A few years ago Brad Balukjian embarked on quite a journey. While sitting in the stadium at an Oakland A’s game, he found himself reminiscing about the players of his youth. He thought about opening packs of baseball cards, and the enjoyment that came from learning all he could about his cardboard heroes. That got him wondering where those players are now. So he tracked down a 30 year old pack of 1986 Topps Baseball Cards and set out on a cross country journey to find and interview each of the players inside. He documented the road trip and is sharing it with us all in The Wax Pack which is available for order on Amazon and other local booksellers.
Essentially, each of the 14 players in the pack(one was a checklist) get their own chapter, and we get to go along for the ride as Brad tracks them down and talks with them about both baseball and their life.
The “WaxPackers” included Al Cowens, Carlton Fisk, Don Carman, Doc Golden, Garry Templeton, Gary Pettit, Jaime Cocanower, Lee Mazzilli, Randy Mulliniks, Randy Ready, Richie Hebner, Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Yeager, and Vince Coleman.
Would these former major leaguers play along, or would they blow Brad off? Would they be transparent? Would he be able to learn anything below the surface level info that can be found with a superficial Google search?
The answer to all these questions is a resounding Yes!
Check out this podcast episode where I interviewed Brad!
One of the things I loved about the book is how it makes these major leaguers “real” people. We often put players on a pedestal, but as the book shows, they each have successes and failures. Both inside and outside of baseball they have things that come easy to them, and at the same time are faced with challenges they need to overcome. Much like in our own lives, things don’t always go according to plan.
Some are still involved with baseball, others are not. A few kept their distance, but others almost made Brad an honorary member of their family. As the book unfolded, I found myself being pulled into the story. There were chapters where I almost felt like I was right there as part of the conversation.
As many of you know, I also began collecting in 1986, and I remember pulling these same cards out of a pack. In fact, with the way collation worked back then, I may have even pulled this exact pack at some point that summer. I think back at my life then as a nine year old, and can’t help but recognize how much both my life and the world have changed since then. The wide-eyed dreams of childhood gave way to adolescent angst. And then once again as I entered the workforce, I had to discover who I was “going to be” as an adult. As I became a parent, I once again had to shed the parts of my life that allowed my wife and I to come and go as we pleased, to allow for me to provide for my family. Each step required me to understand who I was going to become in a new stage of life.
These 14 men all faced a similar challenge as they transitioned from a life inside the diamond to a life outside. They were no longer “ball players”. They were just men, fathers, husbands, business men, addicts, and mentors. They had to discover for themselves who they would become in this next phase of life.
This really isn’t a book about baseball cards, or even baseball. It’s a book about life. No matter what you do for a living, or what level of fame you achieve, we are all faced with change. The question is how will we deal with it?
Over the years, many have claimed collecting baseball cards can help connect fans to their heroes. In The Wax Pack, Brad Balukjian removes any doubt. I think if you join him on this journey to track down what happened to 14 former major leaguers, you will learn how their stories and your own are probably closer than you think.
Also, if you haven’t heard, I started a new Podcast called the WaxPackHero Sports Card Minute! It’s available here directly on the site at the Podcast link at the top of the page, or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, and TuneIn! Check it out, let me know what you think, and tell your friends!