It might be because I've been loading up on baseball lately or it could be because my wife and coworkers generally don't want to talk about baseball but for whatever reason I thought I would throw out some baseball stuff that I've read/watched lately in case you guys have some spare time and are looking to get turned onto something.
Brockmire
Hank Azaria is better known as the voice of Apu, Moe, and Chief Wiggum, but he's used his cartoonish voice to create a very funny human character for us to laugh at on his new show Brockmire. Brockmire is a former baseball announcing legend who has fallen on hard times due to a very public meltdown and a tendency to slide headfirst into various vices. It's a funny show about baseball, which is pretty rare and it also casts Amanda Peet who can still reach back and throw high 90's heat like we remember from her during the late 90's. It's on IFC on Wednesday nights and we're four episodes into the first season so it's easy to catch up on a promising show about baseball.
Brockmire
Hank Azaria is better known as the voice of Apu, Moe, and Chief Wiggum, but he's used his cartoonish voice to create a very funny human character for us to laugh at on his new show Brockmire. Brockmire is a former baseball announcing legend who has fallen on hard times due to a very public meltdown and a tendency to slide headfirst into various vices. It's a funny show about baseball, which is pretty rare and it also casts Amanda Peet who can still reach back and throw high 90's heat like we remember from her during the late 90's. It's on IFC on Wednesday nights and we're four episodes into the first season so it's easy to catch up on a promising show about baseball.
The Cubs Way
Tom Verducci wasted little time capitalizing on the historic Cubs championship and while the book isn't overly deep or critical, this is a very good account of a team that waited 107 years to celebrate a world series title. Theo Epstein and Joe Madden get enough praise as it is but it's easy to see why these guys are so liked and so respected within the game. I expected stories about Theo to be mostly data driven but he's evolved yet again and surprisingly focuses quite a bit on intangibles when it comes to building his Cubs core. The core players are young, fun, and talented as you already knew, which makes for good storytelling as well. Verducci outlines how Cubs ownership and Theo laid out their curse-breaking plan and how it played out about as good as they ever could've imagined. Reading stories from within the front office and dugout is the shit I can't get enough of and even though this book could've dug a little deeper, it delivers just like the Cubs did in the end.
Tom Verducci wasted little time capitalizing on the historic Cubs championship and while the book isn't overly deep or critical, this is a very good account of a team that waited 107 years to celebrate a world series title. Theo Epstein and Joe Madden get enough praise as it is but it's easy to see why these guys are so liked and so respected within the game. I expected stories about Theo to be mostly data driven but he's evolved yet again and surprisingly focuses quite a bit on intangibles when it comes to building his Cubs core. The core players are young, fun, and talented as you already knew, which makes for good storytelling as well. Verducci outlines how Cubs ownership and Theo laid out their curse-breaking plan and how it played out about as good as they ever could've imagined. Reading stories from within the front office and dugout is the shit I can't get enough of and even though this book could've dug a little deeper, it delivers just like the Cubs did in the end.
I know it's pretty tough to have the time and attention span to get through a book nowadays, which is why I highly recommend signing up for Audible. Audio books have been a total game changer for me with all the goddamn time I spend in the car and the little time I have by myself with some peace and quiet. I'd much rather listen to a good book than Big Al and D-Mac break down the Broncos quarterback situation for the 7 millionth time.
Fastball
I'm pretty sure you, like most of North America have Netflix so you might've plugged this documentary into your queue already but if you haven't, Fastball is a nice scientific approach to the oldest and most effective pitch in baseball. It recounts the players who have thrown and batted against serious heat and it takes a very interesting look back at the quest for the fastest fastball and the methods used to record them. Everyone knows Aroldis Chapman throws harder than anyone ever has but you will be surprised to see that maybe we overlooked some flamethrowers from the black-and-white days when we talk about the pitchers that lit up the radar gun.