Hi Everyone —
So before we get to our Ask Joe … I have a fun announcement. No, it’s not the book announcement yet — that’s coming September 10. You might remember, I’ll be leading up to that one with a daily countdown of the 10 most excellent sports books ever written. It’s a blast putting that together for you. There might be a couple of surprises on there — you’ll see!
No, this is a whole different fun announcement, and it’s special for me because it’s a family affair.
We now have a JoeBlogs Store — with merch and everything!.
The store is the brainchild of our daughters, particularly our 20-year-old daughter, Katie. She’s been designing the merch (I’m sure our older daughter Elizabeth will get in on the action soon), and coming up with the store’s vibes. Nobody’s expecting the place to turn into Costco, but maybe it will earn Katie a little college money.
There is already some pretty cool stuff there. She even let me sneak in one of my own ideas — the “Notebook on a Notebook,” featuring the Traveler’s Notebook I carry with me everywhere!
There’s also a Brilliant Reader T-shirt, a ”Baseball is Best When You’re 10” coffee mug, and more … and this is just the start. Go take a look!
Now to some Brilliant Reader Questions!
Brilliant Reader Tim: In the spirit of the PosCast — I’ve been sleeping with earplugs since my oldest kid was 4 months old, and we moved next to rail yards where the LIRR, Amtrak and 7 trains run together. … The one drawback is I sometimes take them out in the middle of the night. And one time, I had a dream where I was about to take a bite of chicken and woke up because I put an earplug in my mouth.
This is not a question at all, but it’s so delightful that I had to include it.
Brilliant Reader David: Depressing thought of the day: has age 30+ Mike Trout become age 30+ Junior?
It is a depressing thought, yes, but it’s also the most human thought in the world. Yes, thirty-something Mike Trout has become thirty-something Ken Griffey Jr. And he’s become thirty-something Albert Pujols. And he’s become thirty-something Mickey Mantle and thirty-something Duke Snider and thirty-something Ernie Banks and thirty-something Frank Thomas.
The hard truth, I think, is that we relentlessly and perpetually get fooled by time. It just doesn’t make any sense that today I am older than yesterday. I don’t FEEL any older. Yes, I woke up with a weird pain in my upper back because even sleeping is apparently too much for my 58-year-old body, but I still feel the same, and I still believe what I believed yesterday, and I still don’t understand why Mike Trout is hitting just .235 and slugging just .443 and playing designated hitter more or less full time and doing nothing on the bases. It just doesn’t register that this is the reality now. He’ll still have his moments of glory. Junior did. Pujols did. Tiger did. But day by day, Mike Trout is a 34-year-old ballplayer with a broken-down body. Before long, he’ll be 35. Then 36. There’s no rewind button, as much as we all wish there was.
Brilliant Reader Mark writes in: There’s no way you can hate the Yankees anymore — not with this Hamilton hat!
Will Hamilton Make Me a Yankees Fan?
Of course not. But the rest of today's Ask Joe is waiting — Mike Trout, true replacement players, bad ball hitters, Gus Triandos, and more. Join JoeBlogs and get all the joy delivered every day.
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