I’ve decided that my Christmas wish this year is to actually finish this book. Seriously, I never have an issue finishing a novel. I think this is going so slow because it’s just so fact-laden and really isn’t something I would pick up on my own. That’s not to say that it’s without merits and that it’s a bad book.

I see books in the same way that I see food (stick with me, here). I’m game to try basically anything. I go by the “don’t knock it ’til you try it” philosophy when it comes to new things. But certain things just aren’t for me. That’s not to say others don’t love it or that it’s without merits—I just might not order it again. Case in point: pickled beets. I  tried them for the first time at the Unsung Heroes dinner a few weeks back. There is nothing wrong with the taste of them at all. They’re actually tasty. It’s just not something that I foresee ordering for myself. That’s how I feel about this book at this moment. It is in no way bad. I usually don’t read in my downtime for educational purposes, but rather for pleasure. This is just not a book I get incredibly excited about reading.

But it has its merits. I can say I’m learning a ton about the early days of sports. So far I’ve gotten through colonial sports and baseball. The highlight is definitely the anecdotes. The stories and lore from the past are always interesting and nothing short of entertaining. While I try desperately to finish this book by Christmas, I’ll be looking forward to each and every break from the number-crunching to tell a good old-fashioned story. On to the basketball section.

Stay tuned.