53rd Man

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,671
It's launch day for 53rd Man! Woohoooo! If anyone is still interested in buying, there are two ways to do it.

You can get a sweet discount from my publisher (Rowman & Littlefield).

At checkout, use this promo code for 30% off: RLFANDF30


Or if you want a signed copy, sorry, but you'll have to order it directly from me.

And at checkout, use this promo code for 20% off: SOSHAUTO


For those of you who have ordered one already directly from me, I apologize, but you'll be getting your books soon. I haven't received the batch yet from the publisher (they were supposed to be here on Monday), but as soon as I do, they'll get sent right out. And obviously, any new orders from my website won't be mailed until I get them in from Rowman & Littlefield.

Thanks, SOSH, for your support!

68875
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,671
Announcement: We will be having a 53rd Man zoom call Wednesday night, September 6, at 8:00pm EST. It will go for an hour. We will talk about the book for a little bit and then we will spend some time with Andrew Callahan, Patriots' beat reporter for the Boston Herald. Will be a great chance to ask him some NFL or Pats-specific questions! It's open to anyone, but you have to register to be let in.

Click here to register. Would love to "meet" some of you that night!
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,671
Wish I lived in Boston. I'd be there. Enjoy the moment. Congrats again on all the hard work.
You don't need to live in Boston. It's a zoom call so you can be anywhere in the world. Would love to have you jump in on it! Just fill out the registration form.

And thanks. I really appreciate it!
 

Super Nomario

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 5, 2000
14,015
Mansfield MA
Very cool discussion tonight about 53rd Man and with Andrew Callahan. You alluded to doing more of these in the future @BaseballJones ; I think that's a great idea and would definitely encourage folks to participate.

BTW I'm 75% of the way through the book and really enjoying it. The back of the roster is an area that I've never seen explored in this much detail and the individual stories are compelling.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,671
Thanks guys for coming. It was really fun and Andrew did a great job. I'll keep people posted on future events.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,671
In the spirit of what a 53rd Man is, I'm going to take some time and give you little profiles of some of the end-of-the-roster guys on this year's Pats squad.

First up, Pharaoh Brown.

Six-year pro out of Oregon, signed as an UDFA. He's big (6'5", 246 lbs) and has had quite the journeyman NFL experience already.

Picked up by the Raiders in 2017, he played in just 2 games for them, going from the PS to the 53-man roster in December. After camp in 2018 the Raiders waived him and the Browns picked him up and put him on their practice squad. They elevated him to the 53-man roster in October but saw no action as an active player. They put him on IR in December with a shoulder injury.

He managed to play in 6 games for Cleveland in 2019, catching 2 passes, but on Sept 6, 2020, the Browns waived him and Houston signed him. He experienced the best years of his career in 2020-21 with Houston, with 14 catches for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2020, and then 23 receptions for 171 yards in 2021.

In 2022 he split time between Houston and Cleveland, amassing 12 receptions for 117 yards.

In 2023 the Colts signed him but then released him at the end of August. On Aug 30, the Patriots signed him to the practice squad, but in a series of roster moves, they brought him up to the 53-man roster on September 4. There's a good chance he'll be active for the game on Sunday.

He's had an injury-plagued career, having suffered torn knee ligaments in his junior year at Oregon, and then missing large chunks of time in the NFL with the shoulder injury. Here's a description of the knee injury at Oregon:

"In 2013 and most of 2014, Pharaoh Brown was the Pac-12's best tight end. He was a huge contributor to Oregon QB Marcus Mariota winning the Heisman Trophy and in Oregon's run to the national title game. But in November of 2014, Brown's career took a sudden turn for the worse.

In a game against Utah, Brown stepped on a teammate's foot near the goal line. He tore two ligaments in his knee, and the damage caused a stretched artery. The artery restricted blood flow to the rest of Brown's leg, and doctors feared they would have to amputate. A late-night emergency surgery was performed, and Brown's leg was saved."

It's considered somewhat miraculous that he's even able to play at all, so this is one of those feel-good 53rd Man stories we can root for.