August 26, 2006
art & baseball
Recently I read an article in Sports Illustrated that featured the work of artist Ben Sakoguchi, creator of the Orange Crate Label Series of artwork. Though I don't usually think very much about art - especially the purchasing of art - Mr. Sakoguchi's collection of works entitled the Unauthorized History of Baseball has become one of my favorites (right up there with the now-famous "Death To Pilgrims" fresco, as done by Eric Boye, circa 1985).
Ever since I read the article in SI I've been tinkering with the idea of purchasing a copy of some of the Sakaguchi prints, though I had yet to actually pursue the idea of owning one until today. Unfortunately, to my surprise, The Unauthorized History of Baseball has not been put into mass production yet and the originals have been hanging in a Los Angeles City College art gallery since February, being underappreciated by the unsportly California art community. It's a shame, too, because I've finally drummed up enough motivation today to buy ten poster-sized versions of these images to hang in my sports parlor (once I get a sports parlor, of course - for now they would just lay beneath the guest bed, waiting to be immortalized alongside The Captain, 'Melo, and Mickey). Who knows how long such a motivation to shop can last, though, right? Personally, I think Mr. Sakoguchi needs to remove his art from the city of angels and bring it home to where baseball belongs: Tully's Restaurant & Bar on Erie Boulevard. That way, I could actually enjoy the Unauthorized History in person while watching its subjects live on a 90-inch screen and talking art with my fellow scholars over a cold Blue and some Tully's Tenders. Instead, I'm being forced to drool over them through my computer monitor.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that for the first time in awhile I truly appreciate the work of an artist, and it would be pretty great if he made a few copies of it so we could all bask in his genius. Let me know if you agree, and we can try to make it happen.
