No. 953 – Overdrive

Performer: Foo Fighters

Songwriters: Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett

Original Release: One By One

Year: 2002

Definitive Version: None

When Jin and her new guy, Paul, moved in together, that put a serious crimp in my plans. By this time, I knew I was definitely going to quit the Dispatch in early 2003 to begin work on my book on minor-league baseball. Originally, I was going to move out to Los Angeles into my sister’s back bedroom and essentially be the domestic to earn my keep while I did my writing.

Although it made sense financially, LA was hardly an ideal location. Most of the best baseball-research collections were in the East, including most significantly Cooperstown and The Sporting News archives in St. Louis, as well as a recently discovered treasure trove: the Cleveland Public Library. LA had the Olympic archives, which had a few things, and the LA public library was massive, albeit not baseball-focused. Still, I was willing to give it a shot.

But I knew in the fall of 2002 when One By One came out, that the last thing my sister and her new guy would want is big brother lurking about. Even though they both said all the right things—and perhaps truly did believe what they said about having me come out—there was no question that it would be best for everyone to find other arrangements.

The solution was obvious: Move to Cleveland for a year to blow through all of the books, guides and microfilm that were there and then reassess the situation to see whether after another year, it then was the right time to head West.