The Wax Pack

On the Open Road in Search of Baseball's Afterlife

By: Brad Balukjian

Narrated by: Brad Balukjian

Is there life after baseball? Starting from this simple question, The Wax Pack ends up with something much bigger and unexpected - a meditation on the loss of innocence and the gift of impermanence, for both Brad Balukjian and the former ballplayers he tracked down.

To get a truly random sample of players, Balukjian followed this wildly absurd but fun-as-hell premise: he took a single pack of baseball cards from 1986 (the first year he collected cards), opened it, chewed the nearly 30-year-old gum inside, gagged, and then embarked on a quest to find all the players in the pack. Absurd, maybe, but true. He took this trip solo in the summer of 2015, spanning 11,341 miles through 30 states in 48 days.

Balukjian actively engaged with his subjects - taking a hitting lesson from Rance Mulliniks, watching kung fu movies with Garry Templeton, and going to the zoo with Don Carman. In the process of finding all the players but one, he discovered an astonishing range of experiences and untold stories in their post-baseball lives, and he realized that we all have more in common with ballplayers than we think.

While crisscrossing the country, Balukjian retraced his own past, reconnecting with lost loves and coming to terms with his lifelong battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

©2020 Brad Balukjian (P)2020 Tantor

Enjoyed hearing about what became of ballplayers

I like baseball from the 1970s and 1980s and baseball cards, so really enjoyed this book. Best parts are when author talks to the actual, lesser known players so we can find out "where are they now". Can go off subject and be too introspective at times. But overall one of those books I looked forward to getting back to whenever I could to continue the story. If author writes another baseball related book would anxious to buy it!

The stories of the 70's and 80's players

Loves how the author spoke with the players and gave background on their playing days

Much more than baseball.

I don't even like baseball and I loved this book. The meaning the author finds in our shared experiences is the real star.

Very entertaining, as well as educational!

The author shares his own personal story while investigating the lives of former baseball players. The audiobook reveals the various path that these athletes’ lives took before, during, and after baseball. Very well done!

Enjoyable Read

This work caught my eye this week while seeking something new to pass time during NYC's stay at home era. Whether you are a baseball fan or not, this is an enjoyable read. It exposes the reader to the human element of the professionals that entertain us for years and sometimes decades. The concept was great and the author executes well. Highly recommend, especially for baseball fans.

well written and read by the author

I am a huge baseball fan. This book details the real lives of its players and its author. I loved it!

Memories unleashed

Brings back the good old days when baseball was king. Finding out that even the best of them are real people with real world problems. Great read/listen.

Great read about baseball and life.

Brad Balukjian does a great job with this unique story. The story of the Wax Packers is one that has me reflecting on my own experiences with baseball, family, and life. I am glad that like many of the players in the book fought for their baseball careers, Balukjian kept fighting for a chance to tell this story.

Baseball, Travel & Family

Not only is this a great book about adventure and baseball, but it is about relationships with loved ones. Brad does a fantastic job of showing the human side of the wax packers. I truly enjoyed this book. You won’t regret listening to this.

Great concept, pretty good execution

As long as the book keeps focused on Balukjian’s quest to find and interview a random cast of retired baseball players, it is thoroughly entertaining. There is, however, a bit more info than I needed on Brad Balukjian himself—some of it feels relevant to understanding his motivations, but there’s a good amount that should have been excised, particularly his ruminations over—and eventual reunion with—an ex-girlfriend. Overall, though, it was an engaging and worthwhile listen, and his narration was appropriate.