In Which Rose Recommends A Book

"You never know what's going to save you..."

Everybody should read John Albert's Wrecking Crew: The Really Bad News Griffith Park Pirates. It's a simple story, really: Sex (some with hookers), drugs (name it), rock 'n' roll (heavy on the punk), and the redemptive power of baseball. Join writer, occasional punker and recovering addict John Albert as he and his buddies cobble together a team of exactly the sort of people you'd never think of as likely to form a baseball team in the L.A. parks league -- and read it before the movie comes out (yes, it's in the works), because this is a great piece of writing. It's the sort of story that really needs to be told by someone who's lived it, because I don't think anyone outside of the crew would have been able to paint such a complete picture. No words have been minced, and judging from their presence at the event at which I met them last summer, the team members wouldn't have it any other way.

Give it a try. Let me know what you think.

(Bonus points if you buy it at your local independent book store. If you're not sure where that is, check Book Sense.)