Before Deadspin, Will Leitch wrote a long-running series of essays called "Life As A Loser" that chronicled his journey from a broken engagement through moving to New York and figuring out who the hell he was. Though the column ended almost two years ago (with a book, natch), Leitch hasn't stopped examining his experiences in print (and thinking outside the boxs scores). In this month's issue of Men's Health, he has an essay on dealing with his girlfriend's long-ago threesome that is touching, funny and no doubt instructive for anyone who ever wished they could rewrite their sexual history, or their partner's sexual history, or considered writing about either for a magazine with a circulation of 1.7 million.

Readers seeking salacious details can look here, but they'll find most of them existing only in Leitch's head as he wrings his hands mentally about meeting the other participants (at their wedding, for extra comic relief. Sounds like a Ben Stiller vehicle to me!). One semi-salacious detail is Leitch's quaint, semi-Canadian euphemism for the Act of Love (aka "baiser") -- he calls it "logrolling." Bear with me, this will have increased significance in a moment.

For your intrepid blogger, the trail led from the magazine to Leitch's current book, "Catch": I noticed that the once-lascivious bride and groom were named "Tim" and "Helena" -- the same names of the "Catch" protagonists.

I'm a journalist, dammit, so I wanted to be sure. I grabbed my copy, and a press release fell out. Here's where life is funny. I picked it up, and happened to see this:

Will Leitch's first novel is a coming-of-age story that will resonate for young people and adults alike. His main character's move from an unexamined existence to one in which he is fully engaged in the joy, insecurity, the pain, and the challenge of life rings with authenticity and sincerity. (emphasis added)

--James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces and My Friend Leonard

And so, dear reader, the upshot? No matter what the topic, a James Frey punchline is never far behind.

My Girlfriend's Threesome [Men's Health]

(NB This threesome is completed here, by the way.) Also, as mentioned before, Leitch is a friend of mine; but either way, this post is not meant to imply that his book is not "authentic and sincere" just that James Frey might not be the guy to opine on that, turns out.