Gifts.

One of the hallmarks of a life worth living is learning something new nearly every day, and today I’ve learned that Black Friday, in some corners of the marketplace (especially the e-centrically inclined), actually starts on Wednesday.

So, in case you’re craving an added distraction before tomorrow’s food and football fest, and dutifully look to get your Friday started 48 hours early, we are days from shipping the 2016 Bound Edition for those who have pre-ordered. And you can get in on that action right now.

If you place your order now, your books will ship in plenty of time for the holidays. The 2016 Bound Edition is available in both hard copy and in digital form, and I have copies of all past years’ editions available as well (in fact, I can ship any of those prior editions immediately).

As far as the 2016 book is concerned, Jeff Banister’s foreword is worth the cost of the book by itself.

(Mike Ferrin’s foreword and the other 230+ pages are a bonus.)

Among the candidates to benefit from your Black-Friday-on-Wednesday generosity and thoughtfulness:

• All those friends of yours whose baseball insanity is on level with yours

• Your spouse (or your Top 10 Spouse Prospects)

• Your kid, if she or he needs something new to read for school

• Your boss and your co-workers

• Your parents and siblings

• Your coaches and teachers and accountants, and their parents (not their siblings, as that would be a little silly)

• Your other relatives and in-laws who love the Great Game

• Anyone who loves photos of Jeff Banister shoving a finger in A.J. Hinch’s face during a bench-clearing get-together in Houston

• Your clients – seriously, your clients (none of whom need another fruit basket)

• Your Secret Santa assignee

• Geovany Soto, who we’re going to see smoothing the dirt and double-pumping his throws to the mound a whole lot this coming season

• That person who always shames you by out-cooling you with the gift he or she gives you

• That person you want to shame into getting you something super-awesome and unique by beating them to the punch

• All those people on your annual (and perhaps semi-annual, if not more frequent) gift list who “have everything” or “don’t need anything”

• You

You can check off a whole lot of those to-buy-for boxes in just a couple minutes.

Tip of the cap to the great Marty Yawnick, whose awesome design of the front and back covers is shown below:

[Front/back]

Happy Thanksgiving, you guys.