Summary

The book opens with Jose Conucci, whose real name is Theodore (Ted) Fullilove, at his job at Yankee Stadium where he sells peanuts. The national anthem begins. Ted is a 30-something with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Columbia University. He compares himself doing his job to Wallace Stevens when he sold insurance. After the game, his friend and coworker, talks to him, and the narrator explains that Mungo counts his peanut throws (Ted has an impressive record).The chapter ends with the Red Socks beating the Yankees. This chapter also reveals that the book takes place in the 1970s.

In Chapter 2, Mungo tells Ted that he threw well that day. The chapter then turns into a description of some of Ted's rapid thoughts, including his theory that the 50s are really the 40s because a decade only counts once it is...