July 19th, 2006 → 10:29 am @ Seth Mnookin
So after driving from Manhattan to South Hadley, I had a very pleasant reading last night. Lots of inquisitive Red Sox fans, lots of books sold, and a very warm reception from the good folks at the Odyssey Bookstore. Woke up early this morning and did a bunch of radio interviews and was all set to take a run and head out for Keene.
And then I checked my email.
And had about a dozen messages alerting me to the fact that Feeding the Monster is now being sold on Amazon as “Lord’s Day Cry” by Robert C. Harris. (Harris’s website? Midnight Ministries. Awesome.)
Don’t get me wrong — I’m all for freedom of religion. (Fine: Jews for Jesus kind of freaks me out. And so does Scientology. But you get the idea.) But I’m not that excited about my book being sold as “a Christian prophecy book detailing the Rapture and the Second Coming.” I know people are fanatical about the Red Sox and about baseball generally. But Feeding the Monster does not detail Mankind’s “readiness for Christ’s Bridegroom Return with sound doctrine,” nor does it “simplify and make plain Christ’s initial return.” Hell, I don’t even quote Scripture.
You know, I try to be sunny. I’m generally a pretty upbeat guy. But man, something like this can really get your day started on the wrong foot. As far as I know, this is a weird, and totally innocent, mistake. (I mean, there’s no-one who’s written about Christianity and the most powerful secret known to mankind who also happens to be incredibly influential within publishing and has some kind of axe to grind with me. Oh, wait: of course there is*.)
The nice man at Amazon.com support who had absolutely no idea what my incoherent babblings were about assured me the problem would be dealt with soon, so there’s a decent chance that by the time you read this, everything will have returned to normal. In the meantime, stay away from Amazon**, frequent the Barnes & Noble site — where my book is not only available but also is listed correctly — and make sure all your ducks are in a row. Because if you think about, recent events — an incorrect Amazon listing combined with the outbreak of war in the Middle East — do seem a bit portentous. Maybe Robert C. Harris is right. Maybe the end is truly near.
* Note: I am not actually this paranoid.
** Note: Thank goodness I don’t pay attention to my Amazon ranking. Or else I’d notice that my book has dropped about 10 spots since the mistake was made.
Post Categories: Amazon.com & Ben Folds Lyrics & The Rapture
June 8th, 2006 → 11:42 pm @ Seth Mnookin
Remember when Deadspin’s Will Leitch predicted that those blacked out names from the Grimsley affidavit would eventually leak out? He’s a prescient one: earlier today, Leitch posted some of those names, which he says he’s fairly confident about. Sammy Sosa’s name is apparently one of those blacked out, which comes as a surprise to approximately no one. Then there’s also this revelation: Leitch, a devoted Cardinals fan, says Grimsley named Chris Mihlfeld as the “fitness trainer to several Major League Baseball players” who directed him to a source that provided “amphetamines, anabolic steroids, and human growth hormone.” So what, right? Well, Mihlfeld–not the source who’s said to have served as Grimsley’s personal pharmacy–is not only a former strength and conditioning coordinator for the Royals, he’s also Albert Pujols’ personal trainer. Think anyone will start poking around now? (And why is it that Leitch, a hell of a blogger and apparently a decent reporter too, is the one breaking this news? As good as he is, he’s one dude being paid slave labor wages by a charming Brit. You’d think one of the thousands of accredited MLB reporters in the country might have come up with some of this…)
Post Categories: Albert Pujols & Baseball & Ben Folds Lyrics & Deadspin & Jason Grimsley & Sports Reporters & Steroids
