BigBadPaul
Years ago
Paul Shirley: My New Book
(Mod: This makes a lot more sense if you realise that it's by Paul Shirley from the beginning, so I'll add that at the top.)
By Paul Shirley:
My first book, called Can I Keep My Jersey?, will be released by Random House on May 15.
Find its amazon page here:
http://www.amazon.com/Can-Keep-Jersey-Countries-Basketball/dp/034549136X/
If it has annoyed you that I have abused my emailing privileges by sending you this note, stop reading and delete this message.
If not, read on.
At some point in the last year and a half, you sent an email to my column at ESPN.com. During my stint with the dot-com, my diligence for returning messages has wavered between two extremes. Sometimes, I was a veritable pen pal. Other times, I was about as efficient as a post office in Pakistan.
(In my defense, in the last 18 months I have played for three basketball teams, had two knee surgeries, produced a television show, and finished a book.)
But fear not, for I have read your email. I may have done it in a rather tardy fashion: I plowed through a few just nowsome of which were written around Christmas of 2005. But I have read them all.
I appreciate the thoughts and questions.
But no, Steve from Pawtucket, you cannot be my butler/masseuse.
As I mentioned, my book comes out this month, on May 15. It chronicles three years of my life as a professional basketball player.
In those years, I spent time with the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. And I discuss those stops. But I also spent time in Spain, Russia, and Yakima, WAplaces that made me enjoy the first three even more.
My first three years of professional basketball were much like the first three years of anyone's first post-college job. My experience was similar to that of the guy whose first job was at IBM, Caterpillar, or Randy's Sanitation. Mine was just a bit more outlandish&and a little more public.
I think it's a good book. I hope you'll read it.
(In case further arm-twisting is necessary: I somehow managed to convince Chuck Klosterman to write the foreword. So, if nothing else, go to Border's or Barnes and Noble and read his page and a half while you stand in the aisle, slowing the progress of old ladies in search of the latest mindbender from Sue Grafton.)
Two more tidbits, and then I'll stop, I promise.
I continue to write for ESPN.com, although sporadically. Look for more from me around the time of the book's release. In addition, I will be doing a back-and-forth with Neal Pollack about the NBA Playoffs for slate.com.
And, as always (okay, three tidbits), find me at myspace.com/paulshirley.
Thanks.
Paul Shirley
