Category Archives: Endeavors Elsewhere

Amazin Avenue, Literary Endeavors

The First Ever Scratchbomb Contest! Win This Book!

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Amazin Avenue CoverSo I just got myself a few copies of the Amazin’ Avenue Annual. I am blown away, and I think you will be too. I’m still astounded that I have writing in the same book as Joe Posnanski. Like, I thought somehow such an event would be outlawed between when I turned in my piece and when the book rolled off the press. Luckily, our lawmakers have bigger fish to fry and I’ve slipped through the cracks.

To celebrate this event, I am holding the first ever contest in the history of this site. I am giving away a copy of the Annual to one lucky reader, and all you have to do to get it is be the first person to correctly answer this question:

Who was the first batter I saw step up to the plate in the first major league game I saw in person?

I won’t say exactly when this game was, because, duh. But if you read this site, you can probably guess my relative age and take a stab at it. In fact, there are clues as to the answer to this question not-so-carefully hidden in posts I’ve written over the years. The one hint I will give you is that the game was at Shea. So that means the first batter I ever saw hit in person was not a Met, right? Not necessarily. I’m tricky like that!

You can post answers in the comments section, or email them to me here. In the unlikely event that two or more respondents come up with the correct answer at exactly the same time, we’ll figure out some way to determine a winner. I’m thinking either a knife fight or one-potato two-potato.

Good luck, and happy hunting!

Endeavors Elsewhere, Oirland

See Scratchbomb Showing and Telling

So dig it: On Monday, March 14, you can catch yours truly at The Show and Tell Show at Union Hall in Brooklyn for their Irish Stories installment. I will be there reciting an old family tale of Ireland, sports, and punching, with some visual aids for embellishment. Also on the bill: Sean Donnelly, Glennis McMurray, and SM Shrake (just to make sure one included name wasn’t ridiculously Oirish).

I went to last month’s Valentine’s Day show and it was pretty great, full of laughs and tales of romantic trauma. Hostess Colleen Kane curates an excellent event, and I’m told she may also prepare some soda bread.

Union Hall is in Park Slope, on Union Street just east of Fifth Avenue. Take the R train to Union Street, or take the F/G to 4th Avenue/Ninth Street if you feel like walking. But do take something to get there and support live talking, by me.

Amazin Avenue

The Amazin’ Avenue Annual, She Has Arrived

Have you preordered your copy of The Amazin’ Avenue Annual yet? If you haven’t, it’s too late, because as of today, this tome is off the presses, just waiting to be purchased for realsies.

In case you forgot, this book isn’t just the only one you’ll need to steel yourself for the upcoming Mets season. It also has contributions from such esteemed writers as Joe Posnanski, Will Leitch, Jason Fry and Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing, Ken Davidoff, and many more. And also me. (I get billed under Many More.)

You now have no excuse to not own this thing immediately. Your purchase ensures that we will continue to be able to produce this volume every year, thus preventing the word “Annual” in the title from being bitterly ironic. So get on the stick, brothers and sisters.