The following text was pulled from the foreword written by Ron Howard, who sums up the reason Jim wrote this book…978-1-
Jim always came through as a character actor and writer, but as the years rolled on, even more significantly as a friend. He is one of those buddies it’s always fun to reconnect with. His view of the world is wise, but never weary. He’s fascinated and energized by the life around him whether he’s critical of what he’s witnessing, or inspired by it. For that reason, Jim is fascinating and energizing to hang with. He makes friends easily, and he easily keeps them because he’s the kind of pal all of us covet. You can count yourself lucky if you have Jim in your corner. Trust me, I know. 
He and his wonderful bride Suzanne have been on many journeys together and this book recounts the most interesting ones. There is something revealing about Jim’s focus on the three aspects of popular culture he holds dearest. It’s all about narratives and what we as a society can gain from these stories which are presented to us to consider and feel. Whether they are the carefully scripted movies he loves, or the finely honed 3 to 4 minute pop songs he cherishes and writes about or the organic true life narratives that emerge out of any season of baseball or any major league player’s career. If you pay attention and are astute, they all offer miraculous bursts of excellence.
Jim has built a career and life around his love and understanding of these mediums and the people who excel in them. He has the stories to prove it and the writing chops to bring them to life in a way we can all enjoy. 
Well I was right. I did enjoy writing this foreword to Jim’s story. I know you’ll enjoy the pages ahead of you. 
—Ron Howard