A record producer friend once told me that Check Your Head, the Beastie Boys’ 3rd album, was perfectly realized. That’s stuck with me over the years, the idea of being able to achieve something that lives up to your ambition. In a 1978 Playboy Interview, Bob Dylan said: “The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on individual bands in the Blonde on Blonde album. It’s that thin, that wild mercury sound. It’s metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up.”
I thought of this after reading Jeremy Collins’ terrific story on SB Nation, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at Greg Maddux”. As Tom Junod said on Twitter, “Every once in a while, a writer throws everything he’s got into a story. This is one of those stories.”
Sometimes, after I’ve read a good story I feel envious. After reading this piece, though, I felt elevated. It’s clear that Collins spent a long time, years, figuring out how to tell this ambitious, strong and exact story.
It’s worth your time.
[Photo Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images]
I love Professor Mad Dog. Think I'll read this while I'm waiting for my car to be worked on. Thanks for posting!
1) Let us know what you think. It's a good one.
That was pretty amazing. Incredible storytelling and quite a trip down memory lane. I loved watching Maddox, Glavine, and, Smoltz back in the day. I can't imagine suffering the same fate as the author. damn.
wonderful piece. really tragic story. it's amazing how baseball really helps save people in tough times.
i used to go to many Maddux games after i moved to Atlanta. i loved watching him work. Magician, was always the word that came to mind. If you blinked or spoke with your company while he was on the mound you'd miss him pitch. it seemed like every frame was an easy 1-2-3.