The great baseball booktalk tour

Today I had to present my baseball booktalk again. This time I presented it at the North County Regional branch. It went well but it's a little frustrating and also relieving when your audience is mostly staff. One older gentleman was in attendance and he came only becuase of the topic of the talk, which was nice. He was the most interested member of the audience and he posed a few good questions and he was really attentive. I'm still not accustomed to talking in public and having people listening who are actually interested in what I have to say. Must be a self confidence thing but we won't go into that.

Booktalks are like the first time you have sex with someone. Initially you are tentative and unsure and check your notes a lot. After a while you forget you are performing and dive right in and everyone there has a good time. The last few books of todays' talk I breezed through with minimal note checking. I always know I'm doing well when I can do that.

If anyone is out there and is looking for a good new book about baseball I would recommend the book "Three nights in August" by Buzz Bissinger. Horrible name for an adult, I know but a good book nonetheless. You really should read it only if you are into the minute details what it takes to be a manager of a major league baseball team. It focuses on what Tony Larussa went through while preparing for and directing his team through an important three game series against the Cubs in August of 2003. Not since "Men at work" by that conservative columnist have I come across a book that really lets you know what is going on during a Major League baseball game. Most books I have read concentrated on mindsets of the players, their backgrounds and the interaction between them and their surroundings but most don't delve into the inner workings of baseball. This one does that without sounding like a textbook.