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A Massive Collection, Volume 2: Another Personal Selection of Columbus Crew Stories
Historian and award-winning writer Steve Sirk has delighted Columbus Crew fans for more than two decades by writing with humor, heart, and humanity about the first club in Major League Soccer. He's back with a second wide-ranging collection of Crew stories spanning from the late 1990s to the present day.
This time around, Sirk preserves the Circle of Honor induction stories of Black & Gold legends Brian McBride, Frankie Hejduk, and Sigi Schmid, as well as lengthy features about other club heroes like Clark, Maisonneuve, Marshall, Schelotto, Warzycha, Zelarayan, and more.
MLS Cup 2020 gets its own section. As many fans had to watch the big game in isolation due to the pandemic, the historic blowout is re-lived in vivid detail through just one set of eyes—those belonging to fellow Crew fan turned starting center back Josh Williams. The Massive triumph is further celebrated and contextualized through reflective reaction interviews with club icons Dante Washington and Frankie Hejduk.
Among the 32 stories in this fully-annotated collection are four previously unpublished pieces, plus two more that are expanded in book form. And, of course, there are chronicles of weird events, like when the 2007 Crew scrimmaged a local amateur all-star team ( It did not end well), plus assorted silliness, like when Sirk convened The Massive Court, in which the 2008 championship team ruled in the 2012 beard-related case of Moffat v. Gaven .
As with Sirk's previous titles—"A Massive Season", "Kirk Forever Massive", and this book's Volume 1 predecessor—"A Massive Collection, Volume 2" is another essential compendium of Columbus Crew history. (And if you've ever wondered what the Crew term "Massive" is all about, its origins and usage are explained in the opening chapter.)
This is an independent publication, not an official Columbus Crew publication.
This time around, Sirk preserves the Circle of Honor induction stories of Black & Gold legends Brian McBride, Frankie Hejduk, and Sigi Schmid, as well as lengthy features about other club heroes like Clark, Maisonneuve, Marshall, Schelotto, Warzycha, Zelarayan, and more.
MLS Cup 2020 gets its own section. As many fans had to watch the big game in isolation due to the pandemic, the historic blowout is re-lived in vivid detail through just one set of eyes—those belonging to fellow Crew fan turned starting center back Josh Williams. The Massive triumph is further celebrated and contextualized through reflective reaction interviews with club icons Dante Washington and Frankie Hejduk.
Among the 32 stories in this fully-annotated collection are four previously unpublished pieces, plus two more that are expanded in book form. And, of course, there are chronicles of weird events, like when the 2007 Crew scrimmaged a local amateur all-star team ( It did not end well), plus assorted silliness, like when Sirk convened The Massive Court, in which the 2008 championship team ruled in the 2012 beard-related case of Moffat v. Gaven .
As with Sirk's previous titles—"A Massive Season", "Kirk Forever Massive", and this book's Volume 1 predecessor—"A Massive Collection, Volume 2" is another essential compendium of Columbus Crew history. (And if you've ever wondered what the Crew term "Massive" is all about, its origins and usage are explained in the opening chapter.)
This is an independent publication, not an official Columbus Crew publication.
255 pages, Paperback
Published August 22, 2023
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January 29, 2026
In all its permutations, Massive is how the fans came to define our sport, our club, and our city. We are Massive.
For all Columbus Crew fans, I can only say one thing about this book: Thank God for Steve Sirk! This is yet another installment of previously published articles (with some new updates) from Steve Sirk's days as club historian. Needless to say, the articles are an important part of Crew history as each entry document events and people in real time. Some of the highlights include: how the Crew front office and fans embraced the term "Massive" in promoting the club; an outstanding profile on Crew superfan Randy Sims; the history of the Crew Ring of Honor and how the first 3 inductees were chosen; and, a first person report by Josh Williams recalling his starting role in the 2020 MLS Cup Championship game. All are outstanding and must-reads for Crew supporters both new and old.
The book is fun to read allowing new fans to understand and embrace the progression of the team. The insightful articles provide knowledge of important Crew moments and feel necessary to fully understand the Columbus Crew experience and culture. Not all are serious reflections, however, as Sirk includes a few whimsical articles/reflections that will excite OG fans. "The Crew's Fastest Man" and "Moffat v. Gaven" document a period of time where behind-the-scenes razzing of players was common and important to thrust the Crew into the daily conversations of fans. New Crew fans may feel lost reading these articles while at the same time romanticizing these past insights into Crew practices and locker room hijinks.
In reading these articles from a time long past, it made me think how different the fan experience was 15-25 years ago compared to today. Sirk highlights that fans could have a beer with legendary Crew coach Sigi Schmid every Thursday night at an OSU campus bar. Or slam tailgate drinks (and possibly more) with eccentric, albeit fabled, Crew star defender Frankie Hejduk. Or directly talk to players while they warmup before games to the point of establishing long lasting and moving relationships (see Sims article). Or to watch the Crew scrimmage local amateur and/or college teams at the Crew's obsolete practice facilities in Obetz. Alas, none of that would ever happen today. The dynamics of the new Crew stadium, as well as the billionaire wealth of the front office, would never allow it as the Crew, and MLS for that matter, have moved well beyond the overly fan-accommodating experience of previous Crew iterations. Subsequently, it is hard to read the book without becoming nostalgic, and somewhat jealous, of the OG fan experience.
I finished the book pining for Steve Sirk's fun and interesting stories about the Crew. I know he still writes sporadically about the team (see his outstanding 2023 article about Columbus' forever hate of Michael Bradley or his personal reflection on the Columbus Crew playing a 2025 "home" game two hours away in Cleveland), but he is long past working and observing at club headquarters on a daily basis. Thus, unfortunately, we are truly missing the inside stories of today's club, including insights from the Crew's 2023 remarkable championship run. Because of this, I feel sorry for us -the new Crew fans- as we never get any "behind closed door" details or stories or articles of such modern fan favorites as Cucho Hernandez or Darlington Nagbe or Aidan Morris or Steven Moreira et cetera.
Overall, this is a great book for old and new fans to further embrace the history and culture of the club. Even if we do not have inside reports from Sirk (or any beat reporter) anymore, there is one thing that has not changed for fans since 1996...the Columbus Crew are Massive! And so, thank God, is Steve Sirk!
For all Columbus Crew fans, I can only say one thing about this book: Thank God for Steve Sirk! This is yet another installment of previously published articles (with some new updates) from Steve Sirk's days as club historian. Needless to say, the articles are an important part of Crew history as each entry document events and people in real time. Some of the highlights include: how the Crew front office and fans embraced the term "Massive" in promoting the club; an outstanding profile on Crew superfan Randy Sims; the history of the Crew Ring of Honor and how the first 3 inductees were chosen; and, a first person report by Josh Williams recalling his starting role in the 2020 MLS Cup Championship game. All are outstanding and must-reads for Crew supporters both new and old.
The book is fun to read allowing new fans to understand and embrace the progression of the team. The insightful articles provide knowledge of important Crew moments and feel necessary to fully understand the Columbus Crew experience and culture. Not all are serious reflections, however, as Sirk includes a few whimsical articles/reflections that will excite OG fans. "The Crew's Fastest Man" and "Moffat v. Gaven" document a period of time where behind-the-scenes razzing of players was common and important to thrust the Crew into the daily conversations of fans. New Crew fans may feel lost reading these articles while at the same time romanticizing these past insights into Crew practices and locker room hijinks.
In reading these articles from a time long past, it made me think how different the fan experience was 15-25 years ago compared to today. Sirk highlights that fans could have a beer with legendary Crew coach Sigi Schmid every Thursday night at an OSU campus bar. Or slam tailgate drinks (and possibly more) with eccentric, albeit fabled, Crew star defender Frankie Hejduk. Or directly talk to players while they warmup before games to the point of establishing long lasting and moving relationships (see Sims article). Or to watch the Crew scrimmage local amateur and/or college teams at the Crew's obsolete practice facilities in Obetz. Alas, none of that would ever happen today. The dynamics of the new Crew stadium, as well as the billionaire wealth of the front office, would never allow it as the Crew, and MLS for that matter, have moved well beyond the overly fan-accommodating experience of previous Crew iterations. Subsequently, it is hard to read the book without becoming nostalgic, and somewhat jealous, of the OG fan experience.
I finished the book pining for Steve Sirk's fun and interesting stories about the Crew. I know he still writes sporadically about the team (see his outstanding 2023 article about Columbus' forever hate of Michael Bradley or his personal reflection on the Columbus Crew playing a 2025 "home" game two hours away in Cleveland), but he is long past working and observing at club headquarters on a daily basis. Thus, unfortunately, we are truly missing the inside stories of today's club, including insights from the Crew's 2023 remarkable championship run. Because of this, I feel sorry for us -the new Crew fans- as we never get any "behind closed door" details or stories or articles of such modern fan favorites as Cucho Hernandez or Darlington Nagbe or Aidan Morris or Steven Moreira et cetera.
Overall, this is a great book for old and new fans to further embrace the history and culture of the club. Even if we do not have inside reports from Sirk (or any beat reporter) anymore, there is one thing that has not changed for fans since 1996...the Columbus Crew are Massive! And so, thank God, is Steve Sirk!
Displaying 1 of 1 review