It’s that time of year again, when we happy BPers don pilgrim rags and come visit your hometown. Break out the absinthe, the doilies, and hide the good silver because we’re comin’ over for dinner… but not a performance-enhancing dinner. All-natural ingredients and organics only, please. We all get tested regularly, as do the batteries on Nate’s calculator.
We’re kicking off the Baseball Prospectus 2009 tour with our traditional visit to the Yogi Berra Museum in Montclair, New Jersey, the best museum in the country devoted to a squat catcher with a penchant for malapropisms and hitting bad balls into the seats. From there we spread across the country like a hot new fad, signing books and solving local problems, kind of like the Lone Ranger or the guy on “Quantum Leap.” We look forward to seeing you along the trail, because you make it all possible… And also, the trail can get kinda lonely with nobody to talk baseball with.
The dates ‘n’ places:
Date: 3/1/09
Kevin Goldstein, Christina Kahrl, Steven Goldman, Neil deMause, Cliff Corcoran
Time: 2 PM
Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center
Montclair State University
8 Quarry Road
Little Falls, NJ 07424
Date: 3/3/09
Kevin Goldstein, Steven Goldman, Marc Normandin, David Laurila
Time: 7 PM
B&N @ Boston University
660 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02215
Date: 3/10/09
Steven Goldman, Jay Jaffe, Clay Davenport
Time: 7 PM
B&N @ Johns Hopkins University
3330 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
UPDATED: Kevin Goldstein added. Date: 3/12/09
Kevin Goldstein, Steven Goldman, Jay Jaffe, Neil deMause, Cliff Corcoran
I have to protect myself due to the rampant bear problems. Seriously, we would love to go to Canada, but there has to be a call, and a clang, and a clamor. Our publisher actually spins off Canadian jaunts to a separate division from the one that plans the domestic part of our tour, but if a lot of interest is expressed in this here thread, I will see if I can get some corporate diplomacy going. Thanks very much for asking.
Every year we try to get to St. Louis, but for various reasons it hasn't worked out. We're still working on getting there this year. There's nothing we can announce right now, but I'm hoping to have good news on that front in the near future.
Believe me, that's the very argument I made with the publisher, but if no bookstore wants to dance... if we pull off a ballpark event, I know that I'm making the drive down I-55.
Actually, we may have a dance partner and we may have an appearance way before the All-Star game, as a belated part of the tour, but as I said, it's too soon for us to make a definitive comment.
If that venue falls through, you're welcome to make your St. Louis stop at my house. We can throw some brats on the grill, and I'll gross you out with my Jose Oquendo T-shirt jersey.
I believe Jay and I went out to New Haven two years ago, and turnout was good, but moderate. We wouldn't be opposed to coming back, but as I've written before, like vampires we have to be invited. If you want us to come out, individual stores can ask for us. Go to your local store, ask for the community rep (this is actually a real position at Borders and Barnes & Noble) and tell them you would like to see us out there. They may actually look into having us out.
Nate, Dan Fox, and I were at Tattered Cover in LoDo last year... in time for a snow storm. Even so, a number of brave souls ventured forth, and it was a good event, but we like mixing things up a bit, hence Seattle.
Well, for what it's worth, I'll be in DC for the SABR convention at the end of July, and Clay's local... who knows what might come together around then?
What about the Baseball Prospectus-hotbed of Des Moines?? Chicago is a mere 5 hours drive away through scenic Northern Illinois and Eastern Iowa.....maybe you'd catch sight of Blago and Burris on a chain-gang by the side of the road on the way over.
For what it's worth for those of you in Boston, I'll be on the Baseball Analytics panel at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference on March 7. For additional info, you can go to:
As Steven just noted, we just got some good news about St. Louis; details to follow. We also anticipate having something in Florida; again, details to follow.
We'd love to do more in the Midwest, and as you see above, we're all eager to get to St. Louis this year, and it seems increasingly likely that we'll be there quite soon. I won't bore you with the logistics of planning one of these tours, but there are a lot of limitations on what we can do, revolving around time, money, geography, and the interest of local stores in having us in. There are no biases involved here -- we would go to 50 cities if they let us.
It's nice that the West Coast gets one visit (I went to last year's Alameda event, I'm not really complaining, though I'd like to see more out here), but I'd like to put in my vote for a SF or Oakland ballpark event . . .
I know Phoenix blows as a baseball city, but I would love for you to come by for an event. I will bring my cadre of transplanted Cubs fans if you schedule an appearance.
I'll remind everyone of my standing rule: You fly me there, I'll do an event. Simple as that. Get 10 friends together and split the ticket, then charge a couple bucks at the door to make it back. That's how Memphis happened last year.
The New Jersey gigs reflect their being adjacent to New York and the fact that so many of us live in the area--there's little overhead involved for the publisher. We'd very much like to go back to SoCal, but there seems to be a lack of promising venues.
Looks like I'm not the only Cardinals fan in the area.
I'd like to see a book signing in the LA area. For some reason, the BP team never seems to wind up out here. I know several other people who buy the book annually. What would it take on our end to get LA on the city list for book tours?
The World Baseball Classic semis & finals are in LA MArch 23 et seq. Might be a good place to visit baseball fans. Please don't go to Buca Di Beppo Pepos again.
I can't believe there isn't another event in Phoenix this year. Especially considering there were all of 6 people there last year. In my humble opinion, that kind of rabid enthusiasm should be rewarded.
We actually tried to get something there but it didn't work out -- but you're on our radar. Would be nice to get back to my old stomping grounds . . . or at least visit Mom.
You should come to Portland sometime to help give credibility to a potential baseball market. We also have world famous Powell's Books that would have a nice venue to host at.
You just happen to be coming three blocks from my house (BU bookstore on the third) during a time when I have to be on the Bruins beat. No fun, no fun at all.
I'll see you at the B'more stop if you promise to handwrite all the missing MLVr stats into my book. No MLVr? Argh! Okay, I'll still come and ask for a refund.
It's all because I'm still bitter over the extinctification of the Maui Stingrays. In a lifetime of baseball cap/visor ownership, a Stingrays hat or visor remains something of a personal white whale, ranking with the infamous Jason Tyner bobblehead.
Stadium event at PNC Park. Great place to watch a game, good seats are available and the Buccos have a new, seemingly more sabermetric-oriented front office.
Is it worth the effort to contact a local Austin TX bookstore? Would you come to Austin if they asked? Do you have a way of gauging interest from a region?
I can't make any promises, Jay Y., because these things are done in conjunction with the publisher, but if asked we always make an effort to come out. Certainly an invitation makes such a thing more likely to happen, not less likely, either now or in the future. We appreciate your enthusiasm for having us over.
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No love for the north country again....
F- North Country!
Sincerely,
Matt Bush
Who the H- are you, Matt Bush? Never mind, who the f- cares.
- Scoresheetwiz in Canada