Daniel Shank Cruz

Books Acquired Recently

The Mennonite Encyclopedia, Volume II: D-H. Scottdale: Herald, 1956.

The Mennonite Encyclopedia, Volume III: I-N. Scottdale: Herald, 1957.

I bought Volumes I, IV, and V of The Mennonite Encyclopedia over a decade ago at a conference at a steep discount ($15.00 apiece when they are normally $85.00) because they each had a few damaged pages. I’ve been meaning to complete my set since then, but there were numerous other book purchases that took priority since admittedly I rarely consult the volumes I had. But they look so pretty on the shelf!

My Mennonite Encyclopedia set, right next to Martyrs Mirror and The Complete Writings of Menno Simons.

I finally decided to complete my set when I received some money from my grandfather’s estate. He was very interested in Mennonite history, thus I think he would appreciate the purchase.

Bought on amazon.com.

Silverman, Matthew. Swinging ’73: Baseball’s Wildest Season. Guilford: Lyons, 2013.

I bought this book from the National Baseball Hall of Fame bookstore during my visit to Cooperstown on Monday. It’s a signed copy. I am intrigued by 1970s pop culture in general and am especially intrigued by the 1973 baseball season because the Mets won the pennant that year, so Silverman’s book caught my eye immediately.

Visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame

Today I visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York for the first time since my eighth birthday. I don’t remember much about the museum itself from that visit, only that I had a milkshake for the first time ever. I loved them immediately and actually had three that day–two chocolate and one chocolate chocolate-chip. I also remember being surprised and disappointed that there were no fast food chains in town because I was wanting to have lunch at McDonald’s and supper at Wendy’s (how said that I had already been trained to assume that these chains were ubiquitous!). There are still no chain restaurants along Cooperstown’s main strip, which now makes me happy.

The "Jumbo Burger" and chocolate milkshake from the Cooperstown Diner. I got a chocolate shake for old times' sake even though now I prefer vanilla when drinking one with a meal. — The “Jumbo Burger” and chocolate milkshake from the Cooperstown Diner. I got a chocolate shake for old times’ sake even though now I prefer vanilla when drinking one with a meal.

Anyway, it was good to get back to see the artifacts. Both Cooperstown and the Hall itself were packed because it is prime tourist season, and I saw many families with children who looked about the age I was on my first visit. It pleases me that the ritual of visiting is one that continues through the generations. Many people were wearing gear from their favorite teams, which was also neat. It gave the town a central meeting-place kind of vibe; we all had our individual allegiances, but ultimately we have our love of the game to unify us. I was planning to buy a new Mets cap, and was happy to find one for only $9.95 at one of the numerous shops selling sports memorabilia.

There are a number of players that I think deserve to be in the Hall of Fame that are not (Mike Piazza, Pete Rose [even if he did bet on baseball], Craig Biggio, Keith Hernandez…), and visiting did not make me change my mind about any of the players that I just mentioned, but reading through the amazing statistical achievements on the plaques of those who are members did make me feel that the Hall should be more exclusive than I’ve wanted it to be in the past.

Me in front of the Hall. I'm wearing my Keith Hernandez shirt because he should be a member. — Me in front of the Hall. I’m wearing my Keith Hernandez shirt because he should be a member.

Here are some of the photographs I took during my visit, most of them Mets-related:

An old Wrigley's gum ad. Who knew that chewing Wrigley's "gives an added firmness--a vigor, to the whole body"? — An old Wrigley’s gum ad. Who knew that chewing Wrigley’s “gives an added firmness–a vigor, to the whole body”?

Tom Seaver's plaque. — Tom Seaver’s plaque.

Nolan Ryan's plaque. Seven no-hitters! Unbelievable. — Nolan Ryan’s plaque. Seven no-hitters! Unbelievable.

Gary Carter's plaque. R.I.P. — Gary Carter’s plaque. R.I.P.

A close-up of Gary Carter's plaque detailing his importance to the 1986 Mets. — A close-up of Gary Carter’s plaque detailing his importance to the 1986 Mets.

Long-time Met broadcaster Bob Murphy's plaque in the broadcaster's wing. — Long-time Met broadcaster Bob Murphy’s plaque in the broadcaster’s wing.

Casey Stengel's retired number from Shea Stadium. — Casey Stengel’s retired number from Shea Stadium.

A portrait of Tom Seaver (as a Red, alas) by Andy Warhol.

A sign celebrating Jesse Orosco's record for games pitched. — A sign celebrating Jesse Orosco’s record for games pitched.

Two members of the Mets current broadcasting team in the baseball card section.

A display celebrating Pete Rose's all-time hits record. At least the Hall acknowledges his existence. — A display celebrating Pete Rose’s all-time hits record. At least the Hall acknowledges his existence.

Taking Myself Out to the Ball Game

Last night I went to my first Utica Brewers game. The Brewers, who are not, to the best of my knowledge, affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers even though their primary logo uses one of Milwaukee’s script logos, play in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat collegiate summer league.

A scene from the game. Note the scout holding the radar gun in the first row.

Another shot of the game. The Utica catcher is wearing his school catching gear rather than gear matching the Brewers' uniforms. — Another shot of the game. The Utica catcher is wearing his school catching gear rather than gear matching the Brewers’ uniforms.

I always enjoy going to games (usually minor league games) in small, intimate stadiums, but I often feel that I can’t really root for any of the teams because they are not affiliated with the Mets, and thus to root for one of them would be an act of disloyalty. Thus it was nice to feel that I could truly “root for the home team” last night.

Aside from the endearing cheapness of the ticket–only $5.00 for a grandstand seat!–one bonus of going to the game was that it was Cap Night. Now I can feel like a true Utican as I wear my Brewers cap around town.

The game itself was a wild one. I bought a program and kept score (see Paul Dickson’s excellent book The Joy of Keeping Score for an explanation of how doing so enhances the baseball-watching experience) even though the program itself inexplicably did not contain a scorecard, only team sheets (this is why I only kept batting statistics). I love how the scorecard (badly drawn on the fly as it may be) graphically illustrates the game’s zaniness.

The away team, Amsterdam, scored eight runs in the second inning, with eight of their first nine batters scoring. They batted around in the fourth inning as well, putting four more runs across the plate. They also had four batters get hit by a pitch, the last one right in the helmet, though thankfully he was uninjured. All of these were clearly as a result of wildness on the pitcher’s part, but nevertheless it showed great restraint that no Utica batters got plunked in retaliation.

Amsterdam’s early offensive explosions put the game out of reach, but the Utica nine were no slouches at the plate, either. They sent nine men to the plate in the fourth inning, and scored seven runs on seven hits, which most nights would be enough for victory. Alas, when the starting pitcher only goes 1.1 innings and allows eight runs it is difficult to win. It is also unusual to see a team score seven runs while also accumulating fifteen strikeouts. Amsterdam pitchers struck out the side in the eighth and ninth innings.

Books Acquired Recently: Last Names Beginning With K Edition

Keogh, Theodora. The Other Girl. 1962. N.P.: Olympia, 2009.

I read a number of Keogh’s books last summer and have been wanting to read more of them, but hadn’t had the time. I plan to rectify that this summer.

Klosterman, Chuck. I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling With Villains (Real and Imagined). New York: Scribner, 2013.

Klosterman is one of my favorite writers because he thinks in ways that I have never encountered before about a wide range of subjects, including sports and all facets of pop culture. He’s one of the few authors whose books I buy automatically whether they sound interesting to me or not because they inevitably are, and this one sounds quite fascinating. Klosterman writes essays considering a long list of villains, mostly men. Some of the ones I am most excited to read are those on Nancy Botwin (from Weeds), Michael Stipe, Ice Cube, Al Davis, Darth Vader, and Patrick Bateman (from Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho). You can read an excerpt from the book here.

Both books bought on amazon.com.

Book Acquired Recently: Lynnette Dueck’s sing me no more

Dueck, Lynnette. sing me no more. Vancouver: Press Gang, 1992.

This is the final one of Dueck’s books that I’ve been acquiring over the past month, and the only one published under her real name rather than her pen name, Lynnette D’anna. It is also the first book I have acquired since moving to Utica, New York last week, and thus it has a special significance. Although it’s kept me from blogging the past few weeks, the move has been a smooth one. All of my bookcases are in place and I hope to have all of my books organized and shelved by the end of the week!

Book Acquired Recently: Eileen R. Kinch’s Gathering the Silence

Kinch, Eileen R. Gathering the Silence. Georgetown: Finishing Line, 2013.

I know I said in my previous post that I was done acquiring books until after my move, but this book arrived as a surprise from my sister in the mail today. Kinch is a friend of ours, and I knew that she writes poetry, but did not realize that she had a book coming out. The only thing better than receiving an unexpected package in the mail is receiving an unexpected package containing books in the mail! I am very excited to read it. Julia Spicher Kasdorf blurbed it, which is impressive.

And Now for Something Completely Different: Books Acquired Recently

D’anna, Lynnette. RagTimeBone. Vancouver: New Star, 1994.

This is yet another of D’anna’s books that have been trickling in over the past few weeks. I am waiting until they all arrive to begin reading them. Summer is a great time for reading a writer’s oeuvre straight through because of the extra time off. I used to spend extended periods of time with authors (Chaim Potok, Philip Roth, Samuel R. Delany, and Louise Erdrich, to name a few) a lot, but, with the exception of a brief Theodora Keogh phase last summer, my reading over the past two years has been rather piecemeal. I’m looking forward to re-encountering the luxurious feeling of being enveloped in a writer’s voice for several weeks on end.

Hill, Lawrence. Someone Knows My Name. New York: Norton, 2007.

A colleague told me about this book recently. It’s a neo-slave narrative told from a Canadian perspective, which should be fascinating.

Both books bought via amazon.com’s network of booksellers. These are the last two books I will acquire before I move to New York next week. I pity the movers having to carry all of my books and bookcases!

Books Acquired Recently

Acker, Kathy. Bodies of Work. London: Serpent’s Tail, 1997.

—. Don Quixote. New York: Grove, 1986.

I love Kathy Acker, and have been meaning to read Don Quixote for quite a while now. I picked up Bodies of Work, a collection of her non-fiction, because it was only a dollar. It is in terrible shape; large chunks of pages are falling out, but all of the pages are there, so I’ll get the book re-bound. Normally I don’t buy books in bad condition, but I made an exception in this case because I love how Acker’s mind works.

These along with the Baldwin and Everett were purchased at Ken Sanders Rare Books.

Baldwin, James. Just Above My Head. 1979. New York: Dell, 1980.

Baldwin is one of my favorite authors, and I’ve been getting into his later fiction more recently. I actually ordered this book several months ago, but it was out of stock, so it was nice to find a copy while browsing in person.

Everett, Percival. I Am Not Sidney Poitier. Minneapolis: Graywolf, 2009.

I also really enjoy Everett’s work, and I Am Not Sidney Poitier is one of his well-known books, so I am excited to read it. I am moving across the country in a week, thus I decided when I went to Ken Sanders this afternoon that I would only look for books by Acker, Baldwin, and Everett instead of browsing indiscriminately because I already have a lot to pack as it is. But my search for work by these authors was successful in all three cases!

Incidentally, I met Sidney Poitier when I was seven at the Los Angeles airport. I got his autograph (which hung on the wall of my bedroom for years, though I sadly no longer have it), and my mother got her picture taken with him. He was very gracious about being stopped by his fans.

Penner, Christina. Widows of Hamilton House. Winnipeg: Enfield, 2008.

This book was recently recommended to me by a friend who knows about my interest in Mennonite literature. It’s a gothic mystery, which is not a subject I normally read, but it should be fascinating because of the Mennonite elements.

This and D’anna’s two books were purchased from amazon.com’s network of sellers.

D’anna, Lynnette. Belly Fruit. Vancouver: New Star, 2000.

—. vixen. Toronto: Insomniac, 2001.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I recently ordered a bunch of D’anna’s books because she is the rare Mennonite writer who writes openly about sex. Both of these books have tacky titillating covers, so we’ll see whether the stories live up to their billing.

Thoughts on the U.S.A.-Honduras Match

I attended the U.S.A.-Honduras World Cup qualifier in Sandy, Utah last night. Although I’ve been a dedicated soccer fan for over twenty years, this was my first opportunity to attend a professional match, and it was a fantastic experience! I will attend another one as soon as possible. Here are some thoughts and observations about the night.

Even though Rio Tinto Stadium only holds 20,000 people (last night was a sellout, with 20,250 attending), it was extremely loud throughout the match. I loved this atmosphere, which doesn’t always come across when watching on television. There were four people two rows behind me yelling insults at Honduras in Spanish the entire match, which was fantastic. There were several rousing “U! S! A!” chants throughout the evening as well.

While Rio Tinto offers beautiful views of the surrounding mountains, the second deck where I was sitting (the only one, which is a bit unusual) faces west, thus the sun was in my eyes the entire match. It would make much more sense to have this section facing east.

When Jozy Altidore’s goal was called offside midway during the second half, the scoreboard did not show the replay, protecting the referee and linesman, but when Altidore scored the match-winning goal later on the scoreboard did show the replay. The stadium exploded when the ball went in the net, constant noise for about a minute. I was jumping up and down and screaming–the adrenaline just took over.

It was refreshing to be able to see the entire field and what all twenty-two players were doing at once rather than having my view limited by what the television producers chose to show. It becomes much clearer just how much of a team game soccer is. Similarly, the field feels much smaller live than it does on television.

Overall, it was a good result for the U.S., and a fair one based on the flow of the game. They lead the Hexagonal with thirteen points after six matches. Their next two matches are difficult ones, away to Costa Rica and home to Mexico, and while they have a good chance of taking all six points from those fixtures if they keep playing at their current level, realistically they could lose those two matches and still qualify for the World Cup because their final two matches are Jamaica at home and Panama away.

Here are a few photographs that I took at the match with my iPhone:

The two teams coming out onto the pitch at the beginning of the match.

Second half action with the Oquirrh mountains in the background.

One side of the commemorative scarf that was handed out at the match.

The other side of the commemorative scarf.

My Latest Book Review

I just had a book review of Penelope Scambly Schott’s Lillie was a goddess, Lillie was a whore published in Your Impossible Voice, a new online literary journal. The first issue won’t officially be up until August, but the site is already publishing a few pieces as teasers. It looks like it will be an excellent venue for the discussion of contemporary literature, and I am thrilled to be involved!