Description
Book Synopsis: A Los Angeles Times Best Seller & A 2020 NPR Best Book of the Year Is there life after baseball? Starting from this simple question, The Wax Pack ends up with something much bigger and unexpected—a meditation on the loss of innocence and the gift of impermanence, for both Brad Balukjian and the former ballplayers he tracked down. To get a truly random sample of players, Balukjian followed this wildly absurd but fun-as-hell premise: he took a single pack of baseball cards from 1986 (the first year he collected cards), opened it, chewed the nearly thirty-year-old gum inside, gagged, and then embarked on a quest to find all the players in the pack. On Balukjian’s trip in the summer of 2015, he spanned 11,341 miles through thirty states in forty-eight days. Actively engaging with his subjects, he took a hitting lesson from Rance Mulliniks, watched kung fu movies with Garry Templeton, and went to the zoo with Don Carman. In the process of finding all the players but one, he discovered an astonishing range of experiences and untold stories in their post-baseball lives. While crisscrossing the country, Balukjian retraced his own past, reconnecting with lost loves and coming to terms with his lifelong battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Alternately elegiac and uplifting, The Wax Pack is part baseball nostalgia, part road trip travelogue, and all heart, a reminder that greatness is not found in the stats on the backs of baseball cards but in the personal stories of the men on the front of them.
Details
Experience the captivating journey through baseball's afterlife with The Wax Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Baseball's Afterlife. This Los Angeles Times Best Seller and 2020 NPR Best Book of the Year will take you on a nostalgic and thought-provoking adventure that goes beyond the game itself.
Author Brad Balukjian poses a simple yet profound question: Is there life after baseball? Through a wildly unique premise, he takes you on a thrilling ride as he tracks down all the players from a single pack of 1986 baseball cards. Imagine the excitement of exploring the lives of these former ballplayers, all chosen at random.
Embark on a 11,341-mile odyssey across thirty states in just forty-eight days, as Balukjian actively engages with his subjects. From taking a hitting lesson from Rance Mulliniks to watching kung fu movies with Garry Templeton, and even visiting the zoo with Don Carman, you'll join Balukjian's astonishing encounters throughout his one-of-a-kind journey.
But this book is more than just a travelogue through baseball history. It's a deeply personal exploration of loss, rediscovery, and the beauty of impermanence. As you delve into the untold stories, Balukjian's own past and struggles become intertwined with the lives of these former players. From lost loves to overcoming lifelong battles, this book is a testament to the power of resilience and the human spirit.
Discover the true essence of baseball beyond the stats on the backs of the cards. Join Brad Balukjian on this elegiac and uplifting adventure, where the greatness lies in the personal stories of the men who once graced the front of those iconic baseball cards. Get your copy of The Wax Pack now!
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