It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since I last posted a Conversation with Joe Posnanski. Perhaps that’s because the book that was the impetus for that one — The Baseball 100 — has been a constant on the weekly Baseball-Best Sellers list. In addition, his new book — and the subject of this one — has been buzzed about long before its official release last month.
At the risk of embarrassing Posnanski, I’m including an email I wrote to him shortly after receiving an advance copy of Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments.
Hey, Joe. Received and started the new book. Don’t know quite how to say this, so I’ll just say it.
I don’t want to read any more.
And I mean that in the nicest sense.
It reminds me of a scene from M*A*S*H where Hawkeye observes his buddy B.J. washing a pair of socks.
“I’ve never seen you wear those,” he says.
“I never do,” B.J. replies. “If I wear them, they get dirty. If I wash them, they stay clean forever.”
“That makes good nonsense,” says Hawkeye.
It’s kind of like that: if I read the book, at some point I’ll have finished it. Then I won’t be able to enjoy it any more. If I don’t, I’ll always have something to look forward to.
Like 100, 50 is bound to open the doors for much debate, both over why some things were included while others were omitted and the rationale for the rankings. That’s one of my favorite kinds of reading. Sure there have been lots of good books about ballplayers and historic events, but authors like Posnanski — such as Rob Neyer, Russell Carleton, Keith Law, and, of course Bill James — never take anything at face value.
And, again, the audio-only version appears below.
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