Dreams

Posted: September 23rd, 2009 | Filed under: Media | 46 Comments »

This has been a crazy good year. I wrote my first Sports Illustrated cover story, then my second. I wrote a book. I got an unsolicited and autographed Zooey Deschanel CD in the mail. I was hired by Sports Illustrated. I got my very own Snuggie in the mail, a gift that I tentatively plan to wear Tuesday night at my book signing*. I got an iPhone. I got a driveway basketball goal that I can raise and lower. I got to see Springsteen again.

*I could still chicken out.

So, yes, my cup runneth over. But one more incredible thing has happened.

The Machine debuted at No. 17 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Yes, that’s right. So Thursday, at 1 p.m. Eastern, when I do my anticipated Deadspin chat, the various commenters won’t be ripping the author of The Machine. No. They will be ripping the New York Times best-selling author of The Machine. That makes all the difference.

46 Comments on “Dreams”

  1. 1: Kyle said at 7:47 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Congrats. Keep this up and you may be the Baby Jesus of 70s era World Series Champion retrospectives.

  2. 2: Brad K said at 7:49 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Awesome Joe. Congratulations, great year for you, and for your readers.

  3. 3: bryan said at 7:51 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Well deserved, Joe. Congrats.

  4. 4: StringerBell said at 7:55 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Congratulations Joe. You certainly deserve it.

  5. 5: BillSee said at 7:56 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Congrats, Joe, and please do wear the Snuggie. Wear it with pride!

  6. 6: Alex Poterack said at 7:57 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    I’ll echo the congrats, as they *are* much deserved, but I can’t let the other bombshell in there go unmentioned:

    Does Zooey Deschanel read this site? Does she read the comments? Hi Zooey.

  7. 7: DAK said at 7:58 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Zooey….very nice.

  8. 8: Alex Poterack said at 8:00 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Okay, nevermind, found the original blog post describing the Zooey CD.

    But that only makes Zooey less cool in my book for not being a Poz fan.

  9. 9: Bellwether Johnson said at 8:04 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Congratulations!!

  10. 10: Mr Tall said at 8:07 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Joe, that’s excellent. It could not be happening to a more deserving guy. I’m delighted to see someone who cares so much about his readers and the integrity of what he writes succeed on that stage.

  11. 11: Letters on Pages said at 8:08 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Way to go Joe! Fantastic Book…well deserved!! Next up…Top 10!

  12. 12: Melody said at 8:21 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Hey (NY Times Best-selling Author) Joe, Congratulations! That’s great news, and well-earned. And your wife said all this free blogging would never pay off!

  13. 13: martin said at 8:29 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Congratulations!

  14. 14: Brian said at 8:40 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Joe – if this blog is any indication of what you’re really like, I have to say it couldn’t happen to a better guy.

  15. 15: Brian said at 8:42 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Oh, and please – wear the Snuggie. Best-selling authors can wear whatever the hell they want.

  16. 16: Venu said at 8:53 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Great showing! Loved the book, and obviously a bunch of others are doing the same. Enjoy this time before we start asking the obvious next question — what and when is the next book?

  17. 17: Jack said at 9:13 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Wait..is Zooey a big fan Royals’ fan? Joe Mauer, perhaps? A Snuggie fan? Pixifoods? I need to know this story.

  18. 18: Joe in Jersey said at 9:14 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Congratulations!

    Now to rain on your parade (so your head doesn’t get too big): Among others, L Ron Hubbard was also a NY Times Best Selling Author.

    Still don’t let that ruin it for you.

    I consider you more along the lines of David McCullough and Doris Kearns Goodwin.

  19. 19: Kelly said at 9:15 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Congratulations!!!!

  20. 20: matt said at 9:42 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    congrats joe! a big fan from north of the border. it’s been fun to watch your meteoric rise.

  21. 21: Steve in Cinti said at 10:26 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Congrats.*

    *One other accomplishment to add to your list. You got to meet me at the Sunday book signing in Cincinnati. I asked the question “what kind of a manager would Sparky Anderson be today?”.

    Also, love the book. I’m not quite finished so don’t spoil the ending.

  22. 22: spaceman spiff said at 10:45 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    joe, you’re a new york times’ best selling author now, that’s like winning 20 games in the show.

    you can let the fungus grow back on your shower shoes and wear a snuggie to your book signing and the press’ll think you’re colorful.

    congratulations!

  23. 23: frank pepe said at 11:08 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    congratulations, Joe. Keep up the excellent work.

  24. 24: Nmark W said at 11:15 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Jersey Joe #18: A definite “YES!” to the David McCullough comparison. A “Hell NO” to your Doris Kearns Goodwin mention. She is so much of a light weight and questionable historian that I cannot believe you mentioned her in the same sentence with McCullough and Joe. Perhaps Michael Bechloss can be inserted and DKG will never again be considered. She was caught red-handed plagiarizing a number of years ago but because she is loved by the libs and a Boston Sawks fan and an east coast cocktail party fave she got a huge pass….I don’t think so.

  25. 25: NMark W said at 11:25 pm on September 23rd, 2009:

    Joe, unless it sold this summer, there is a most unique Cinti Reds item in a wonderful Paducah, KY antique shop waiting for you.

    Check out Paducah sometime. One of the more amazing parts of the country that most folks know and care little about. Paducah itself is an amazing old “river town” that has so many stories to be told.

  26. 26: jay said at 12:09 am on September 24th, 2009:

    per a PGA gallery, “YOU DA MAN JOE!”

  27. 27: Mike in Hawaii(ABR) said at 12:44 am on September 24th, 2009:

    Wait, you’ve written a book? Why wasn’t this mentioned sooner?

  28. 28: Graphite said at 1:33 am on September 24th, 2009:

    No. 17 on the NYT list!

    Good for you Joe.

    Those of us who are just happy to have a book or two on a shelf somewhere with our name on it know the talent gap and work gap involved.

    I am Silent, upon a peak in Darien.

  29. 29: D Martin said at 5:36 am on September 24th, 2009:

    Awesome! I have a question-how does Amazon and B&N both have “USED” copies of your book for sale already? Do these people read it and say “great book, I am selling this thing”? And btw, they are selling it for MORE than a new one!

  30. 30: mike said at 8:02 am on September 24th, 2009:

    Congratulations, Joe, but you know you deserve every bit of it, right?

  31. 31: John in Philly said at 8:18 am on September 24th, 2009:

    I’m only adding to the chorus, it seems, but please allow me a moment to offer you my sincere congratulations, Joe. It’s richly deserved.

  32. 32: Alex Hayes said at 8:41 am on September 24th, 2009:

    Congratulations, I hope your success is long continued! :)

  33. 33: Brian said at 9:17 am on September 24th, 2009:

    Congratulations Joe!
    It has also been a year in which all of us BRs have been fortunate enough to read your outstanding writing. Your blog has easily become my most anticipated reading. Thanks for taking so much time to share your thoughts, observations, sense of humor, opinions, passions, and overall awesomeness with us.

  34. 34: Jules said at 9:45 am on September 24th, 2009:

    Congratulations on the NYT rank. I did not get to either of the Cincy events-truly hoping there are more. Would love to have all 3 of mine signed-2 gifts and 1 for me.

  35. 35: Jacob said at 10:07 am on September 24th, 2009:

    Congrats on the NYT bestseller appearance. That’s great.

  36. 36: Q said at 10:21 am on September 24th, 2009:

    That is freaking awesome! Congrats Joe!

  37. 37: AK said at 10:23 am on September 24th, 2009:

    Congrats, Joe!

  38. 38: S said at 10:33 am on September 24th, 2009:

    De-lurking to say congrats!!

  39. 39: Michael (in NYC) said at 10:51 am on September 24th, 2009:

    Woo-hoo!

    Wow. It’s a neat circle, since I started reading your blog right when TSoB was out and you were touring for that. At that point, I could (and did) read everything you’d posted before I found the place. Could someone still do that? Maybe with a holiday weekend involved.

    So, congrats, Joe. It’s all coming together. First you get the sugar. Then you get the power. Then you get the NYT ranking.

  40. 40: mike said at 10:52 am on September 24th, 2009:

    congrats

  41. 41: Pefacommish said at 12:42 pm on September 24th, 2009:

    Joe, you’re going to be impossible. Wow, autographed by Zooey?!!!

    Just remember the people you stepped on as you ascend the ladder of success, because you’ll have to step on us again on the way down.

    You’d only be #18 without me.

  42. 42: David Gizmo said at 12:43 pm on September 24th, 2009:

    Congrats, Joe–it’s a great book. I love the David McCullough comparison; I could almost hear his voice narrating certain passages, a la the Seabiscuit film or the Burns documentaries.

  43. 43: Vanessa H said at 1:34 pm on September 24th, 2009:

    We are a pretty appreciative group here. You give us good, funny writing for free, we love it and tell you so, then we put you up at #17! Congratulations, SI Senior Correspondent and New York Times bestselling author, Joe Posnanski. :)

  44. 44: Scott Lamb said at 9:42 pm on September 25th, 2009:

    Congrats Joe. The Machine is a LOT of fun to read.

  45. 45: brian said at 8:32 pm on September 26th, 2009:

    Congrats, Joe. When will be making an appearance in nyc to promote?

  46. 46: Shlomo said at 8:49 am on September 27th, 2009:

    Congratulations, Joe. I just finished the book and it’s great.

    By the way, Stalag 13 in Hogan’s Heroes is a POW camp – not a concentration camp.

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