BMTG Daily Dose

Formerly known as the Daily Dose, the Weekly Dose is home to weekly excerpts from a wide variety of important books. These excerpts are near and dear to the hearts of the BMTG membership. Submissions from BMTG members are welcome, as long as the guidelines are followed. Submissions that do not conform to the official guidelines will be rejected without the opportunity to appeal. Excerpts are best when read aloud with a dramatic flair.

2006
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Week of December 26, 2005

The Giant Panda Book by Anthony Hiss

They sleep in the forks of trees, underneath trees, inside hollow trees, or curled up in the bamboo of the bamboo forest. They sleep on their backs, on their sides and on their bellies. One panda once used the top of a tree stump for a bed.

Bonus Reading from The Giant Panda Book
Of course, like all pandas, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing spend a great deal of their time sleeping, so that is all most of their visitors ever see them do. But even watching them sleep can be interesting, because, like all pandas, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing are always doing interesting things. When I went to see them, I saw them sleeping in positions I had never read about in any book, and if you have a chance to go see them yourself, you will probably see them sleeping in positions you have not read about in this book.

Week of December 19, 2005

Balls by Craig Nettles and Peter Golenbock

George is prejudiced against players over thirty-five... He assumes that everyone in his mid-thirties is going to look like him at that age, and it's not the way it is. He doesn't realize that athletes have pride in their bodies. They're not going to just let themselves go like he did... It's not hard to stay in good shape, really. The first thing you do is try not to eat four or five desserts a day like he does. He doesn't drink, so obviously he eats a lot to be as fat as he is. It's not so hard to take care of yourself when you realize that you can make a lot of money with your body. He doesn't realize that as an athlete, I know how to refuse a hot fudge sundae. He never could.

Bonus Reading from Balls
Ken [Griffey] doesn't say much. He's not one of those guys who brags about the Big Red Machine like some players who brag about their old teams. The only time he ever gets loud is when he has a beer. Then he'll get real tipsy and incoherent. It doesn't last long, though. Two beers, and he's asleep. Usually when you give him one beer you like to give him two to put him away. He's the cheapest drunk I've ever seen.

Week of December 12, 2005

Black Bartlemy's Treasure by Jeffrey Farnol

        "Ha!" says Adam, closing and locking the door. "And what's the riddle, Martin?"
        "My doublet. Godby, chancing to take it up, finds it all a-smear with blood and incontinent suspects me for this black murderer, which comes hard since here's an end of Godby's faith and my friendship."
        "Why look now, Martin, his suspicions are in reason seeing that what with drugs, deviltries and what not, you've been mighty strange o' late and more unlovely company than usual, d'ye see!"
        "Howbeit!" says I, scowling and reaching for the food, "Here's an end to my friendship for Godby. Now as to you--what d'you say?"
        "I think, shipmate, that your doublet bloody and you the grimly, desperate, gallowsy, hell-fire rogue you strive so hard to appear, Martin, I say here's enough to hang you ten times over. One thing is sure, you must leave this ship."

The Lost City by Joseph E. Badger, Jr.

Snatching up a blazing brand, the lad moved off in that direction, whirling the torch around his head until it burst into clear flame, then lowering it closer to a bloody heap of fur and powerful limbs, to give a short ejaculation of wondering awe.
It was a headless body upon which he gazed, ragged fragments of skin and a few splinters of bone alone remaining to tell that a solid skull had so recently been thereon.

Week of December 5, 2005

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you"--here I opened wide the door--
Darkness there and nothing more.

Dyke Darrel the Railroad Detective by Frank Pinkerton

        Aunt Jule was extremely glad to meet "Marse Dyke."
        "Why didn't you bring the young missus wid yo?" questioned the negress.
        "What's that? Hope you didn't think I'd committed matrimony?" and the detective laughed lightly, at the same time chucking Aunt Jule under her fat chin.
        "Lor-a-massy, no, Marse Dyke. I meant Missy Nell," explained the black woman.
        "Miss Nell? Isn't she at home?"
        "Wal, now, what a question. In coorse she ain't. Didn' yo' send fur her yo' very self? How den yo' 'spec she's goin' to be home ef yo' didn' done brung her, eh?"
        All this was Greek to Dyke Darrel.