sack? I can’t see his utter lack of athleticism working there. Maybe he’d be better suited for DH ... he’d probably ordered more than a few hits in his day. Of course, in his day, there was no DH. And now I see my criticism has its own serious flaw, which gives me pause and humbles me ... and it reminds me some things are just better left in the hands of the artist. Congrats again, Joe!
As far as "likable" Yankees go, I'll echo others and say that Mariano absolutely belongs.
Otherwise, he doesn't necessarily come across as effervescent or anything, but: Gerrit Cole is a really interesting guy.
He seems to have genuinely been so determined to experience college that he turned down $4 million from his dream team out of high school. I never would have guessed that he majored in Political Science and minored in Theater. He apparently has some talent for music and is very serious about cooking and wine (side-note: his wife runs the blog "A Coleinary Experience", nyuk, nyuk).
As a pitcher, he seems about as studious and dedicated as anybody. He can be kind of be forgiven for his young Yankees fandom, given that it was passed down from his father.
I'm a lifelong Red Sox fan and almost hate to admit that I kind of like the guy. I'm rooting for the Yankees to wither in last place but wouldn't be crushed if he picked up his first Cy.
Thank you, Joe. Your baseball 100 columns in the Athletic got me through the first part of Covid. They were literally what got me out of bed in the morning, because I knew there was something that I was going to enjoy. So I'm TeamJoePos until I die.
Just got my book yesterday, and I love the extra inscription Joe, so thank you for that. After just a few pages I can already tell that I don’t want it to end.
Joe, I will read anything you write. Anything. Hell, I just drove 8 hours to Kansas City just to hear you and Mike talk for 90 minutes. Happy two years.
I'm sure there are many more reasons than this making you so intriguing and popular, but what I think is the main reason I love reading your stuff, is that you write like most of us think...bouncing here and there, pausing then finishing, seeing humor and emotion in many ways...and you write it down in ways it is kind of in our feeble brains already. I wish you many more years of talking for us so well.
Friday Rewind: Thank You for Two Wonderful, Amazing Years
Thank you, Joe. I have only one small negative point to make. I am a Canadian consumer of your books. I follow the rules to get them signed, but getting them signed in Canada seems to be hard for me at any rate.
Even though My Beloved Wife ordered the Book for Me, a very LONG time ago (Rainy Day Books and before Father's Day), I set eyes on it and held it for the first time about 48 hours ago, in Southern Pines, NC. We live on The Space Coast of Florida, but have been on a Road Trip to NC & VA, the past few days. In fact, Bernie Carbo (Beloved Friend of the past 30 years) and I were sitting in Panera Bread, on the outskirts of Southern Pines, when a good Friend of His (Zac - Analytics & Statcast Technician for the Tampa Bay Rays) walked in with that RED BOOK that I immediately recognized It! I almost HIT THE DECK, as I had just been talking about it with Bernie!! Zac showed Bernie what You wrote about that AMAZING Game 6 in the 1975 World Series. That Book is now sitting on the Dining Room Table of Bernie & Tammy Carbo, as Zac handed it to Bernie to read over the course of the next several weeks. Looking forward to Our return back to Our Space Coast Island to get my hands on the copy of WHY WE LOVE BASEBALL, that My Beloved Suzannah ordered for me. BTW Bernie Carbo wants to have a sit down or phone discussion with You soon and would LOVE to talk Baseball & Life with You Joe. Feel free to message me and I will share the contact information for getting in touch with Bernie. Hope You continue having a great Tour, as it sounds wonderful already . . .
Yours in The Greatest Game - Felix
Chris: If you want more info on an interesting baseball old-timer, try this book. https://journalstar.com/entertainment/books/review-going-way-back-with-wahoo-sam/article_e37d86fa-ffad-5f57-9a93-dce0840dcd2d.html
Happy Substack birthday! I hope you can reschedule Cincinnati soon.
The book is great but I’m very surprised at how many errors there are. Did you not have a good editor? Did you not see them when you read through it? Really would like to know how errors slip through. Haven’t finished yet (about two-thirds though) and I think I have five pretty flagrant boo-boos.
Congrats on two years, Joe! Was really looking forward to seeing you in Cincinnati today. I hope you’re able to reschedule soon.
Damn you, Joe! I’m sitting at the Philadelphia airport waiting for my flight with my three teenage daughters. I’m on page 10 of Why and have already teared up twice. My girls think I’m INSANE! I told them that if they ever want to truly understand their father that they need to read this book. (Thank you!)
It feels wrong to congratulate you on two years of this Substack working for you (and us) so well on the one hand ... and the offer a critique on the other ... but this is the internet-era, so maybe that comes with the territory. (And, now that I think about it ... the internet-era is far too wide a time now to have a category like that even work. We’re well past the dial-up era or maybe it’d be the “just received my seventh AOL disk in the mail” era ... as Joe Sheehan says, “your mileage may vary.” We might even be past the Twitter era. Life, man, it comes at you fast.). Anyway ... a criticism ...
Goldfinger at the keystone sack? I can’t see his utter lack of athleticism working there. Maybe he’d be better suited for DH ... he’d probably ordered more than a few hits in his day. Of course, in his day, there was no DH. And now I see my criticism has its own serious flaw, which gives me pause and humbles me ... and it reminds me some things are just better left in the hands of the artist. Congrats again, Joe!
As far as "likable" Yankees go, I'll echo others and say that Mariano absolutely belongs.
Otherwise, he doesn't necessarily come across as effervescent or anything, but: Gerrit Cole is a really interesting guy.
He seems to have genuinely been so determined to experience college that he turned down $4 million from his dream team out of high school. I never would have guessed that he majored in Political Science and minored in Theater. He apparently has some talent for music and is very serious about cooking and wine (side-note: his wife runs the blog "A Coleinary Experience", nyuk, nyuk).
As a pitcher, he seems about as studious and dedicated as anybody. He can be kind of be forgiven for his young Yankees fandom, given that it was passed down from his father.
I'm a lifelong Red Sox fan and almost hate to admit that I kind of like the guy. I'm rooting for the Yankees to wither in last place but wouldn't be crushed if he picked up his first Cy.
Thank you, Joe. Your baseball 100 columns in the Athletic got me through the first part of Covid. They were literally what got me out of bed in the morning, because I knew there was something that I was going to enjoy. So I'm TeamJoePos until I die.
Looking forward to starting the new book tonight!
Just got my book yesterday, and I love the extra inscription Joe, so thank you for that. After just a few pages I can already tell that I don’t want it to end.
Joe, I will read anything you write. Anything. Hell, I just drove 8 hours to Kansas City just to hear you and Mike talk for 90 minutes. Happy two years.
I will be there on the 14th. Can't wait
I'm sure there are many more reasons than this making you so intriguing and popular, but what I think is the main reason I love reading your stuff, is that you write like most of us think...bouncing here and there, pausing then finishing, seeing humor and emotion in many ways...and you write it down in ways it is kind of in our feeble brains already. I wish you many more years of talking for us so well.
I'd love to see that essay on the Incas' influence on the evolution of Ohio...