World Premiere!
Posted: March 10th, 2009 | Filed under: Media | 79 Comments »
We so rarely get to unveil something on this blog. It’s a shame. It’s so much fun to unveil things. I keep waiting for Ben Folds to launch a world premier video on our little site. I would love to print the first excerpt from Malcolm Gladwell’s of “Outliers II” or Nick Hornby’s new book or something cool like that. I, of course, could not afford to pay for any of these since I still make $0.00 from this blog*. But it would still be cool.
*Though I should update you and say that “Picks of the Week” has already pulled in almost $40 for 826 Valencia. Thank you all. We are going to try and update those on a much more regular basis. It has been hectic lately, to say the least.
Anyway, I do finally get to unveil something. Here is the World Premiere moment:
That is the cover of Sports Illustrated this coming week. And hey, yeah, that’s me on there. My second SI cover … but really my first ACTUAL cover since, let’s be honest, the last time I was sort of a cover afterthought, kind of the gritty utility infielder of the cover. But this baby’s mine. Albert’s looking a little bit resolute on there, isn’t he? Or stalwart? What’s the word?
Big thrill, obviously. For fun, I did a little counting this morning. Sportswriting has taken me to six continents, six Olympics, a dozen Super Bowls, a dozen World Series, a Japan Series, College World Series, Indy 500s, Kentucky Derbies, British Opens, Wimbledons, U.S. Opens, Final Fours, National Championship Games, 17 Masters and every ballpark in baseball (until the new Yankee and Shea Stadiums open). And now a real live SI cover story.
And, yeah, I did think back to he beginning. I’ve told the story a hundred times before, a thousand times, but I don’t know, it just seems right to repeat it today. I went to school to study accounting. I did this because I had no idea what to do. And my mother always wanted an accountant in the family — you know, once she realized that doctor was out of the picture.
And I remember the day, remember it so vividly, when I realized I would not become an accountant. I used to take the city bus to school, and I remember the bus was rolling past a business park. It was a beautiful day, and so there were all these people walking outside, and they were men and women wearing smart suits, sensible haircuts, they were carrying briefcases and satchels and all that. And all at once, it hit me, one of those out of body experiences. I suddenly knew, absolutely knew, that I was not going to become an accountant. You know how you will have those times in your life, those times when for just a few seconds everything will suddenly become clear, it’s like your soul is talking to you. I knew in that instant that I could not be an accountant, I could not be one of these people, with their papers and their numbers and their buildings made of dark tinted glass.
Coincidentally, that was the day I had failed out of accounting.
What to do? I had no idea. I had a typewriter at home — one of the amazing things about kids today is that many of them, the young ones, really have no idea what a typewriter is. Never heard of one. Time marches on. I tell them a typewriter is like a computer and a printer all in one. I banged out letter after letter on that typewriter, to anyone I could think of, to people I admired — to sportswriters, to radio personalities, to television personalities, to sports information directors, to magazine writers, to the guy running the local zoo (well, it sounded kind of fun), to Bob Costas — and I asked for advice, for some sense of what I could do in my life. The sports editor of The Charlotte Observer, Frank Barrows, wrote back. I still have that letter. He offered me a chance to write about a high school game, just to see if I had any knack for it. My job at the time was working for a department store photography studio; I called people up to schedule their “free 5×7 photo shoot.” I didn’t exactly have delusions of grandeur.
And then, it happened fast — I went to that first high school basketball game, I switched majors, I got a job at the college newspaper, I began to string for The Charlotte Observer, I got an internship, then a job as an agate clerk, then a columnist job in Augusta and so on and so on to here, the cover of Sports Illustrated. What can you say? A blur. A beautiful blur.
Loading ...
Congratulations Joe…
You’re the best… 
and we are all the better for that decision, joe. cheers!
and, of course, congrats on the cover!
I believe the next step is for Joe himself to be on the cover of SI! Perhaps he’ll write his own article as well.
Congratulations Joe.
Great news, Joe. ‘Bout time they gave the cover to SI’s best writer.
Congrats
Yay Joe!
Couldn’t happen to a better guy, or a better writer. Looking forward to reading the article.
I once took a typewriter to a high school journalism convention. (In Kansas City, actually.) Now that’s nerdication.
From one almost-accountant to another: Congrats Joe!
Congrats Joe. The only thing that would of made that cover better is if Pujols was wearing blue.
Joe, your typewriter description is classic! I wish I would’ve used that when I took my two kids, 10 and 7, to the museum. They had a typewriter display there. By some strange coincidence, it was in front of the entrance to the dinosaur displays.
Keep writing all your stories (sports topics are optional) on this blog Joe. You’re the best!
good call on getting out of accounting. sitting in my carpeted cell looking at Pooholes makes me want to hurry up for april 6th. go cards.
incidentally, I’m an accountant and I hate my job.
Mazel tov Joe
I am so proud of you! What an accomplishment. I just found a story you wrote in class. Yes, it was done on a typewriter Your stuff was great back then. Great today. Keep out of trouble.
My buddy was in school for Accounting at State while I was in for Engineering. One day near the end of the semester he was looking really bummed and I asked what was wrong. He said he was failing Statics. I said, “No you’re not.” He insisted he was, because he didn’t go to class, or read the book, or do the homework, etc. I said, “You’re not failing Statics. You’re failing Statistics. Statics is an engineering course I’m taking, you’re taking Statistics.” I had to show him the books for both courses to convince him. Good times.
The only thing that would’ve made that cover better would be Albert in the Birds on the Bat. Classic player, classic uniform.
I think I’ll have to go out and buy that issue. First, because I truly do think we can believe in AP. It takes a rare individual to marry someone who has a special needs child. And when it’s a guy who’s in professional baseball, w/the kind of talent that will obviously get him to the Show (and all the “opportunities” there), I think it’s rarer still. And secondly, I’ll have to buy the issue because the cover story is written by my favorite sportswriter. Congratulations. And tell you editors you just made them another $4.95 (or whatever SI runs these days)…
Well done, Joe.
Awesome Joe. Well-done…well-deserved!
Congratulations! (I’m surprised no one has made a SI Swimsuit Cover joke yet, though.)
Joe,you make The Star worth reading. I read in this morning’s Business section that The Star is going to cut payrole again. I hope that doesn’t include you, but if it does, would you promise to let us know if you’re thinking about leaving? Hell, I’ll help start a bake sale to make up the difference between what you used to make and what you will be making. Seriously, maybe we can float a bond issue or something.
“On The Cover Of The Rollin’ Stone”….Well, sort of, only better for us sports junkies!
Congrats, Joe! (Now we see why you couldn’t post much last week.)
Well, looks like you’ve made a decent accounting for yourself anyway…
as an accountant, i find this horribly depressing.
Well, there’s no taste for accounting. Congrats Joe!
First off, congrats!
Second off, my his arms look a lot smaller than they did 5 years ago… you know, when he was juiced on steroids.
Hi, I’m an 18th round draft pick. Hi, I played one year behind the biggest steroid user ever named Mark McGwire, and then over the next few years, I would become the greatest first baseman to ever play (just about), and all this during the STEROID ERA!!! No, not fishy at all…
Hey, I’m a young college student and I love my typewriter. I got it from eBay because I thought it looked cool, and I still occasionally type assignments on it just for fun.
And who said there’s no such thing as karma?
Congrats, Joe. Couldn’t happen to a nicer person — or a better writer!
The elusive moment of clarity…
And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful
Wife
And you may ask yourself-well…how did I get here?
That is a hell of a list of events. Talk about living the dream.
Congrats man, and thanks for giving us the best sports blog on the web for free.
Nothing left to do now but take a gig on ESPN, cash the big checks and start mailing it in.
Oh – and Ben Folds is playing the Crossroads (behind Grinders) on Saturday, May 30th.
Great journey, Joe. Congratulations on this accomplishment.
Of course, the only thing left is to have your book (09/09/09) excerpted in SI. Or be part of the swimsuit edition (preferably as a writer, no offense).
Congrats, and nice work.
Congratulations Joe.
EdB, #32: For the SI Swimsuit gig it might be worth the time to become the loveable photographer type…
Way to go, Joe. Thanks for all of the many words you type for us.
Big Congratulations, Joe. We love your writings, and this cover is much deserved.
Congratulations, Joe. Thanks for giving us the best blog around.
I’ve been reading SI as long as I can remember (the subscription is a standing Christmas gift), but I’ve only saved a handful. This is a surefire keeper. Hopefully, I can get you to autograph it sometime down the line. At a book signing, maybe?
Congrats on the accomplishment. I look forward to reading it.
Mazel tov. Will have to go buy this one for sure.
Congrats Joe! That’s awesome.
I know your blog doesn’t get you any direct monetary cash, but it seems like it helped you get the SI gig (not that you didn’t deserve it in the first place.) It’s also expanded your direct contact to thousands more people that will buy your new book(s).
I failed accounting too, years later I’m a poor, but happy actor. Cheers to showing the way.
Congrats on the cover. All of the readers of this blog from its earliest days are glad to be able to say we knew you before you became big time.
So, when does the SI Baseball Issue come out? That’s honestly my favorite issue each year. Will you have any pieces in that one? Perhaps a preview of the cover?
Ok, speaking about blasts from the past – check out this news story from 1981 about The San Francisco Examiner putting their text on-line. It took over two hours to download (with no comics or photos) and cost about $10. The one guy at The Examiner who said, “we aren’t in it to make money” was more right than he knew.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WCTn4FljUQ
Bravo Joe. Well written, and well earned.
Congrats Joe!
CONGRATS!!!!
Let me say one more time why I love this blog – great writer, and great readers. A grinder’s and talking heads reference all in one.
BTW – you think Pujols has shrunk the last 5 years, you should have seen him in highschool, he is a totally different body type.
Nice work if you can get it, and you can get it if you try…okay, put that in past tense.
Congratulations on the story, the book, and all of it!
P.S. How is your dad doing?
Ahh, typewriters…Grade 9 typing was probably the best, most practical class I took. We used to have one of those old electric typewriters in the basement, and it was so heavy I swear carrying it up the stairs should be incorporated as a skill into the NFL combine.
Years later I was coaching a high school basketball team and one of my players came in late to practice, saying “sorry coach, I had detention from keyboarding”.
I’m like, wtf? Keyboarding? What is that, like music?
And that’s when I realized they didn’t have typewriters anymore…
Why’d the story have to involve a st louis player!!!
YAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!
Congrats though.
Great read Joe. I, unfortunately, am an accountant. Worse yet, I found out I didn’t want to be an accountant after day 1 on the job when the most exciting aspect of my day was picking out which new calculator I wanted to purchase.
Looking forward to reading it, Joe! Congrats!
Mazel Tov from New York Joe! All the best for your dad.
Congratulations, Joe! (This comes from yet another disgruntled accountant… looks like you made the right choice there.)
What happened to Midget Pompadour Elvis??
I read, “Albert Pujols has a massage.”
I’m not surprised.
Congratulations, Joe.
Congrats Joe, you’ve more than earned it.
Congratulations, Joe!
You are the best!
That’s absolutely wonderful! The accounting world’s loss is journalism’s gain. (FYI, I’m one of those people who doesn’t follow sports, even local sports, and I still love your writing.)
You deserve it, Joe. Congrats! And cheers to SI for recognizing and rewarding your talent.
When my eldest siblings left for college, my parents bought them electric typewriters, where I suppose you could see the line before you hit enter. The most worthless gift ever, as computers became cheaper and mainstream shortly after, but unique in the sense that I have seen a typewriter though never used one. I had a Mac Classic upon which I wrote. I also remember the text internet, glorious times.
Congratulations and I always appreciate the helpful inspiration to us young writers aiming to have moments such as this.
I had the same epiphany the day I realized I wasn’t going to be a lawyer. Now I’m a newspaper editor. Great call, eh?
Congrats, Joe! Nicely done.
I still have four or five typewriters but no room to put them up in working order. I hope that when I do there are still people out there who can fix them.
Congrats – we are so happy for you! And I love the story about when you realized you wouldn’t be an accountant.
And you’re one of the best sportswriters out there. I’d never followed you until a K.C. native pointed me to your blog, but I’m a huge fan now. Congrats, Joe.
Joe, hearty congratulations for this accomplishment.
Hey Kevin, just what do you define as the “steroid era”? You say his arms look smaller than “5 years ago.” The current testing regime started at the beginning of 2005. But Pujols set his personal high for HRs in 2006 and had his highest OPS+ in 2008. So what are you saying, again? Some kind of delayed effect?
I believe in Albert Pujols.
Congrats- and not at all surprised. Your pieces are all excellent reads.
I am waiting for you, Vizzini! You told me to go back
to the beginning. So I have.
It seems your trip worked out as well as Segnor Montoya’s, Joe. Congrats on the cover.
Congrats Joe and I really hope that there is no SI cover jinx in store for you.
In my almost 36 years in this life, I have had only one of those moments when it felt like my soul was speaking to me, when everything was perfectly clear. And ironically, it was the day I realized I needed to switch my major from Journalism to Accounting. I suddenly visualized myself struggling my way to a career broadcasting high school football in Texas or something along those lines and got very scared. There is a lot of room in this world for accountants, not so much for the likes of Peter Gammons and Dan Patrick. Maybe I was just a coward? I still obviously love sports but I love my job as well so the story turned out fine.
Saying all that means nothing to anyone else who may read it, but I think it just further proves how great this blog is and how people with very different backgrounds and experiences can be drawn together by someone with such a passion and a gift.
Thanks Joe.
Of course, in the alternate universe where Joe stays with accounting, he ends up with the SEC, pushes his bosses to institute strict oversight on these new things called “mortgage securitization” and “credit default swaps”, and thereby avoids the global worldwide credit meltdown and recession.
I hope you’re happy with your little SI cover, Posnanski…
Congrats Joe, and nice story Mike (#70)
While i am very respectful of your perception of having accomplished something of value …something to be admired, I will suggest that your pride has been misplaced.
Sports Illustrated was, from that first County Stadium issue in august 1954, a creative leader in sports journalism…..Sadly that is no longer the case …….I understand that in your view it is the holy grail of sports writing ……but many before, and even more yet to come will establish themselves as lierary sports icons without ever being published in Mr Luce’s once prescient publication.
Congrats, none the less……your blog is of far greater importance than SI.
I too had one of those soul-speaking moments; my switch was from math education to — yep — journalism. I had been working on the college paper in production since my first weeks as a college student, managed to weasel my way into writing for the sports department on those minor club teams, but was still working my way through the math department and starting to take those stupefying educational courses. It was while typing a paper during Thanksgiving break of my junior year that I realized a) that I hated the thought of teaching; and b) that I could make a living working on a newspaper, even if it was only in production. The very next day I switched my major (my math advisor admonished me for making the switch) and never looked back. My path took me to newspapers, then work for a college, and now book publishing, though in production. I’m glad it worked out for you, and we are all lessons to college students — do what your heart/soul tells you to do.
Congrats Joe!!!
He’s even so modest he didn’t even provide a link to the story. Here it is for those interested.
http://tinyurl.com/bwkjlb
It’s a great article too.
Joe, I read that article last night while making dinner and it was fabulous (both the article and the dinner). It’s rare that sportswriting makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up but your piece on Pujols had at least a half dozen such moments.
This must be almost as big as having one of your blogs included in the US Airways in-flight magazine. They had part of the piece about Joe’s New York umbrella tradition, but the magazine ran out of space and referred readers to this site for the ending.
Well done as always, Joe. Great read about one of the great figures in sports.
A hero, indeed.
I’m late to the party, but congratulations Joe! It puts a huge smile on my face to see someone as talented and decent and humble as you succeed. (Oh, and did I mention talented?)