Every once in a while, you see a concept for a book and go, "Man, I should've thought of that."
That was my reaction to Brad Balukjian's The Wax Pack. I mean, just look at the freaking cover.
As a kid Balukjian, collected baseball cards. He delighted in the old Topps wax packs with their stick of pink, teeth-shattering bubblegum. Once he reached his mid-30s, he decided to buy an unsealed pack of 1986 Topps cards and then track down the men whose cards he found inside.
It's such a clever conceit for a story, and this nonfiction book serves as a road trip adventure and a jolt of baseball nostalgia for fans of a certain age. Published in 2020, Balukjian tells the stories of 14 men inside his pack (the 15th card was a checklist)--a mixture of stars, everyday role players, and a few "now here's a guy" names.
 |
| Image via Indianapolis Public Library |
The narrative reveals a tremendous amount about the individual players--even the ones he fails to meet in person--and the author himself, as he grapples with his own insecurities and travails. While Balukjian's vivid account is aimed squarely at baseball fans, I think it's accessible for all readers.
The players featured in The Wax Pack:
- Don Carman
- Jaime Cocanower
- Vince Coleman
- Al Cowens
- Carlton Fisk
- Dwight Gooden
- Richie Hebner
- Lee Mazzilli
- Rance Mulliniks
- Gary Pettis
- Randy Ready
- Rick Sutcliffe
- Garry Templeton
- Steve Yeager
Many of the former players are more than willing to talk to Balukjian, some of them even inviting him inside their homes for a family event, such as Cocanower, who hosts him for July 4. Rick Sutcliffe comes off as particularly warm and likeable, sharing stories of his pro career and many comebacks.
All of the players Balukjian meets in person have something to offer--lamentations of untapped potential, stories of distant fathers and tough childhoods, or insights into the toll the game takes on a soul.
Many of them have stayed attached to the baseball, whether as broadcasters, coaches, minor league managers, or consultants. Don Carman, one of the author's favorites as a kid, turned his baseball life into a career as a sports psychologist who works with super-agent Scott Boras and serves as a sounding board for struggling players.
You'll find the requisite stories of life on the road, marriages that didn't last, and the daily grind of playing 162 games in a season. The men share stories of draft days and signing bonuses and the unbreakable bonds they forged with teammates. Balukjian visits the hometowns of many of his subjects as he crisscrosses his way from California to Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and Las Vegas, putting thousands of miles on his faithful Honda Accord and consuming an astonishing amount of coffee.
The author and players tend to shy away from their career-defining moments, as most of those have been covered ad nauseum, such as Mazzilli's postseason heroics for the 1986 New York Mets during their championship season. Balukjian said he could offer no further insights into such moments, although fans unfamiliar with them may need to consult Google (I had only a vague recollection of the '86 Mets, for example).
Readers will even glean some insight from the players who don't meet with Balukjian. Cowens died in 2002, well before Balukjian's cross-country trip. A phone conversation with Cowens' son reveals how his father's late-life struggles led to a personal religious revival and a tragic end.
Fisk, sort of a looming background antagonist in the piece, comes off as a less-than-flattering figure, using surrogates to rebuff the author's attempts to contact him and suggest Balukjian's project is beneath him. At one point, Fisk's agent calls Balukjian and rattles off a long list of reasons Fisk couldn't possibly spare an hour to share a story or two. It made me perceive the Hall of Famer as trite and out of touch.
Doc Gooden, who had agreed to meet with Balukjian as long as he got paid, ghosts the author during their planned time together. It's heavily suggested that Gooden, whose meteoric rise led to a sudden descent into drug addiction, may have suffered a relapse around the same time. Some demons are inescapable.
Also, if you always thought Vince Coleman was a jerk, Balukjian finds nothing to dispel that notion.
The Wax Pack is an insightful read filled with heart and humor. Highly recommended, even for those who aren't baseball fans.
