Zen Seven Skateboards

“Personality goes a long way with everything ,” says Micah Weber when explaining his early successes as a small business owner. Still, the importance of talent and hard work doesn’t seem lost on him either.

In July the 29-year-old Tonawanda resident with a desk job at Ingram Micro decided to take his two talents, skateboarding and photography, and start his own business: Zen Seven Skateboarding.

“This year I really got back into skateboarding again,” Weber said. “So that’s when I decided to go for it. I started designing, started getting contacts, finding distributors and partnering with people that already do it.”

By using photographs he’d taken himself, Weber designed a pair of skateboards and started selling them locally. He says his photography has helped him quickly gain a following online and generate some interest in the boards he designs.

“I’ve had my photography website for the last five years,” he said. “A lot of that fanbase has transferred over because they see this new project that I’ve been doing, so it’s a really nice transition.”

Micah has used that online presense to his advantage early on. He set up a website, a Twitter account, Facebook page, and even an online store. Still, Weber says the most important part is meeting people face to face at local skateparks. “Social networking has done a lot of the business for me,” he said. “But I like actually going there and skating with people, people seeing the board, people seeing the shirt, and being able to talk.”

By talking with local skaters, Weber says he has been able to get people excited about the company and his designs. That communication has even resulted in a local skate shop, Phatman, carrying his boards. After meeting a friend of Phatman’s owner, Weber got the chance to pitch his idea to the store.

“I typed up a business proposal and I met with him,” Weber said of the meeting. “He liked everything he saw, saw a lot of potential in what it could be and it went from there.”

Weber currently has two designs for sale, with plans for a third design ready by the new year. His first design, a picture of an gas mask on a basketball court, came from a series of photos from his website. Micah says his second design, a Zen Seven logo money clip holding a hundred dollar bill, has been well received.

“People really love that design,” he says, noting that he thinks it will be more popular than the first. He sold out of his first design but is happier with how the second one turned out.

Weber says he was nervous about the quality of the boards and if people would like the ride, but the response has been good. Made by a company in Arizona, Weber said the boards are Canadian maple and the photos have translated well on the boards, which have attracted a lot of interest overseas.

“I guess boards overseas are really expensive, and I’m able to sell them at a cheap price,” he said, noting that he recently shipped boards to Ireland and Switzerland. People have purchased boards not only to ride, but to display at home or even in the office.

Still, Weber’s work is meant for the kids who have been so enthusiastic about his work. He said an order of Zen Seven tee shirts sold out in just over a day, and he’s even sponsored one rider, Shayne Witmer.

“He’s the type of kid that other kids will stop and watch,” he says of Witmer. “So I just throw him free boards and people see what he’s riding, then they buy them. It’s continuous.”

Weber says he is extremely happy with the growth he’s seen over the last few months, but he’s only looking up.

“People really dig the idea so I just want it to grow,” he said of the future. “Locally it’s starting, but I don’t want to stop there.”

Glascott: Leadership, Respect and Accountability

If you ask people what Captain John Glascott’s best quality is, many would say it’s that “he’s not Tim Howard.”

Much of the debate surrounding this year’s Erie County Sheriff election has revolved around the struggles of Howard’s current administration, and as election day nears Glascott wants voters to not only know what changes need to be made within the department, but why he’s the right man to make them.

“What people need to know about me personally is that I consider myself a law enforcement professional,” Captain Glascott said in an interview on Wednesday. “I believe in holding myself up to a high standard of professionalism.”

Glascott career in law enforcement began when he was 20 years old at the New York State Corrections Academy. Upon graduating he became a corrections officer at Attica from 1973-78 before leaving to become an officer in the Cheektowaga Police Department.

Glascott worked the midnight shift in the accident investigation and traffic departments. He did DWI enforcement, radar, and accident investigation at what was a busy time for the city.

“At the time the drinking age was 18, It was a really interesting time to be a policeman in the town of Cheektowaga,” he said.

From there Glascott became an FTO officer, then Sargent. As he worked his way up the department hierarchy, Glascott began to take a bigger role in leadership. He was in charge of officer training for four years, during a time where 33 new officers were hired in the department.

When Glascott became lieutenant he continued to teach in a variety of ways. Not only did he develop a biased policing class, he taught classes on pepper spray and instructor development, eventually becoming a New York State Master Instructor. He was then sent to the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

Described as a “master’s course in policing,” the Academy selects the top 250 law enforcement officers in the world for extensive training. Glascott said the training was invaluable in grasping the finer points of policing. Glascott’s current role, Captain of Administraton for the Cheektowaga Police Department, has also given him a good understanding of leadership within an organization.

When Captain Glascott spoke of the Erie County Sheriff’s Department, transparency was what often came to mind. Glascott said an important aspect of an orginization is openess and a willingness to communicate, something he says has been missing from the department for some time.

Glascott says he two biggest roles the department has in the county are the jails and road patrols, both areas of concern for the Howard-led Sheriff’s office.

“What’s 80 percent of your budget?” Glascott asks. “It’s those jails.” He says the biggest concern about the jails, most notably the Erie County Holding Center in Buffalo, is that people don’t want to openly discuss the problems they have.

“It’s not the sexy part of policing,” he continues. “It’s not the sexy part of the criminal justice system. Jails are kind of like the ugly stepsister in the criminal justice system. Once people are there nobody wants to know anything. Well, if you wanna keep up that attitude, you’re going to pay the price.”

Glascott’s critics argue his call for transparency amounts to rolling over for officials who have been unable to investigate the situation in the Holding Center, but Glascott stressed an overhaul in the system is clearly necessary.

“I’m not a politician,” Glascott said when asked of his motives. “I’ve never run for office before, and I can count on one hand the number of political fundraisers I’ve ever attended. What they need to know is that I want to go in there and professionalize the orginzation and move it in the right direction.”

Another notable area for the department is their road patrols throughout the county. The department recently lost their road patrol accreditation, something the Captain views as a telling sign of atrophy in the department.

“You also need to address things that the county has felt it needs to provide,” he said. “Things such as the helecopters, the bomb squads, the marine patrols… and the road patrols out in Clarence and Gowanda and Elma.” Glascott noted that the county’s narcotics unit “used to be the best” and he’d like to take strides to improve that as well.

One thing Glascott noted was that public funding is necessary to fix these problems, even with a tight budget.

“If we’re going to provide these things the public has to be willing to provide those resources to do it right,” he said.

Glascott said those resources would be used to reshape the department for the better, something that hasn’t happened under the Department’s previous leadership.

“Sheriff Howard has been there for 12 years, he said. “Nothing, nothing has improved. There has not been notable improvement anywhere in those twelve years. There’s been notable slippage. We need to turn that around, and I plan on doing that.

Spotlight Buffalo: Heart of the City, Inc.

On a single street in Buffalo, two opposite ends of the spectrum sit side by side.

On the left is what amounts to a brand new house, an eco-friendly, well-landscaped home ready for occupation with no repairs necessary. On the right, a city-owned vacant lot on which a home used to sit.

The difference between the two lots is what Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc. is all about. Since 1998 the not-for-profit Community Development Agency has worked on Buffalo’s lower West Side, strategically purchasing vacant properties and renovating them with the help of grants.

The homes are gutted and completely refurbished with new plumbing, electric, and landscaping work. Heart of the City attempts to make the residences eco-friendly as well, with rainwater collected for watering plants and brand new insulation. Homes are then sold to eligible first-time homeowners at a greatly discounted rate.

The goal for Heart of the City is to not only address the vacancy issues in the West Side, but to stabilize neighborhoods as well.

“When you buy a property from us you have to stay in the property for a series of years, for maybe 5-10 years,” said Stephanie J. Simeon, executive director of Heart of the City, Inc. “That stabilizes a neighborhood with one family.”

Heart of the City also forms a block club whenever they move to a different street, a “signature” project of theirs that helps to further tie neighborhoods together.

“Once we are done with our development we still have vested community members who stick around and still have the same interests,” she said. “They want to finish what we started.”

Simeon noted that their investment in a neighborhood often forces others to invest their own time and money to fix their own properties. Having a brand new home on your block is good for property value, but it also may make the paint on your own home seem a bit faded.

“No one wants to have the worst house on the street,” she said with a laugh.

Heart of the City’s latest project, 263 Hudson, offers a unique look at what they do differently than the City of Buffalo when it comes to the vacancy issues in the city. While the city-owned lot next door lies empty, Heart of the City has a brand new home ready to house a family for the long-term. Heart of the City wasn’t able to purchase the lot next door, but was told the new owner of 263 Hudson can buy the property in the future.

Simeon feels a strength of HOTC is their ability to look past cosmetic issues with houses and take risks most purchasers are unwilling to. They’ve pulled three homes off the city’s demolition list, homes that are far from lost causes.

“We’re not just looking at (building) code,” Simeon said. “We’re looking at how can this greatly change the quality of life for the other residents on the street by taking this vacant home, gutting it, and putting a new family into it.”

Future projects for HOTC include three adjacent properties on Hudson, where they plan to build two townhouses. They’d also like to move off Hudson Street to Whitney Place, where there are six vacancies between Hudson and Virginia to pursue.

Their goal is to continue working off the same streets to further stabilize the community. By keeping their efforts centralized, Simeon says it will “show the community that we are a dedicated developer.”

2009 has been a big year for the not-for-profit, which has been able to secure a number of grants with their hard-working staff of just three. They plan to add more staff in anticipation of their new projects, but their successes with so little is very impressive.

“I’ve been really pleased at the way we’ve been able to expand what we do,” said Jessica Keltz, vice president and Board of Trustees member. “Most of us give the credit to Stephanie.”

New Season, Same Dramatics

By Chris

Naturally, it had to come down to the last play.

Like so many games from the 2008 season, the UB football team’s 2009 season opener last night took until the final play to decide. A Hail Mary pass by UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittato floated up near the goal line and was batted down by junior corner Sherrod Lott as time expired in the fourth quarter.

This was two downs after UTEP had seemingly tied the game at 23 when Vittato’s 21-yard touchdown pass to James Thomas was negated by a holding penalty. An excessive celebration penalty on the non-touchdown pushed the Miners back another 10 yards. Vittato sandwiched this nail-biting play and the final toss with a half-hearted and ridiculously short incompletion.

The down-to-the-wire, 23-17 victory is certainly something anyone who has watched UB football the last two seasons has grown accustomed to. Last season, the fans of Turner Gill’s team saw their fair share of overtimes and exciting finales.

The Bulls didn’t seem to miss a beat last night.

The most likable and exciting football team in Western New York survived their first game with a new starting quarterback and new starting running back.

Sophomore Zach Maynard threw for 159 yards and a touchdown in his first career start and it’s tough to ask for much more in his debut. He looked a bit shaky early, but settled in nicely. He forced a few throws but hopefully, the more he plays, the better adjusted he will become.

Junior Brandon Thermilus, whom CBS College Sports’ color analyst Akbar Gbaja-Biamila called “Thurman Thomilus,” did his job filling in for James Starks, rushing for 79 yards and a touchdown. Senior Mario Henry added 55 yards and a touchdown of his own. They weren’t spectacular but held their own and showed that the UB run game will still be effective without its all-time leading rusher.

The wide receiving corps, led by seniors Naaman Roosevelt and Brett Hamlin, didn’t drop balls and gave Maynard the chance to succeed. It appears as if redshirt-sophomore Terrell Jackson has stepped up as the third receiver as he was the only other wideout besides Roosevelt and the sure-handed Hamlin to catch a pass.

As the Bulls opened the second half, Maynard threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Roosevelt, giving UB a 23-7 lead. Maynard’s first collegiate score also gave Roosevelt sole possession of the school’s all-time touchdown record with 20.

The UB defense bent, but didn’t break, much like they how they performed last year. Junior linebacker Justin Winters led the Bulls with eight tackles and a sack.

Freshman linebacker Darius Willis earned most of the playing time on the right side after starter Imani Chatman was ruled academically ineligible for the season. Willis did not register a tackle in the game but is expected now to play a larger role in Fred Reed’s defensive scheme.

The Bulls’ next game on Saturday will certainly be the place to be on. Pittsburgh comes to town, hot off a 38-3 trouncing of Youngstown State. Dion Lewis rushed for 129 yards and scored three touchdowns in his first college start for the Panthers. Last season, Pittsburgh defeated UB 27-16 behind LeSean McCoy’s 93-yard, three-touchdown performance.

They’ve certainly got their work cut out for them. If nothing else, it should be exciting.

In Omon We Trust

By Chris

Today the Buffalo Bills cut third-string running back Dominic Rhodes to free up some cap space.

From the Buffalo News:

But money, not performance, may have been the biggest factor in Rhodes’ release. The move saves the Bills more than $2 million.

He was due to make base salaries of $750,000 this year and $1.25 million in 2010 as part of a two-year contract, which included a $200,000 signing bonus.

The Bills also avoid paying Rhodes a $150,000 roster bonus, which he would have gotten had he made the team.

So if the Bills didn’t want to pay Rhodes that kind of money, why sign him to that contract in the first place?

Rhodes barely played in the preseason (his highlight was really muffing a punt in the Bears game) and perhaps Xavier Omon’s stellar campaign made it easier for the Bills to part ways.

Omon should see a lot more action the first three weeks of the season as Fred Jackson’s backup as Marshawn Lynch serves his three-game suspension.

The Bills’ final 53-man roster must be submitted to the league by 6 p.m. tonight.

Yesterday, Ko Simpson was traded to the Detroit for an undisclosed 2010 draft pick. It’s a miracle the Bills received anything for the disgruntled safety who was infamously arrested early in the off-season, apparently because the police didn’t know who he was and how much he was apparently worth.

UPDATE: The Buffalo Bills announced these cuts to get their roster down to 53 players.
QB Matt Baker
LB Alvin Bowen
DE Copeland Bryan
OL Kirk Chambers
TE Tyson DeVree
LB John DiGiorgio
DE Ataefiok Atukeren
G Christian Gaddis
RB Bruce Hall
DB Cary Harris
WR C.J. Hawthorne
OT Nick Hennessey
WR Felton Huggins
DT Derrick Jones
DT Corey Mace
LB Ryan Manalac
RB Dominic Rhodes
OL Brandon Rodd
TE Jonathan Stupar

Pacman Wants Some Buffalove

By Chris

Adam “Pacman” Jones almost had a job to make it snow with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.

The often-in-trouble cornerback was released by the Dallas Cowboys and was reportedly close to signing with the Bombers until the team changed its mind.

Winnipeg’s interest in Pacman did allow for this gem of an interview to happen:

Jones also talks about his desire to get back to the NFL, saying he’d like to play in Buffalo but not Tennessee.

“I wouldn’t mind for it to be the Titans, but I doubt it. Buffalo, that’s where it’s at baby.”

He said he has a clause in his contract with the Blue Bombers that will allow him to leave if an NFL team comes calling.

“I actually got two calls today, so if they tell me tomorrow that Pacman’s back, that would be a bummer for Winnipeg fans. At least I’d like come out and play one game.”

Jones talks about his preference to wear the number 9, 2 or 5. Later he says he wouldn’t mind 21, which is the number he wore with the Dallas Cowboys.

He also talks about the weather.

“They told me it’s cold as hell. Is it colder than Buffalo?” he asks a fan. “If it ain’t colder than Buffalo then I’ll be alright. Pain is only temporary.”

Who knew Buffalo was “where it’s at?”

UB Begins Title Defense Tonight

By Chris

Tommy Tutone. Norman Greenbaum. Chumbawamba.

The University at Buffalo football team hopes they will not join that list of one-hit wonders as they begin their defense of the Mid-American Conference title tonight against UTEP.

A lot has changed for coach Turner Gill’s squad since they opened their historic 2008 season against the Miners. The Bulls went on to win a school-record nine games and, in addition to winning the MAC championship, earned their first bowl invitation since 1958.

UB returns 14 starters from last year’s team, but it’s going to take a lot of work if they want to taste that kind of success again.

New coordinators on both offense and defense add to the intrigue. Gill has turned the offensive playcalling over to former quarterbacks coach Danny Barrett and, after firing longtime friend Jimmy Williams, promoted defensive backs coach Fred Reed to defensive coordinator.

Barrett’s biggest challenge may very well start with sophomore Zach Maynard, who will make his first start under center tonight. He replaces the most prolific quarterback in the program’s history, Drew Willy. Maynard is much more mobile than Willy ever was, but is without two important factors: experience and a reliable run game.

With senior running back James Starks recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery, junior Brandon Thermilus will be handed a bulk of the carries. He rushed for 454 yards last season, averaging 4.5 yards per carry with seven touchdowns. Four of those seven scores came in the first three weeks of the season in short yardage situations.

Thermilus’ production dropped off significantly in the final six games, carrying the ball 22 times for 111 yards with no touchdowns. In all fairness, it was tough to take the ball out of Starks’ hands as he set UB’s single-season rushing record.

Thermilus will be joined in the backfield by senior Mario Henry, who has been inconsistent since injuring himself during a successful 2007 season complementing Starks.

In the 2.5 games Starks missed last season with a hip injury, Thermilus and Henry combined for 264 yards and two touchdowns.

It will be interesting to see how a questionable rushing attack affects senior wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt’s production.

Turnovers were key to the team’s success last season and the Bulls return nearly their entire secondary from a year ago. Led by safeties Mike Newton and Davonte Shannon, Gill has said that this might be the best defense he’s had in his four seasons at UB.

They had problems stopping the run, most obviously in losses Pittsburgh, Missouri and UConn. Keep an eye out for anyone on the defensive line that steps up over the next few weeks, especially with senior tackle Dane Robinson suspended by the team for two games for disciplinary reasons. Redshirt-freshman defensive end Steven Means could very well be the team’s breakout player this year.

When the Buffalo took on the Miners’ spread offense last year at UB Stadium, they walked away with a 42-17 victory. The Bulls will look to recapture that magic in El Paso at 9 p.m. tonight.

Schonert Out, AVP In

By Chris

If Tampa Bay and Kansas City can do it, why not the Bills?

Following a trend popularized by the Bucs and the Chiefs this week, Buffalo has fired their offensive coordinator 10 days before the start of the regular season.

To say Turk Schonert was on the hot seat is an understatement as the Bills have failed miserably to find the end zone since their 5-1 start last season.

Alex Van Pelt is set to replace Schonert and has never called a play in his life.

Bill Belichick must be licking his lips right now.

Checklists and Jesus, Ect.

by Ryan

At this point in the Bisons’ season, what I keep coming back to is this: just how much do these games matter?

After tonight’s 8-6 loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Bisons are now 54-83 and a downright depressing 28-42 at home. The year-end awards have been given out, the ThruWay Cup awarded, and almost everyone who will see the majors this year has been called up. There is nothing left to play for but, as they say in the movies, pride.

So why am I here, watching a bad team play meaningless baseball? What’s left to watch other than quick innings filled with indifferent players barely taking the bat off their shoulders? Are the individual goals of interchangable players really worth watching? More importantly, does a fan care if a guy’s batting average reads .300 or .297 in next year’s media guide?

Regardless of fan interest, Jesus Feliciano’s batting average matters. The past two seasons Feliciano has hit well over .300 at the AAA level. After Tuesday night’s 1 for 4 performance, he sits at exactly .300 for the season.

It’s may be an arbitrary number, but it’s one that holds huge significance for a player looking to crack a major league roster for the first time.

“My job is to do my job on the field,” Feliciano said when asked about a possible September callup. “I can’t control anything off the field.”

With just five games left in the season, Jesus leads the Bisons with 143 hits and needs a few more to lock up his .300. His leadoff single in the ninth was big, but he has struggled as of late; going just 3 for 18 in his last four games. Feliciano admitted that he might be pressing a bit.

“Right now I feel I’m trying too much,” he said.

Still, it’s hard not to squeeze the bat just a bit more when his future is at stake. A third straight season batting over .300 might mean another year in the Mets’ system, and perhaps finally breaking through to the majors.

Despite being left in AAA the last few seasons, Jesus said he has enjoyed his time with the ‘Amazins. Having spent the last three years with Bisons manager Ken Oberkfell, he seemed unsure if a change of scenery would benefit him.

“I’d rather be in a place that people like me than going to another place where you never know what can happen,” Feliciano said.

 — 

Batting averages aside, the reason I’m still going to baseball games is pretty clear: I love baseball. On Monday I got to see Tobi Stoner throw a complete game five-hitter. He’s another guy slowly climbing the minor league ranks, and a strong finish to 2009 could carry into next year and make a world of difference. His 6-7 record and 3.93 ERA on the year hides the fact that his last four starts have been nearly flawless.

Tuesday night was a bit different and much rarer: a triple play. I’ve never seen one in any game at all, let alone live. It’s hard to describe, but watching that happen and hearing the crowd get excited really leaves a buzz that doesn’t dissipate for quite some time.

In fact, what was so special about it for me was that I wasn’t in the press box for it. All season I watched every inning behind glass windows and under relative silence. Press box chatter simply doesn’t replace the sound of a crowd, the crack of the bat, and the organ music you come to expect at the ballpark.

So after the second inning I decided to take my scorecard and hit the seats for a bit. I was along the third base line when Reyes turned the triple play, and the roar from the crowd was something I won’t forget for some time. The immediacy of a triple play is something special; it’s not often you expect one to happen and they develop so quickly that it makes a night something truly special.

There are stories and angles to every game, but I think what I’ve realized as this season comes to a close is that everything is arbitrary. Some fans care if Feliciano gets his .300, or if he and Stoner ever see the majors. Others want to cross “seeing a triple play” off their Baseball To Do List, and rightfully so.

However, those are not the only reasons to see a “meaningless” baseball game. For some, it’s just the chance to see baseball at all. Despite all the losses and awful games I’ve seen this year, I kept coming back because it’s baseball. You never know what can happen at the ballpark. For every rain delay and six-run loss was a pitching gem or great defensive play I was happy I stayed around for.

The score might not count, but I think we all have different checklists to cross off.

Reading With the Roost: The Bad Guys Won

by Ryan

This wasn’t on the original “Reading With the Roost” list, but it should have been. What it was on: the clearance rack at Barnes and Noble, and at $4.98 I couldn’t pass it up. So while on vacation I cracked it open, and it was read by the next morning.

Needless to say, I was pretty blown away by Jeff Pearlman’s book. I had seen his name shot through the blogosphere a few times here and there (mostly for his Cowboys book, which apparently is now out in paperback…) but I had never really given any thought to his work. What makes Pearlman’s work so excellent is the basis for his book.

The ‘86 Mets were his team when he was growing up, and so they clearly meant a lot to him. The basic premise of this book, however, is to expose just what that Mets team was all about. As we know now, what made up the Gooden/Strawberry/Hernandez Mets back then could make a ten-year-old’s little head explode. For as much as the book is about the team that won the World Series, I think it’s about a loss of innocence in a way. It’s only talked about briefly, but Pearlman often alludes to the concept of a baseball fan losing the illusion that baseball teams are all play and no trouble.

When you write about the “real” story of anything, what is often revealed isn’t too flattering. What Pearlman seems to reveal is that our childhood illusions of what baseball “is” don’t match up to what makes a winner, or any team for that matter. The 86′ Mets, were the team for millions of little boys, but two decades removed the reality that the rest of baseball knew is clear.

The reality is that the Mets were a world of trouble back then, and also that in many ways they were perfect because of it. It’s an interesting concept to consider, as is the question that many Mets fans are left with: why wasn’t that team a dynasty? Here’s the team’s assembly and disassembly as a visual aide, thanks to Flop Flop Fly Ball.

I’m not going to get too far into it, but it’s a pretty interesting chart to say the least. For a team that absolutely dominated in 1986, things fell apart pretty quickly and have stayed mostly in ruin for some time. There have been some moments of success, but the Mets have never come close to having a team like they did in 1986. Pearlman only focuses on this at the book’s conclusion, but the reason is pretty obvious: fear. Mets ownership and management was afraid of potential (no, real) problems on the roster and didn’t know what would happen next season. So they made changes and things were never the same.

It’s something that I lack proper prospective on because of my age, but in some ways that is what makes the book so interesting to me. As a Red Sox fan what I know about the 1986 season (especially the World Series) is entirely based on a Red Sox point of view. I know about Bucky Dent and the Boston managerial mistakes from books and documentaries and word of mouth, but none of that has ever been presented from the Shea Stadium perspective. It certainly doesn’t help me feel any better about the result, but Pearlman does a great job to offer a different, more rational take on an event so many baseball fans already have preconceived notions of.

When you really think about it, that’s what great sports books are supposed to do. Pearlman has a very engaging writing style that keeps you interested, all while retelling the story of one of baseball’s great teams. There are also plenty of tidbits that most people will forget about a team like that: the role players and mathematical nuances of manager Davey Johnson, the assembly and destruction of a potential dynasty by Frank Cashen, and the truth about a crazy rumor involvingKevin Mitchell, a cat, and Jim Rome.

For being a fairly large book, “The Bad Guys Won” was a very quick, rewarding read that surprised me in a lot of ways. It’s not as groundbreaking philophocally as some other books we have talked about, but it’s a great story worth knowing, and told by a superb writer. If you can still get it cheap, I’d give it a try before the summer officially turns to fall.