A Player’s Manager
I had a chance to talk with Joe Maddon today. I also had a chance to talk with Price, Jennings, Moore, and, well, everyone else on the team. I know just about all of them, and their personalities and...
View ArticleThe Weight of Injury
I talked with Jeff Niemann after the game yesterday, before the media scrum jumped on him to ask him what his physical malfunction was out on the field. It was a strange encounter. I knew he was ready...
View ArticleExcerpt 2, Jan 22. Rough Draft Rays Book
What I really needed was a reason to get up and hit the gym. A better reason. My agent would advise me to keep training as if I had a job. Coaches would say a prepared man creates his own luck. But my...
View ArticleDumb
“Your mom called me while you were out.” Said Bonnie. “Did you tell her I was dead?” “No, I told her you were at the gym.” “What’d she want? No. No, don’t answer that. I know what she wanted.” I took...
View ArticleRays Book Excerpt 3. Meeting Maddon
Unedited excerpt from Rays Book Pitch first draft. Errors are OK. We all sat in a huddled half moon on outfield grass, Joe Maddon at our core with a few coaches and staffers in a deep orbit behind...
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Excerpt from Rays Rough Draft 4. Maddon’s Office.
Rough Draft Excerpt. Errors are Okay. The next time I’d talk to Joe was in that private meeting. It actually wasn’t between just Joe and I, it was most of the top level staff, including Andrew...
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Rays Book Excerpt 4. Meet Your Teammates
Excerpt from first rough draft. Errors expected. …He played catch with David Price, who, by contrast, was naturally cool and never had to try to be accepted at anything. Price oozed charm and...
View ArticleF U Rays, and Other Myths
I’ve been sharing links to my literary tinkering lately. I tinker with words a lot since I don’t have baseball to tinker with anymore. Some tinkering goes well, some not so well, and some I’m just not...
View ArticleObservations on Chris Archer
25 million dollars with a chance for 40+ if everything goes his way? Good for Chris Archer. Good for all of us, too. Of course that’s easy for me to say, I know the guy. I played with him in Triple A...
View ArticleJaso, Zobrist, Baptisms and Blue Jays.
John Jaso. I was at his baptism. True story. But first, a true side story. The baptism happened in spring training at the Zobrist mansion. I say mansion jokingly because it was a rented house on a...
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