Let's talk about baseball. Not much of a stretch as far as subjects go, given John Apparite's intense feelings for the Washington Senators (and the World Series just got over with, so it's fresh on my mind for that reason, too), but this is one of the aspects of the book that people always mention, so I thought I'd expound on it.

Why Apparite is a baseball fan is obvious--in the Fifties, there were three great American sports: Baseball, Boxing, and Horse Racing. So why is Apparite a Senators fan in particular? Simple--because the Senators are no more. The original Senators left Washington for Minnesota in 1961, and then again for Texas in the early seventies, so I liked the idea of Apparite loving this team that we--the readers--know is going to leave him, breaking his heart. It adds a sense of melancholy and foreboding to his deep affection for them, and I like that sort of depth in a character. In my opinion, it's too easy to make someone in a book love, say, the Yankees with their 26 or so championships, or the Cubbies, who haven't won since 1908, or the Red Sox, who just ridded themselves of the "Curse of the Bambino." No one in literature is likely to be a Senators fan, which is partly why John Apparite was.

Plus, the "Nats" were never very good for very long, yet they had some great players, including the legendary Walter Johnson, so I liked that, too. They were also located in D.C., allowing me to really connect Apparite with his team while learning and doing his duties, and then connect with the Director's past as well. I rather wanted Apparite to grow up in Iowa, truth be told, but this did not jive with his life-long love for the "Nats" so, instead, he came from the Cumberland, Maryland area (an area which I know since my mother's side of the family is from there). It simplified things: Apparite was raised in Maryland, the Director lives in D.C., Apparite lives/works in D.C., and the Senators are in D.C. A natural fit.

But the nice thing about using baseball is that it connects with people on an emotional level--it's Americas oldest, most beloved sport, filled with legendary players and records (I still remember the old ones better than the new: KO's--Walter Johnson, 3,508; hits--Ty Cobb, 4,191; homers--Babe Ruth, 714; RBI's--Hack Wilson, 190). Baseball is simply ingrained in the subconscious of our nation; it goes way, way, way back (as Phil Rizzuto, I believe, might have said), bonding generations to one another in this one common entity.

There's more literature about baseball than any other sport--and I mean literature, not just stories--with boxing, probably, a close second. It lends itself to retellings and embellishments; to timeless anecdotes; to great heroes (Walter Johnson, Babe Ruth) and villains (Hal Chase, Ty Cobb, the Black Sox) and various gradations of both (Shoeless Joe Jackson).

Expect more baseball in the second book (Apparite's Revenge); if the Director's feeling especially generous, maybe he'll even let Apparite go to a "Nats" game. And don't forget that Walter Johnson tobacco card of Apparite's either--there's more to it than meets the eye.

Next up: I think I'll talk about the life of real secret agents. Stop back in a week.