Here is yet another totally, strictly Yankee blog; submitted (late) to BBD:

As I write this piece, the 2012 trade deadline looms a few hours away and the Yankees may strike another deal, but they already made an unexpected splash by picking up future Hall of Famer, Ichiro Suzuki, for two young arms, D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar. The following two months and post-season will tell whether this late-season acquisition was worth all the ink it’s been getting both here and in Japan, but there’s a pretty impressive list of some big names – including a small handful of Hall of Famers – that the Steinbrenner-era Yankees have picked up at the end of the season and the end of their careers in an attempt to get the Bombers over the hump and to squeeze the last bit of productivity from these ageing superstars.

There was some precedence in the pre-Steinbrenner years of similar moves:  Johnny “Big Cat” Mize and Enos “Country” Slaughter are the names that pop to mind. Mize, inducted to the Hall of Fame by the Veteran’s Committee, hit the last of his 359 homeruns in pinstripes in 1953. Slaughter, inducted to the Hall in 1985 also by the Veteran’s Committee, came over to the Yankees in 1954 following more than a decade with the Cards, and was a big part of the champion teams of the mid-to-late 1950’s Yankee teams.

But more recently, the Yankees picked up sure Hall of Famer, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez at the end of July, 2008. Perhaps giving up Kyle Farnsworth to get very little in return on the waning Pudge was a lesson as the Yanks really have pressed the pause button on these kinds of moves; Ichiro move notwithstanding. New York gave up quite a bit at the end of June, 2000 when we sent Ricky Ledee and Jake Westbrook to Cleveland for David Justice. But Justice hit .305 with 20 homeruns in that second half and was a good part of that World Champion team.

Daryl Strawberry came aboard after being released by the Giants in 1995 and was a frightening, looming presence coming off the bench for a couple of seasons and would have to be regarded as a rather beneficial late-season pick-up as well. Jose Canseco, on the other hand, came over from Tampa in August 2000 on a waiver-wire deal and contributed six of his tainted 462 career homeruns in pinstripes even though the Yankees did give him a World Series ring.

For a while there was a trend in picking up the discarded first-basemen from rival clubs. Into this category we have George “The Boomer” Scott, who was something of the Big Papi of the late 70s Bosox teams. Scott hit the last of his 271 HRs for a Yankee team that wound up in fourth place. In 2004, late season pick-up, John Olerud, hit .280 for New York, but hurt himself – and the club’s chances – in the ALCS. John Mayberry and Jim Spencer deserve some honorable mention in this category as well.

I have to admit, I had totally forgotten that the Yankees brought back previously banished closer, Goose Gossage, in 1989. Even though I was always much more of a Sparky Lyle man, I seem to have a propensity toward mentioning Goose in my pieces, the one save he contributed to a team that finished under .500 a mere blip and forgettable. Lee Smith, who keeps coming up short for Hall of Fame election despite his 478 saves, came over in August, 1993, got 3 of those saves for the second-place Yankee team and was gone by the next season.

Last, but not least, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of my all-time personal favorite pitchers, Gaylord Perry. The Yankees picked up the spit-balling, future Hall of Famer for Ken Clay in August, 1980. Perry contributed an average 4-4 record to go along with a 4.44 ERA as the Yankees took the division, but lost to the Royals in the ALCS.

GM Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees are hoping that the move from West to East and from last to first place helps re-ignite Ichiro Suzuki, who in turn helps the team put a World Series ring on the slap-hitter’s finger. Ichiro hit his first Yankee Stadium homerun last night (Monday) and the 100^th of his career and it feels like even though his speed and talents seem to be on the downside, that short porch and his legs could be an element in the 2012 team that helps get the ballclub over the hump and makes up for the loss of Brett Gardner. Time will tell where Ichiro fits with the Yankees and in the storied history; Dave Winfield’s #31 looks pretty good on his back.

I had started writing a piece, ostensibly for Bronx Baseball Daily, about my beliefs that the Yankees will NOT adhere to their stated goal of a payroll of $189M (not a budget cap, but below the luxury-tax threshold) by the 2014 season. And while I was surprised in doing a little research to find out that only 3 players are actually, currently under contract for 2 year hence. Although there's $75M committed to the trio of CC, Tex and A-Rod, which comprises a few teams out there, I really cry BS that the Bombers -- who still need to sign Cano and Granderson long-term among other -- will stick to that goal. But when I dug a little deeper I discovered BBD had already covered that, so I won't repeat.

But the trade for Ichiro opened up another subject and I'll be writing -- hopefully later today -- about some of the superstars and Hall of Famers the Yankees have picked up over the last few decades at the end of the season, the end of their careers. It's an impressive list although I have to admit I had totally forgotten the Yanks brought Goose Gossage back to the fold.

Yanks dropped 2 of 3 over the weekend against the bosox. They're the last place team and dropping a game in the standings at the end of July isn't the worst thing ever, although how they lost the last two-- Soriano and Robertson giving up the game after the team had battled back from deficits in the last frames was pretty painful.

Of course, not like getting swept by LA - being shut out twice in a row - like the Giants suffered over the rivalry weekend. That's gotta hurt...

That's the first artwork by Meital to accompany this week's story, "Hail Mary" in the Jerusalem Post. I am offering a special "clearance" (as in I want to "clear" my shelf to make way for fresh copies) right now on the last dozen copies of "A Rose by Any Other Name" -- I will cover shipping charges on inscribed copies. Send me $14 American and a copy will wing its way to you.

Good summer reading...

Thanks,
Brian

The above artwork, by Meital, who turns the ripe, ol' age of 30 tomorrow (been waiting for that he says with a lecherous wink) appears in the Jerusalem Post Lite today in Tel Aviv, Israel along with the second installment of my story, "Kat & Kismet."

If you're not in the Holy Land, or if you can't wait for the tales to come in piecemeal -- even with lovely illustrations -- you can get your own copy nearly immediately by clicking here: https://www.createspace.com/3527985 or you can drop me an email directly at 26tales@gmail.com and ask me how you can get an inscribed copy for maybe even a buck or two less.

If you want to see what else Meital is up to, go here: http://heymisterimhungry.tumblr.com/ and tell her I sent you...

                                                                ***********

So, I'm watching the Yankee game late last night as I am wont to do, although last night's telecast from Seattle meant that it was live late at night and after watching so-called clean-up "hitter" Alex Rodriguez pop up again with guys on base, I was wondering if we wouldn't be better off without him. Girardi is not going to bat him anywhere than the middle of the line-up (unlike his predecessor) and we're kind of stuck with A-Rod, hoping he returns to form, but seriously seeing very little of the expected return on his albatross of a contract.

Now, I am not saying I am happy this happened and I am not saying Felix Hernandez was throwing at Yankees intentionally (he hit Ichiro and Jeter previously, but didn't hurt them) but maybe he did us a favor, maybe he didn't. All we know is that A-Rod is out - maybe 4-6 weeks, maybe 6-8 depending on who you read and what their angle is* - and now the discussion turns to who replaces him.

But when articles by professional baseball writers opine "isn't why the Yankees signed Chavez?" which just shows their ignorance. I didn't have to bother commenting because an informed Yankee fan had already set the record straight. I guess the positive news is that Hanley Ramirez was no longer available, his cancerous headcase already sent to LA to become Don Mattingly's issue, but other names like Headley and Rolen are already hitting the wire.

The Yanks called up Ramiro Pena, but don't expect that to be the last word on the Bomber hot corner situation. Edurado Nunez is rehabbing an injured thumb and while the club sent Nuney to AAA to work on his shortstop play, he would be my choice for A-Rod's sub  instead of going outside of the organization. Losing A-Rod is simply not the blow that losing a lot of the other super-stars on this team would be.

* Brian Cashman raked a therapist over the coals this morning over reports that Mariano Rivera could return to pitch this season. Cash called the reports ridiculous and just an attempt for the guy to see his own name in a lot of newspapers and websites.

This is my piece that I just submitted for the ESPN-affiliated blog, Bronx Baseball Daily; it's late as I was in Chicago for Ranger-training and was without my computer for the weekend. Either consider this a sneak-peek or an exclusive if it does not get run due its tardiness.

Imagine if there were no Rafael Soriano in the Yankee bullpen. Imagine that Mariano Rivera was lost for the season in May and then imagine that nearly immediately after that devastation, David Robertson was bequeathed the interim closer’s job only to go on the disabled list for a number of weeks. Imagine what the New York Yankees season would have potentially looked like had Joe Girardi been forced into a “closer by committee” situation. Imagine the ransom notes GM Brian Cashman would have received in response to his inquiries about available, top-notch firemen. And while, I am 99.99% more likely to quote Joe Strummer than John Lennon, right about now Rafael Soriano feels heaven-sent.

When Rich Gossage broke his thumb wrestling with teammate Cliff Johnson in 1979, our goose was cooked; there was no Sparky Lyle waiting in the wings; he had already been excommunicated, banished to Texas Rangers in a trade that did net us closer-to-be Dave Righetti. Mind you, that ’79 season was already wrecked by the tragic death of Thurman Munson, but I think a lot of Yankee fans were feeling that without Mo our 2012 season may not have lived up to expectations.

Enter Rafi. Thing is: Cashman didn’t want him in the first place; overruled by the Brothers Steinbrenner after losing out in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes spending $35m for three seasons of a set-up man seemed steep. Right about now as Soriano has rounded out into one of the finest, surest closers in the game today (despite blowing his second save against Oakland on Sunday) and maybe even something of a bargain.

Look: he’s a different guy when he gets to be the man. The guy’s got attitude; it’s called a closer’s mentality and maybe that’s where the sullenness and the surliness come from. Here’s a guy who knows he can get the closer’s job done, but had to dial it down to be a set-up guy – even for the mighty Mo. And speaking of him, even Mariano Rivera isn’t the same pitcher when he’s just getting some work in, when he’s not closing; most closers are not the same pitcher in those situations.

Admittedly he hasn’t been lights out – three broken bats, end of story like some closers we know – but his career WHIPs indicate that he has that in him. When he saved forty-five games in 2010 for Tampa Bay, his WHIP was a miniscule 0.80. The previous season with the Braves it was thirty-one saves and a 1.06 WHIP which really are Mo-type numbers. Soriano now has more saves than any other Yankee pitcher without number forty-two on his back.

Personally, I don’t care what he’s looking at in his Yankee hat before throwing a pitch, I don’t care what he scribbles in the dirt; did we need to know what made Al Hrabosky “mad?” What matters is getting the job done and Rafael Soriano has been doing that very thing. And when the work’s done? Yanking out his uniform top doesn’t feel like taunting and it doesn’t look like stupid histrionics, such as performing a somersault or two on the mound. What it indicates to me is that Soriano knows he’s done his job and another Yankee game has been etched in the win column. Yeah, we gave him some Bronx cheers when he blew one in the Stadium, but I would hate to imagine where the Yankees would be without him entering in the ninth even if it’s not that song.

After missing a week, the Jerusalem Post has resumed publishing the tales (well, the less risque ones) from my first book, "A Rose by Any Other Name" today. I think this is the third one of about a dozen that will eventually appear in their magazine section. I still have an ever-decreasing number of copies on my own shelf that are available for purchase and inscription. Drop me an email if you're interested in a copy; I think I can beat the shipping/handling charges from CreateSpace https://www.createspace.com/3527985 but you can get it there -- as well as from Amazon and Kindle -- also.

Busy life schedule care-giving with my friend David, but since the damn book is dedicated to him, it seems only fair, right? But soon my time doing that will be reduced and I will finally -- as oft threatened -- have a book release party in downtown Minneapolis and then work on doing some readings/signings around town.

Want me in your town? Drop me a line...


I am so not an app'-guy especially considering I own a "dumb phone" but Songkick is the best thing since sliced bread. Basically it tells me whenever a band that is in my Itunes collection is coming to my town. No big deal? It is to me especially since this morning it brought news that The Two Gallants will finally be in the same city at the same time as me.

Mind you-- it's a near miss: the San Francisco-based duo is playing here the first week in October and the night before I fly to the Bay Area to perform my very first wedding. Yes, you may address me as "Reverend Mazo" if you see fit.

CC Sabathia returned from the DL last night and made easy work of the depleted Blue Jays. Missing their big bat Bautista, the Yanks used the early long ball and the great pen (although Chad Qualls even though you're new, your days are numbered, dude. Ask Darnell) to beat the Canadian team 6-1 last night. Now up by nine games and continuing to pull away from the pack, the Yanks despite myriad injuries and rumors that every quasi-available starting pitcher, set-up man and fleet-footed outfielder is being scouted by the Yanks, I bet Cashman stands pat: this team -- even with the injuries -- stands head and shoulders over the rest of the league.

Today's game starts in T-10 minutes so I am signing off...

Cheers
Brian

Return of former rivals?

The 2012 Baltimore Orioles: Contenders or Pretenders?

It’s been a long time since we as Yankee fans have had to take the Baltimore Orioles seriously; Camden Yards being one of those places that the Bomber bats go to get healthy. Yes, it hasn’t been generations since a twelve year old boy snatched a Derek Jeter fly-ball out of the clutches of O’s rightfielder, Tony Tarrasco during a playoff game– it’s only felt like it – and Jeffrey Maier? He’s pushing thirty. But the All-Star Break has come and it has finally – mercifully – gone and while they’re not breathing down our necks, when we look in the rearview mirror, it’s the Buck Showalter-lead 2012 Baltimore Orioles squad, that appear closest.

Going into play as I write this on Saturday, the Yankees lead the Birds by a full eight games, but don’t expect them to get any closer. Their remaining schedule and the division they play in don’t do them any favors over the rest of the summer; of their remaining seventy-seven games left to play, forty-five of them (nearly 60%) are against serious contenders: the Yankees, Angels, Rangers and Tigers or versus far better hitting division rivals Red Sox and Blue Jays.

And if you think I am the only one noticing the rocky road ahead, here’s a quote from Showalter this week, "The dog days aren't August, they're now until mid-August. Play every day, pretenders and contenders are separated, this is the tough grind." I suspect Buck’s words to be prophetic, but necessarily in the way he means.

A statistical anomaly or a barometer of bad news, the Orioles have a run differential of negative forty one. For comparison sake, the New York Yankees atop the AL-East have a run differential of plus sixty-six, which is comparable to nearly every division leading team in the game (the National League’s Central and Western divisions bucking this trend) and logical. The Orioles, whose differential is far more in line with cellar-dwellers and also ran’s such as the Royals (-42), Twins (-90) and Mariners (-29). The Indians at -28 are the only other AL contenders who, on average, give up more runs than they score. Yes, the San Francisco Giants and their -4 are serious contenders, but see Cain, Bumgarner and Vogelsong for the explanation to that.

The Baltimore Orioles pitching has been much better this season than it has been for the past decade plus or so, but that’s really a back-handed compliment. Brian Matusz, one of the arms for whom they have high hopes, was sent to the minors. He’s maybe trade-bait, but the AAA stint has got to reduce his value. Jason Hammel has been the guy, but he left his start with an undisclosed “knee injury” and the Bird-bloggers seem to think this will mean an upcoming stint on the DL. There’s some talk that the O’s (thinking they’re needing “just one more pitcher”) will go after Zack Greinke, but they same talk that has had the Yanks shy away from the anxiety-ridden starter, doesn’t make him a great bet in the powerful AL-East. Closer Jim Johnson with his .151 BA against, 0.75 WHIP and 26/27 in save opportunities is a rising star, but one wonders how many chances he’s going to get in the second half, because the team just can’t score runs.

How bad is their line-up? They’d gone nearly a week without scoring a run. Yes, the aforementioned All-Star break was a major part of that, but still? The only guy hitting .300, Nolan Reimold, was just lost for the season needing neck surgery. Yes, they did just get Nick Markakis back from the DL, but Brian Roberts seems to have a permanent place on it along with Nick Johnson. Adam Jones and Matt Wieters (who I’d take in a New York minute) are both legitimate ballplayers, but they are surrounded by far too many strike-outs (yes, Chris Davis, Robert Andino and Mark Reynolds, I’m talking to you, but you’re really not alone) and unproductive outs to make a formidable line-up. Jim Thome, and his mighty left-handed swing, seemed like a natural fit for Camden Yards, but apparently he left his bats in Philly- I know it’s only been a week’s worth of games, but he has yet to take advantage of that short porch, has but a single RBI and is hitting just at the Mendoza-line.

There are more questions than good answers for the problems facing the Baltimore Orioles even before the season heads into the dog days. I didn’t like Buck Showalter (and his Jeff Torborg-esque tendencies toward being persnickety) when he was the Yankees manager, and I don’t like him now, but I do have to respect his abilities to turn teams into contenders, but even he seems to think the deck is stacked against him this season. Last night when asked why he batted Markakis lead-off, Showalter responded with a question himself, “THE ANSWER IS A QUESTION: AS OPPOSED TO WHO?”  As if sportswriters would – or could – help him out.

Yes, the Baltimore Orioles are a better team in 2012 than they have been in quite a number of years, but they are falling and will continue to do so. Even with the extra wild-card team this season, that they will make the post-season is a long-shot bet. Improved? Yes. A threat? Very doubtful. The 2012 Baltimore Orioles are still for the birds.

When I am Emperor, or, at the very least, Commissioner of Major League Baseball, one of my first orders of business will be do eradicate the mid-summer classic: the All-Star Game. There is no longer anything right about this mostly meaningless contest and so much that is wrong. What is especially galling to me is that for four days, right smack in the middle of the season, there is NO baseball to watch.

Yeah, yeah. I could the home-run derby, but honestly couldn't really care less. Go to a game early, watch batting practice. It's about as exciting as that. Cano got booed in KC? Oh well. Don't care. Really. And the game itself? Don't pretend that it counts when the players' actions give every single indication that it is not. I don't know; maybe get rid of the rule that every team has to be represented and then maybe let those teams play would at least give us some baseball.

Four days? It used to be three; one on each side of the game and that made sense. And then some teams got Thursday off too. Okay. Fine. Travel time. Scheduling conflicts whatever. But at least there was baseball on. I was considering watching a game or two from the past decade when I miss games for around two weeks each summer while running around in a desert in the middle of nowhere. It usually takes the doldrums of winter to get me to contemplate digging through the MLB archives, not perfect summer temperatures and temperament.

Great. The National League won, again. That's three years in a row that the senior circuit got home field advantage for the World Series. When I was a kid the NL always won. Then the pendulum swung to the AL and they seemingly had a lock on the game. Unlike the divisional races there seems to be some sort of parity going on. Just wished I cared.

With inter-league play, fans get to see the stars from the other league play, so a whole bunch of the "thrill" is gone. Next season, with the move from the NL to the AL of the Houston Astros and what will lead to an odd number of teams per league means that there will be inter-league play EVERY day in the MLB schedule. Thrilling indeed.

This, of course, could mean the eventual contraction of a couple of teams (unlikely) but more likely will mean two more expansion teams at some point further watering down the talent in the game. I heard Keith Hernandez state that the reason pitching is so good is solely because there are too many teams meaning too many guys in the big leagues who can't actually hit. He could be right: I can't say that he's not. But more teams will also mean more required players in the all-star game.

Unless I get my wish...

Cheers,
Brian

The New York Yankees head into the all-star break with the best record in all of MLB (52-33/ .612 winning percentage) and the biggest divisional lead -- 7 games ahead of the O's -- in the game. Despite that lofty standing, the team really has yet to fire on all cylinders which could bode well in the second half should some injured players return and contribute and some of the slackers (yeah, A-Rod, I'm talkin' to you) start pulling their weight and living up to the backs of their baseball cards.

And while it wasn't crucial to make a statement vs the bosox this past weekend, taking three out of four did it anyway. The Yanks left fenway in first as previously mentioned, but they also dumped the home team into last place, ten games back in the loss column. If the season ended now, the sox wouldn't make the playoffs, but neither would the Rays, which is surprising.

Speaking of surprising, that remains the play of the Baltimore Orioles. In my next piece for the Bronx Baseball Daily I will be reviewing the O's and asking the question, "are they for real?" and hopefully giving some answers toward that. Personally, I still find it hard to take them all that seriously.

Meanwhile, across the country, Giants fans should be taking the total tumble of Tim Lincecum seriously. The guy has a 9.00ERA on the road; he has given up more runs this season than ALL of last. Perhaps the Giants knew something when they didn't lock him up long-term -- like his staff mates Cain and Baumgarner -- this past winter and just gave him two years sparing going to arbitration; bet they wish they had been willing to let someone else determine his 2013 salary. You gotta wonder if that could be the last season of The Freak in the Bay Area.

And maybe a change of scenery is what the guy needs: clearly it worked for AJ Burnett. His ten wins over the 1st half -- and one that he started on the DL -- is part of the difference that sees the freakin' Pittsburgh Pirates in first as the unofficial halfway mark passes. It's not going to happen, but sure would be interesting to see how Yankee fans in the Bronx would react should AJ pitch against the Bombers in the World Series.



I can't imagine I am the only writer (by a million) to pay his bar tab with his book, but that's sort of what happened last night...

Cheers
B.

Well, if I was going to miss one of the games out of the four versus the hated bosox this weekend, last night's game, part of the day/night twin-bill, was clearly the one to miss. Already being indulged by my weekend company, who is far better looking than say Darnell McDonald in pinstripes for the weekend, I couldn't submit her to two games in a day and the MLB television black-out rules made last night the easy choice.

A note on McDonald: he has DFA'd by the sox last week and the Yanks picked him up; some reports said just so he wouldn't clear waivers and boston could send him to Pawtucket (although it's been looking like the Yanks have been playing the sox' AAA club this weekend); there were other reports saying the Yanks were just going to keep his speedy, right-handed bat for the 4games in 3 days series against the rivals. And baseball is a business and the players mostly understand that fact, thing is-- with the Yanks personal grooming code, it meant McDonald had to lose his dreadlocks. Sometimes it sucks to be a pawn in the battle between the bosox and "The Evil Empire."

The Yanks have started each of the three games so far with a strong outburst of first inning runs having scored 5,4 and 3 runs respectively. They let the sox tie Friday night's game only to come back again and again and take the contest 10-8. Yesterday's day-dip of the double-header saw the only good starting pitching so far, as Freddy Garcia ran that lead into the 7th for the W. Garcia, who had been banished to the deepest parts of the bullpen -- he went almost two weeks without pitching, although it seemed both longer and shorter depending on whom you ask -- has stepped up since the injuries to CC and Andy and got his first win as a starting pitcher of the 2012 season.

Last night's game marred by porous defense and Phil Hughes inability to overcome it was the downfall in a 9-5 loss proving "you can't win 'em all." Tex had gotten things off to a good start with a 3-run shot in the top of the first, but it was mostly downhill from there.

In tonight's finale and the last game before the All-Star game break, it's Nova vs Lester in a good match-up; Lester normally fares well against the Yankees, but the Bombers crushed him last time so here's hoping that keeps up tonight. It's pretty damn hard to sweep a four game series especially one that contains a double-header, but a victory tonight wins the series and leaves the bosox nearly ten games out at the break in what I like to call a good start toward burying them completely.

That's what the "Rose" promotion cards I have been scattering about look like. Okay, my friend Kristin has been doing far more of the promo'ing and the scattering, but I made the cards and I stand there sheepishly as she tells cashiers and museum guards and passersby about the "famous author" in their midst and about his first book.

Yesterday was something of a break-even kind of day in regard to book sales. Yes, I did sell a copy to the museum guard (okay, full disclosure: she was a friend), but I also gave one away to another friend who is in the hospital undergoing physical therapy after breaking her back in a fall from a trapeze. I signed that latter copy chastising her for disproving the whole "descended from monkeys/swinging from trees" thing...

Cheers,
Brian

The Kindle and print editions of my first book, a short-story collection entitled "A Rose by Any Other Name: an Alphabet of Tales About a Man and a Woman" or just "Rose" for short, was released three months ago. I am still trying to find the time to be able to have the book release party/reading/signing, but I have been awfully busy being a caregiver for a friend of mine. Such is life, art, etc....

But for the last few weeks, the stories have been slightly edited, serialized, and, more interestingly, illustrated by my friend Meital Bar Natan and appeared in the Jerusalem Post Lite. The above artist's rendition is for the fourth story in the collection, "Someone's in the Kitchen With Dinah," and it's one of my favorites so far. Am I nuts for starting to consider a later addition with the complete set of illustrations? Probably...

Signed copies of the book are available from me and from one other top-secret location somewhere in Wisconsin. Well, it's a book store, but I'm not exactly sure where, so it's a secret to me. If you're in Wisconsin, you'll probably know the place. If not, drop me a line and I can sign one, roll it up and shove it in the pneumatic tube we all have in our pantries and you can hold it in your hand. You'll be happy that you did; I will probably be happier.

Here's what a few recent reviewers on Amazon have had to say about "Rose"

Last night, I bought it and read it before going to sleep...when I finally rested, I dreamed I was the size of a brownstone, with NYC tap water running through my veins. When I woke up I had 26 girlfriends and spoke 17 dialects of English. CHECK IT OUT!

Each story had enough to suck you in. And keep you riveted. And then left you wanting. And if you know anything about seduction, well...consider me seduced. 26 times. It was lovely. I put the book down to go out into the world, and I would fantasize about coming home to read it. I can't remember the last time that happened, and certainly not with short stories.
I loved it. I'm actually weirded out by how much I loved it.
Do yourself a favor and bring this one home.

As someone who rarely ventures away from non-fiction, I am thoroughly grateful to have indulged in this quick, riveting read. Whether you're trying to get the girl or get rid of the girl (or boy for that matter) you just might learn a trick or two while being fully entertained. Mazo is quick to turn a phrase, twist a plot and tug at your heartstrings. This book is a perfect balance of what a collection of short stories should be. Only wish there were more letters in the alphabet...

Purchase for the Kindle

Purchase print edition

Thanks and happy Summer reading to you...

Brian