Note: this originally ran back in June, but I wanted to rerun it today to remind you all that Blue Blood makes a great Christmas gift for the Colts fan in your life. The book is available all over the Indy area and for purchase on line. A very few autographed copies remain. If you want one, email me at [email protected] for details.
Blue Blood, my new book on the history of the Indianapolis Colts, is officially on sale! Just why should you purchase a copy of Blue Blood? Well, let me tell you the top 18 Reasons to Buy Blue Blood…
1. Blue Blood is a great read.
I had to make a lot of choices when sitting down to write a book about the Colts. The first was what kind of book I would write. I chose to make Blue Blood digestible and easy to read in short bursts. This isn’t an ‘encyclopedic’ version of team history, but rather paints the events of the past 26 years in broad strokes. Blue Blood is the kind of book that you can pick up and read as much or as little of as you want.
2. Because you remember Jason Belser.
If you are the kind of fan who has been around for years and remembers Duane Bickett and Eugene Daniels and other Classic Colts, then you’ll love this book. As you know, that’s the kind of fan I am. If you want to talk about Ron Meyer or the Dickerson trade, then you’ll enjoy Blue Blood. In many ways, the book serves as an editorial on the past. If you know what happened and remember how it felt, you’ll love this book.
3. Because you don’t remember Jason Belser.
If you were born after 1984 and you don’t remember life before the Colts, this is the book for you. The Manning years have brought many new Colts fans into the fold. We are thrilled you’ve joined us. This book will help catch you up on what you missed. One of the steps to becoming a true fan is to not only root for the team on the field, but to understand and appreciate the history of the club. If you are a young or a new Colts fan, this book will fill in the gaps.
4. Because you love Indianapolis.
Blue Blood is more than just a story about the Colts. It’s the story of how Indianapolis grew up as a city. If you care about or are interested in Indy as a city in development, then this book should interest you. The Colts were part of a master plan to help Indianapolis become a top flight city nationwide. This tells part of that story.
5. Because 18to88 is free.
Listen, it’s been going on three and a half years now. We’ve made somewhere south of $1,000 for the many hours of work we put in to entertain you. Basically, it’s like you’ve been stealing from me. THIEF! You are a dirty thief! Buy my book. It’s like paying the bill for all your thievery of 18to88. Thief.
6. Because it’s the offseason.
There is no new Colts news for another month. You might as well read about some old Colts stuff. It will keep you busy until the real hits start flying. Relive some of the great moments and memorable players of the past.
7. Because the past matters.
Joe Addai’s contract is up at the end of this year. He has been a Classic Colt and a fine player. He has almost no chance of securing a long term deal from the Colts no matter how well he plays this year. He could put up 1,500 yards and 500 receiving, and the best he could hope for is a franchise tag. Why? Read the book. All this has happened before.
8. Because you love basketball.
What does loving basketball have to do with the Colts? Everything. Blue Blood traces not only the rise of the Colts, but the decline of hoops in Indiana. The intersection of the two sports is brought into sharp focus by this book. If you care about Indiana hoops (high school, college, or the Pacers), and you’ve been disillusioned by the events of the past 10 years, then this book is for you.
9. Because if you don’t the terrorists win.
Terrorists hate the USA. Football is the most popular sport in the States. Terrorists hate football. They also hate free speech. They also hate free enterprise. That means they hate Blue Blood worst of all. If you don’t buy this book, Osama Bin Laden will laugh his head off in his cave. You don’t want that, do you?
10. Because you’ve always wanted to meet me and Demond, I mean Luke.
I’ll be doing at least two book signings around Indy during the month of July (details to come). I promise I’ll make Luke show up. Just think how embarrassed you’ll be to meet me if you haven’t bought a copy of my book. I’m not signing your chest. Stop asking, JC. Books only. I mean it.
11. Because you have to have SOMETHING to read on your Kindle.
Blue Blood is for sale as an e-book as well. It’s availble for Kindle and Nook.
12. Because you eventually want to read my other book.
I’m proud of Blue Blood. It’s a good book. My novel, however, that’s the really great stuff (he says modestly). If Blue Blood sells, we won’t have any problem selling Invincible, Indiana. Many publishers don’t care about what’s good…just what sells. If you buy Blue Blood, you are helping Invincible to see the light of day. And you want that. Believe me. Plus, if that sells, I might find a market for my Star Wars fan fiction: The Courtship of Jar Jar Binks. Plus Luke’s work, Gossip Guy: A fan salute to the CW could get released as well.
13. Because you knew the kick didn’t have a chance.
When Vandy lined up to tie the game against Pittsburgh, you knew in your heart what was coming next. You didn’t even have to watch. You couldn’t watch. You knew.
I knew too.
That’s why you’ll love this book.
14. Because of this baby.
Seriously, you want to see this kid homeless and on the street? Heartless bastard. Never mind. I don’t want you to buy my book. You are evil.
15. Because it’s about time the world accepted that the Colts are ours.
In many places, you still hear whining over Indy “stealing” the Colts. Here’s the bottom line: we are just five seasons from having had the Colts longer than Baltimore. It’s time the world realized that. There have been a couple of books written about the Colts. Let ‘Er Rip was the story of the 1995 season, and briefly recapped the first decade in Indy. Tales from the Indianapolis Colts Sidelines is a cool collection of anecdotes about players and coaches, but isn’t organized as a true history of the team. But basically, that’s it. Blue Blood is my effort to declare to the world that the Colts are ours. We have a real history now. We care about them as much as Baltimore ever did. This is the first true written history of the team in Indianapolis.
16. Because Jim Irsay said this book is exactly what the Colts need.
Bill Polian said this earlier this year:
I believe my first home game here was against Miami and I remember walking out on the field and seeing all these Dolphins jerseys, and I said to a staffer, “What is this? Why are there all these Dolphins jerseys?” I was used to Buffalo, where everything was red, white and blue 12 months a year. This person said to me, “Well, there’s a great affinity for the Dolphins going all that way back to Bob Griese (an Evansville native and Purdue All-American who led Miami to the 1972 and 1973 Super Bowl titles).“We moved here from Baltimore and there are people here who are Lions fans and Bears fans. We don’t have two or three generations of Colts fans the way teams like Cleveland, Buffalo, Green Bay have, where children are born into those families and have that loyalty passed down from grandfather to father to son.” I just took it all in, and in subsequently talking to (Colts owner) Jim Irsay, he pinpointed all that, he said, “We need to create a new generation of Colts fans who will pass on that allegiance and the tales of glory to their sons and daughters.”
17. Because you actually can interact with the author.
I’m here. All the time. If you disagree with something in the book or have a different opinion, you know where to find me. Try doing that with any other author. Barbara Kingsolver won’t even return my calls.
18. Because I haven’t sold out.
JC offered to buy 500 copies if I would write an essay about why Tom Brady was the greatest QB of all time for his site. I turned him down cold.
After all, I have to wake up and look myself in the mirror every day.
****
On a serious note, I just want to thank all of you for making this happen. Demond and Deshawn started blogging for fun several years ago, and without all of you, 18to88 would have stayed buried along with a million other failed on-line endeavors (we once had a site called Pirate Reviews in which we reviewed movies). Instead, there is now a vibrant community and endless fun even in the offseason.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you all.
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