cover image The Juju Rules; or, How to Win Ballgames from Your Couch: A Memoir of a Fan Obsessed

The Juju Rules; or, How to Win Ballgames from Your Couch: A Memoir of a Fan Obsessed

Hart Seely. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $25 (256p) ISBN 978-0-547-62237-8

Juju, an “anecdotal science rooted in the theory that every living being has a cosmic purpose...,” can be applied to all sports, but Seely’s expertise is baseball. The Syracuse Post-Standard journalist’s affections are for the New York Yankees; he even accepts credit for being the reason “so many people hate the Yankees.” Seely, who was ironically spawned by a father with an “all-consuming hatred” of his son’s team, weaves his life as a Yankees fan with instructions on how to apply the rules in a fast-paced, hilarious fashion—at times touching, but never dull. Included are historical tidbits that only a true fan would know or care about. This rollicking exposition unveils a rabid fan who claims to have a “Jekyll/Hyde” complex with respect to the Yankees. There is no Jekyll or Hyde—there is only Seely, a true fan. (Apr.)