Jets In The River

I'm not referring to the East or Hudson Rivers.  Or Sully Sullenberger, although that was really something.  I'm not even referring to jets in the generally accepted sense but, rather, to the New York Football Jets.  And these days when I say things like "I went down to the river" I'm not quoting Bruce Springsteen, even though I am, but saying that I went to Amazon.com and poked around a little bit.

All of which brings me to a book by a guy named Nicholas Dawidoff titled "Collision Low Crossers" -- his accounting of the 2011 Jets season.  That was the year when they flew too close to the sun, the wax melted and they fell back to earth, trading an 11-5 record from the previous season (AFC title game) for the profound mediocrity of eight and eight. Which remains the status quo until we are officially notified otherwise.

I only know about this book because Jackie MacMullan, columnist for ESPNBoston, told me about it.  She said it was great, so I went down to the river (you with me?) and typed it in.  Thinking perhaps there was a used paperback kicking around for four or five bucks.

Which there isn't.

In fact, the opposite was true.  The book goes for $29 and the Kindle version for $15.  Best used version is thirteen clams, plus another four to get the thing sent to me.

As you know, I bleed green until it's time, in the typical NFL season, to abandon the Jets and start rooting for the Giants.  I, by the way, see nothing wrong with this.  Go Blue.  But what is with these $15 Kindle prices?  For a fucking sports book?  Whatever happened to the $9.99 ebook?

"Riveting ... An instant classic."
     -- The New York Times.

Even though everybody says it's going to be a classic, I'm putting it on my wish list and revisiting the situation in a couple of months.

On a more positive note, Julia Childs has something interesting to say about poaching eggs:  She says that, just prior to poaching, you submerge the egg, shell intact, in boiling water for exactly ten seconds.  Then, when you go to crack it open and gently slide it into your poaching water, the thing holds together better.

I had an omelette this morning and used my last eggs.  But when I get some more I'm going to try her technique out.

Back to football for a minute.  Everybody says the Jets are going to go 7-9 this year.  I'm not so sure.  I'm looking at nine or ten victories and, perhaps, a sniff of the underbelly of the playoffs.

The Times' review of Collision Low Crossers opens with this ...

Football, George Will once argued, "combines the two worst things about America:  violence and committee meetings."

Which is a pretty good line.