The Pack and The Bastard

Intersting news from Green Bay (sort of). One of the spots I visited while out there in the land of the eternal Danish was City Stadium, where the Packers played their first games. In other words, it's the original Frozen Tundra. Today it's actually a high-school field with only a few remnants of the structure that existed back Curley Lambeau was running the show, but it seems with team will return to its roots this year during training camp to raise money for charity. Click here for details.

On a much more fun note, the aforementioned Cynical Bastard has reviewed my book and posted about it on his blog. It's a fun read as he takes you through the experience start to finish. Funny comments by his followers too. You'll have to scroll down to the post from 7/11 to find it.

News Flash

This just in: I'm not as good as Dan Jenkins. At least that's the conclusion of a high school social studies teacher who reviews books for Tampa Bay online. Actually, I think he likes the book, although it's not terribly clear. What is more certain is that the review is much more about him than it is about my book. Check it out for yourself and see if you can follow his train of thought. Oh, and in case you didn't realize, he was once a sports writer, too.

And here's another mention from the Courier-News. Doesn't seem to quite capture what the book's all about, but I'm in good company and you gotta love the big photo.

My Kind of Town

It's not much, but Fanatic picked up a mention in the July 5 Chicago Sun Times, here. Every little bit helps.

Also, did the Gelf magazine reading on Thursday night, and it went well. Probably 40 or 50 people there, and I didn't drool on myself, mumble or otherwise embarrass myself. I must admit it felt a bit odd standing up there in the dark of the bar with one light shining up from the podium, a bit like channeling Mike Myers during one of the beatnik poetry scenes in So I Married An Axe Murderer. In fact, I think I started out with a bit of a staccato rhythm, but luckily it went away. In the end, it was fun. You should feel bad you weren't there...

Picking Up Steam??

Another review showed up this week, this one in the Buffalo News, and again it's positive, which we like. I imagine things will slow up through the holiday weekend, but then we're gonna hit that summer beach book crowd like a load of crowbars.

There's One In Every Crowd

Came across this last week and it was too funny not to share. Click here then scroll about half way down and read the post titled Speaking of Stupid People.

A Real Review

Great new review just out in the Rocky Mountain News. If we could get a few more like that, we'll be in business.

Speaking of reviews still only two on the Amazon page. If you're moved to do so, posting your thoughts could really help. Unless, you didn't like the book. Then you should keep it to yourself.

Further Exposure

This was posted last week by our friends at Playboy. Nicely written, and I'm not just saying that because it's complementary:

Send Your Dad to The Masters

Father¹s Day is this Sunday, unless of course you live in a place like, say,
Romania.

As I¹m sure many of you have, I bonded with my father over sports. Though
now we live in two different places and live two different lives, we can
always talk sports‹one minute on the phone and it¹s like I'm six years old
again and he's explaining the intricacies of the triple-option offense.
Since I won't be able to bring him to a ball game this Father¹s Day, I¹ll
send him to a number of them by giving him Jim Gorant¹s new book Fanatic: 10
Things All Sports Fans Should do Before They Die.

Gorant, who touches on the relationship he had with his father through
sports, spent a little over a year attending 10 of the most important
sporting events and captured the flavor and essence of the happenings in his
charmingly dry tone while meditating on the deeper meanings of sports and
life in general. Somehow he managed to unveil universal truths about love,
father-daughter relationships, commitment, fandom, heartbreak and purity,
all in one lazy afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Gorant¹s list:
The Super Bowl
The Daytona 500
The Final Four
The Masters
The Kentucky Derby
Wimbledon
Wrigley Field
Ohio State vs. Michigan
Lambeau Field in December
Opening Day at Fenway

I¹m not quite sure how my top 10 would shake out, but I do know I¹d want my
father in the seat next to me.