Generation A's Fans

Though I've made no secret of the fact that I'd like to make a career out of writing about baseball, ShysterBall truly is a labor of love. I don't make any money off of it and, sadly, there are surprisingly few groupies out there looking to score with a blogger (crazy, I know). I simply wake up each morning with a strong desire to get some words down on virtual paper and engage with readers about the game I love.

In light of all of this, I'm a sucker for labors of love, and frequent Athletics Nation poster Donald Marquez has forged one of his own about which I am happy to spread the word: Generation A's Fans: A Family's Long Love Affair With One of Baseball's Best Teams, a book which chronicles his very large family's forty-year love affair with the Oakland A's. From the Amazon writeup:

The Oakland A's and the Martinez family have one thing in common: they stick together through good times and bad. For Donald A. Marquez, the ballpark was as much of a home as the humble Bay Area split-level that housed eight children and their parents. Every family member had an A's story, from his beloved grandmother to his youngest cousins. Even Easter Sunday was planned around the Home Nine's schedule. The family suffered when Jose Canseco struck out an incredible 175 times in 1986, and rejoiced together at the team's breakthrough win in the 2006 playoffs.

Generation A's Fans: A Family's Long Love Affair With One of Baseball's Best Teams is the story of one of the sport's most undervalued teams, and the family who loves them.

I've not read it yet, but based on some of the stuff I've read about it, it sounds great, and I can't wait to get my copy. If you're into the A's, baseball, or families maybe you should too.

*Note: that's the young Marquez himself on the cover photo, being held by a surprisingly accessible Reggie Jackson.