A Very Big League of Their Own By Nick Garcia
Meet Nick Garcia By Trey Alverson
Local lawyer and longtime Fayetteville resident Nick Garcia has written a statistically-centered, scathing and sometimes hilarious account of Major League Baseball's so-called "steroid era." His book, "A Very Big League of Their Own: Cracking Baseball's Steroid Code," offers both lifelong baseball fans and casual readers a unique, highly enjoyable and common sense approach to a subject that has dominated the sportswriting market in recent years. By his own admission, Garcia did not consciously decide to write a book about steroids in baseball. The project, which eventually grew into the recently published book, began simply as a respite from writers block. In the spring of 2005, Garcia found himself hopelessly stuck between the second and third novels of his as of yet unpublished post-apocalyptic survival trilogy. Around that same time, the notorious televised House Government Reform Committee's hearings on steroids in baseball featuring superstars Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmiero and others dominated the headlines nationwide. Garcia recalls that while watching clips of the hearings, he told his father, "I have a way to give you a good idea of exactly who in Major League Baseball is on 'the juice.'" To accomplish this, Garcia began to study the career trajectories of known steroid users such as Jose Canseco, Ken Caminiti and Jason Giambi. His statistical analysis showed that each aforementioned player's performance in the areas of batting average and home runs significantly and quantifiably spiked after he began taking steroids. Garcia then applied his formula, which he playfully calls "The Theory of Roidactivity," to the career trajectories of possible steroid users. Not surprisingly, many of the players suspected publicly as steroid injectors have statistics that fit nicely into Garcia's theory. More interestingly, some of baseball's previously unsuspected and most beloved all-time greats also show highly suspicious spikes in their career statistics. Garcia knew he was on to something, "I started writing about my theory in hopes of maybe shopping it around as an article to a sports magazine or something like that, but as I did more research, the project grew," Garcia remarked. In February, Garcia submitted his manuscript to a publisher. The first copies of his book hit the shelves several weeks ago, just before former Senator George Mitchell's highly anticipated report on steroid use in baseball was released to the public. The Mitchell Report validated some of Garcia's theories. "A Very Big League of Their Own" contains an entire chapter blasting Mitchell Report "star" and alleged steroid user Roger Clemens. Garcia's controversial book also contains a chapter on what the author perceives as racism in Major League Baseball's current drug-testing regimen. Obviously, Garcia is not out to make friends with anyone in the majors. "I had the liberty to tell it like it is. People who have read my book have told me that I say the things that they wanted to say, and that I say the things that the mainstream sports media cannot say because of its close relationship with the league." Still, the book aims to do more than simply stir up controversy and point fingers. Garcia maintains a needed buoyancy by interjecting humor, satire and anecdotes from his own baseball intertwined life. He even calls out the current state of Fayette County Little League Baseball as a symptom of the national pastime's unfortunate demise. The book and the extensive research that made it possible also provided a service for the writer. It helped Garcia move beyond baseball. As a once extremely dedicated fan who feels overwhelmingly betrayed by the steroid era, Garcia admits that "The wounds were still open and sore." For Garcia, writing "A Very Big League of Their Own" was in a sense, a form of therapy. "You take something you spent so much of your time with; something you constantly talked about and cared about, and now it's gone. It's like getting a divorce. So the writing process was sort of a cathartic thing." However, if one reads carefully, it becomes clear that Garcia has not completely succeeded in abandoning his attachment to baseball. One segment of the book sublimely makes a case for former Atlanta Brave great Dale Murphy to be elected into the baseball hall of fame. Nick Garcia will visit two area Barnes and Noble stores on Jan. 22nd to sign copies of "A Very Big League of Their Own." He will appear at the Fayetteville store from 4-6 p.m. and at the Newnan location from 7:30-9:30 p.m. The book is also available through most online retailers
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