Monday, June 27, 2016

Paperback 955: The Way It Is / Curt Flood (Pocket Books 78188)

Paperback 955: Pocket Books 78188 (1st ptg, 1972)

Title: The Way It Is
Author: Curt Flood
Cover artist: photo cover

Estimated value: $20-30
Condition: 7/10

PB78188
Best things about this cover:
  • We now interrupt this cover to bring you the telekinetic powers of Curt Flood!
  • It's like Curt willed the ball to stop with his mind. "If you want the game to start again, I have some ... demands."
  • Curt Flood with the rarely seen Self-Photobomb!
  • This cover seems both ill-conceived (you're blocking the shot!) and genius (Curt Flood will not be denied!)
  • Vida Blue's intro is good. Also, Vida Blue is one of the greatest baseball names of all time.

PB78188bc
Best things about this back cover:
  • Man, people are throwing a lot of shade at Jim Bouton.
  • Back when a "sensitive, artistic black man" was apparently some kind of wonder to the NYT...
  • Miguel Cabrera's breakfast costs $100,000. All ballplayers should tithe to the Church of St. Flood.

Page 123~

Having established the plan unilaterally, without bargaining of any kind, they felt free to modify it at will. Above all, they felt free to keep the TV and radio money for themselves. This disturbed the players.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Tumblr]

1 comment:

DemetriosX said...

They really could have fixed the cover by shifting the main photo to the left a little. Crop out the ump and there's room to see both versions of Flood.

Then I looked closer at the ump and saw that he has his hand on the catcher's side. That's got to interfere with the catcher to some degree. This seems to be before home plate umps carried shields and some of the other protective gear, so I guess he's basically using the catcher as cover.

Curt Flood is probably largely forgotten today, but his impact on professional sports, not just baseball, was huge.