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It's June of 2005, and I have just watched the Devil Rays defeat the Yankees three games out of four. The Rays knocked out Randy Johnson and Mr. Wang, two of the pitchers on my Rotisserie baseball team. My emotions took a real beating, though I was thrilled for Lou Piniella and his young Rays. I am reveling in the fact that Johnny Damon, my co-author, is not only doing a darn good job promoting our book, Idiot, but he is also second in the league in hitting as he leads Boston to what could well be its first pennant since 1975. Does anyone think the Orioles can hold them off? My wife Rhonda's brother does, but he lives in Baltimore. When John and I began the project in the fall, I didn't know whether John would have enough time in his schedule to give me the thirty or so hours I would need for him to tell his story. He promised he would make himself available until I had what was needed, and faithfully he kept that promise. He also promised he would work to make the book a best seller, and he kept that promise too. As a result, I now have had three best sellers in three different countries in three years. In 2003 "My Life at High Speed," my book with race driver Emerson Fittipaldi was published in Brazil and was on the best seller list. In 2004 Thunder and Lighting, Phil Esposito's wild autobiography, made the best seller list in Canada, and this year Idiot made the New York Times' list, and deservedly so. When John helped lead the Red Sox to a World Series championship in 2004, he wrested the "Babe Ruth Curse" monkey off the back of millions of fans. New England is a nicer, kinder place as a result. It would please me no end if "Miracle: Bobby Allison and the Saga of the Alabama Gang" were to become similarly popular when it makes its debut next April at the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame induction dinner at Talladega, Alabama. Published by St. Martins, "Miracle" is one of those books that has ended up even better than I had imagined when I first conceived it. I knew I had a compelling story -- great success and then injuries to brothers Bobby and Donnie Allison, followed by the tragic deaths of Bobby's two sons Clifford and Davey. On top of hat Bobby and Judy divorced under the pressure of all that pain. But then -- miraculously -- at the end they found each other again and remarried, and Bobby's mental faculties returned. It's an amazing story, and when you read about it from Bobby and Judy's perspective, as well as that of the rest of the Alabama gang and their families, well, you can never say that miracles don't happen. The bulk of the book is about Bobby, who won 85 Grand National and Winston Cup races. Not only is Bobby sharp as a tack, but his memory is truly amazing, considering the head injury he suffered in that terrible crash at Pocono in 1988. We talked for days, and after you read "Miracle," you will get to know a lot more about not only Bobby, Donnie, brother Eddie, Davey, Clifford, Neil Bonnett, and Red Farmer, but a lifetime's worth of crew chiefs, car owners, and NASCAR officials, as well as such competitors as Junior Johnson, Darrell Waltrip, Buddy Baker, and Dale Earnhardt. Bobby raced in NASCAR from 1966 through 1988. He had confrontations with a lot of people, and you will meet them all. I haven't been this excited about a book in a long, long time. See you next time. |