Book Notes: Mint Condition

My Mommy got me a basic Nook e-reader for Christmas.  I’ve not done much e-reading before, but this little Nook is awesome.  It is very light and the words are very easy to read.  The first book I purchased for it was “Mint Condition” by Dave Jamieson, which I assume many of you have read, or at least are familiar with.  It’s a pretty comprehensive history of baseball cards, from their inception to today. 

Every chapter has been fascinating.  The chapter on the beginnings of Upper Deck was especially interesting.  I’m not much of a fan of Upper Deck, but after reading the chapter, I had a better appreciation for how nice and ground breaking the 1989 set was.   

Upper Deck started almost as a protest to what Topps, Donruss and Fleer were putting out in the 90s, and as a solution to the ever growing problem of counterfeiting cards.  The founders of Upper Deck believed that a counterfeit-proof hologram, foil wrappers, nice card stock and color photos of players on the front and back of cards would be a welcome addition to the at the time booming card industry, even if it meant collectors would have to pay almost twice the amount they were paying for packs of Topps, Fleer and Donruss.  I was in High School at the time, and I still remember how excited I was to get my hands on my first box of UD.  I remember thinking they were expensive, but buying some anyway.  And I distinctly remember pulling this:

UD #1 Ken Griffey Jr. card has got to be one of the top 10 most iconic cards in the hobby.  Not only was it his first and best rookie card, it was a symbol of the changes that were taking place at an incredible pace in the baseball card industry.   Like everything else in the late 80’s/ early 90’s, the Griffey card peaked and came crashing down in price.  Probably because there are millions of these cards available.   However, a quick scan through eBay shows that it still maintains some value.    This chapter also makes me want to read the book “ Card Sharks “ about Upper Deck.   It was written in 1995, so the take on where the hobby was at the time should be interesting.   Apparently, there were a lot of shenanigans going on in that company.  Has anyone read this yet?  Is it worth checking out?

Cleve's Auction Night: Got It!

Even the Lovely Wife was impressed with this win at Cleve's auction this week:

1953 Topps Satchel Paige

I wasn't able to attend the auction, but found out Wednesday that my write in bid was enough to win.   I picked it up today.   Somehow my reaction was caught on tape when Cleve told me the good news:

If you have not seen this video before, stop reading this post and watch it immediately.  Try not to pee your pants laughing.  You can thank me later.

This Paige card immediately takes a spot in the top 5 of my collection.  Probably top 3.  I have always coveted this card, but it was a) hard to find and b) very expensive. 

I hope most of you are familiar with Satchel Paige.  Not only was he likely one of the greatest pitchers of all time, he was one of the true characters of the game.  I've read and enjoyed immensely his autobiography, and if I can get my act together and start doing weekly book reviews like I said I would, I will review it next.  You may already be familiar with his "Rules to Keep Young."  If not, enjoy:

Satchel Paige's Rules To Keep Young 

1. "Avoid fried meats which angry up the blood."
2. "If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts."
3. "Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you move."
4. "Go very light on the vices, such as carrying on in society—the social ramble ain't restful."
5. "Avoid running at all times."
6. "And don't look back—something might be gaining on you."

My goodness, I am excited to have this card!

I actually won two cards at the auction, this one and a second that deserves it's own post.  Here is my self given grade for this auction pick up:

1953 Topps Satchel Paige $60:  A+  This is the most I've spent for a card at one of Cleve's auctions, but I don't begrudge a cent of it.  This is family heirloom material.

Sunday Book Notes- The Numbers Game

Alan Schwartz  2004

I'll spare you the cliched diatribe about the beauty of baseball's statistics and how statistics keep baseball connected with it's past and blah, blah, blah.  Simply put, if you are a fan of the numbers aspect of baseball, (and if you collect cards you probably are) then The Numbers Game is must reading. 

Side note:  I realize that I heap praise on pretty much every book I review on this blog.  Keep in mind, I'm just picking out books I've already read and think others will enjoy.  Once I get through those books, I'll start reviewing any book I happen to buy about baseball, and I promise I won't like them all.  For example, I'm reading "The Last Boy- Mickey Mantle and America Something, Something, Something" and it ... is.... freaking.... boring.  Sorry, I'm just not that interested in Mantle and received the book as a gift from someone who assumed that since I was a big baseball fan I would be interested in Mantle.

Back on topic:  The Numbers Game was not only fascinating, but inspiring.  I loved the chapter about Bill James and his realization he could look at stats in ways no one could or would.  And I really loved the section about Hal Richman, inventor of Strat-o-Matic.  Richman developed the game out of a need to entertain himself as a kid, dissatisfied with the baseball games available at the time.  Once he developed the game to his satisfaction, he decided he could sell it to others.  He struggled at first, to the point he had to borrow some money from his father to continue to develop and market the game.  He made a deal with his father that if he didn't succeed with this loan, he would give up on the game and join his father in the insurance business.    
These stories inspire your pal Napkin.   I still flip through this book often and will re-read the whole thing again soon.  It gets my creative juices going and inspires me sit down to a blank excel spreadsheet to see what original takes on statistics are just waiting to come from my brain.  Then, after staring at the blank cells for twenty minutes, I hear the squeaky gears in my head come to a halt and I go check if there are any donuts in the house.

Book Notes: The Underground Baseball Encyclopedia

Robert Schnakenberg  2010

This was another book I was able to get at 60% off from the local Borders that is closing shop.  What to say about this book... It’s not a typical encyclopedia, I'll say that.  As I was flipping through this book, pretty quickly I noticed a theme:  this author is pretty snide.  In fact, the description of the book says it’s a “decidedly snarky trip” through baseball.   Is it ever. 

I actually laughed out loud at many of the comments.  I learned that George Brett had hemorrhoids and that a couple of Yankee pitchers engaged in wife swapping in 1973.  Hideki Matsui had over 55,000 "distinct items in his porn stash."  I'm pretty sure that is larger than my card collection.  The only baseball card reference that I caught was an entry for the 1989 Bill Ripken error card.  I won't show a picture of the card, but I'm sure you know what I am talking about. 

However, snark, like many things, is something that can get old pretty quickly.  I am a bit of a cynical person, but I try to keep it contained somewhat, and I hope I do not come across too cynical in my blog.  This book is cynical, and after a while it began to rub me the wrong way.   Of course, when the topics turn to Barry Bonds, Ty Cobb, Dixie Walker and some others, you expect a little snarkery...

Ok, here’s the truth.  I got ticked off by his entry for baseball enthusiast and my hero, George Will and his book, Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball: "A collection of windy, self-consciously erudite observations on game strategy, the book appealed to pseudointellectuals and other literary-minded traditionalists who required an ennobling fig leaf to justify their fandom." 
There is more, but you get the point.

So on behalf of all literary traditionalists, thank you, George Will for the fig leaf and STICK IT SCHNAKENBERG.   

Booknotes- Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster

The Borders Bookstore in my area is closing,  all of their books are at least 60% off , and I was able to grab a couple of books I normally would not have bought.  I went in hoping to find a 2011 Baseball Prospectus, or the newest Baseball Card Catalog, or the book Mint Condition (anyone read this?) but no such luck. 

I did get my hands on a 2011 Ron Shandler Baseball Forecaster, which I was always curious about but never bought.  I typically by a Baseball Prospectus every year, and that is usually enough for me.

I was blown away by this book and it would have been worth buying at full price.  Perhaps my report on this book is untimely, since this type of book is geared toward fantasy baseball players, and the season is a week underway.   However, even though I am not playing fantasy baseball for the first time in 15 years, I am already finding this book useful from a fan perspective ( take Alexi Ogando's first start for the Rangers, as well as this book's hint that he has some strong upside, and I am already feeling better about the Rangers pitching this year).  I also am getting value from it from a collector/investor perspective (buy Mike Stanton).  There is a nice section on top Minor League prospects, and I was happy to see some nice write ups for former Naturals/ Royals prospects Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Mike Montgomery.

A big part of book is dedicated individual player historical stats and 2011 projections.  There is also a brief, efficient comment about each player as well.  Part of the fun of books like this is to revisit them as the season plays out, and see if the authors were on target or not. 
 
There are also several top shelf analytical essays at the front of the book that are really impressive if you are into that sort of thing.   I did think it was interesting that in the introduction, there basically was an acknowledgement of, "Hey the more we learn, and the more sophisticated our tools become, the more we realize, these players are humans and we're just not going to ever nail this stuff."  To me, that gives the book credibility.

Simply put, The Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster is a must for any baseball fan's library and I am glad I finally opened up to it.

Booknotes: Slouching Towards Fargo: A Two-Year Saga Of Sinners And St. Paul Saints At The Bottom Of The Bush Leagues With Bill Murray, Darryl Strawberry, Dakota Sadie And Me

Neal Karlen, 2000

Sometimes a book comes out that ties several interests of mine together, and immediately becomes a must read for me.  My hero (George Will) writing about my favorite sport (baseball), Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball, is one example of that happening.  Another example is Slouching Towards Fargo.    Combining subject matters of Darryl Strawberry, Bill Murray and Independent League Baseball, I was all over this one and gobbled it up quickly once I got my hands on it back when it was released in 2000.  I dusted it off again last night and skimmed through it.  It would make a great movie, and I wish someone would think about doing it. 

As I mentioned in my very first post, Darryl Strawberry was the first baseball player I followed, and I collected the heck out of his cards.  Additionally, I used to live in Lubbock, Texas and at the time there was an independent league called the Texas/Louisiana Association.  The Lubbock team was called the Crickets, named after Buddy Holly’s (Lubbock native) band.  The games were cheap, the baseball was actually not bad, and the atmosphere was odd.  It felt a little like a mix of minor league baseball and roller derby.    So a book that combined these two subject matters was right up my alley.

The book is based on a two season run of the St.Paul Saints, probably the most well known independent league team out there, who were partially owned by Bill Murray and Bill Veeck, and trotted out such players as J.D. Drew, who at the time was holding out for more money after being drafted by the Phillies, Jack Morris, and Darryl Strawberry.  Strawberry at this time had been kicked out of baseball, broke, on probation, and trying to find a way back to the big leagues. 

The author of the book was sent to cover this potential hot mess by Rolling Stone Magazine.  He intended to do a “hatchet job” on Murray and Strawberry and write a buzz worthy article for the magazine.  The book is the story of what he saw in that two year run and his fast changing views of the subject matters.

I am sorry to say, this book is no longer in print, and the only copies I see available are used copies on bn.com and amazon.com.  The good news is these copies are dirt cheap.   

Booknotes: Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History

Cait Murphy, 2008

One of the silver linings to traveling so much lately is that I have been able to catch up on some reading.   A recent trip to Toronto gave me plenty of time to read “Crazy ‘08” by Cait Murphy.  If you are at all interested in baseball in the early 1900’s, or the history of baseball at all for that matter, this book is must reading.    It is extremely detailed, researched, well written and funny.    

The bulk of the book focuses on the three team race for the National League Pennant in 1908, which was fought between the Pirates, the NY Giants and the Cubs.  Yes, the Cubs at that time were not only perennial contenders; they were a juggernaut featuring the famous double play combination of Tinker, Evers and Chance and the pitching of Mordeci “Three Finger” Brown.   The Giants were also a perennial power, starring the gentlemanly pitcher Christy Mathewson and the un-gentlemanly manager, John McGraw, as well as the ill-fated Fred Merkle.  The chapter about the “Merkle” game is enough to warrant reading the book.   The Pirates, meanwhile, were not necessarily a great team, but had perhaps the greatest player of the time, Honus Wagner, who carried them on his back.   Being a card nerd, I know all about the famous T206 Honus Wagner card , and had an idea of how good of a player he was.  Crazy ‘08 really sheds light on not only what an incredible all around player he was, but also one of the decent men of the game, which after reading this book, looks like was the exception and not the rule.

 It seemed like every other page of this book included a fight, threat of a fight, or some sort of heated argument.    These were wild, agitated people:  players, coaches, umpires, fans and all.   1908 was a significant year in the history of baseball, and after reading Crazy ‘08, it’s hard to argue it wasn’t baseball’s greatest. 

Booknotes: The Universal Baseball Association, Inc, J. Henry Waugh, Prop.

Robert Coover, 1968

If CSPAN can dedicate its weekends to books and literature, so can this blog.  I’ll kick off this what- I- plan- to- be-weekly-category with what I think is one of my favorite books ever (Blood Meridian will always be number one, with no close second,) but am certain is my favorite baseball themed work of fiction:  The Universal Baseball Association, Inc, J. Henry Waugh, Prop.

In brief, it’s the story of 56 year old accountant, Henry Waugh, who has developed a table top baseball dice game, (think Strat-O-Matic).  He’s expanded the game to include a fully realized fictional world enveloping the games that are played out nightly on his kitchen table.    The players are all creations of Henry’s imagination, and each has their own backgrounds, stories and nuances.   From the beginning, the reader understands that Henry is having more and more trouble separating his banal, but real life from the fantasy world he has created.   Written in 1968, the book is relevant today.  It is darkly funny, sad and at times, frightening as the lines blur between fantasy and reality for Henry.    

I read this book about 10 years ago, and recently re-read it with a whole new understanding of the story.  You could easily equate the dice game Henry created with so much of the modern technology that gives us the chance to be a god controlling our own little worlds.     There is a lot of scholarship about this book out in cyberspace that can break the book down more eloquently than I can, so I won’t try to write an essay about it.  But I do highly recommend the book.