Knocking on Heaven’s Door
Six Minor Leaguers in Search of the Baseball Dream
-
- 17,99 €
-
- 17,99 €
Description de l’éditeur
The rich slice of Americana found in minor league baseball presents a contradictory culture. On the one hand, the minors are filled with wholesome, family-friendly entertainment-fluffy mascots, kitschy promotions, and earnest young men signing autographs for wide-eyed Little Leaguers. On the other, they comprise a world of cutthroat competition in which a teammate’s failure or injury can be the cause of quiet celebration and 90 percent of all players never play a single inning in the major leagues.
In Knocking on Heaven’s Door, award-winning sportswriter Marty Dobrow examines this double-edged culture by chronicling the lives of six minor leaguers-Brad Baker, Doug Clark, Manny Delcarmen, Randy Ruiz, Matt Torra, and Charlie Zink-all struggling to make their way to “The Show.” What links them together, aside from their common goal, is that they are all represented by the same team of agents-Jim and Lisa Masteralexis and their partner Steve McKelvey-whose own aspirations parallel those of the players they represent.
The story begins during spring training in 2005 and ends in the fall of 2008, followed by a brief epilogue that updates each player’s fortunes through the 2009 season. Along the way Dobrow offers a revealing, intimate look at life in minor league baseball: the relentless tedium of its itinerant routines and daily rituals; the lure of performance-enhancing drugs as a means of gaining a competitive edge; the role of agents in negotiating each player’s failures as well as his successes; and the influence of wives, girlfriends, and family members who have invested in the dream.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Dobrow's first book is a beautifully written, meticulously orchestrated account of the families, common agents, notable triumphs, and devastating failures of half a dozen talented young men who want to play in the Major Leagues. A veteran sports writer, Dobrow reveals an insider's instinct, a high level of compassion, and finds the drama in the dream of "making it big." Minor Leaguers have to make ends meet, often for years, and learn how to embrace a wide range of intriguing styles, like "the sport's most charming and exasperating pitch," the knuckleball. The importance of the mental game is shown to be paramount: "Let it all go. Focus on the next pitch. That's all you can control." Dobrow shines a light on the fascinating personalities of minor league towns; the Reading Phillies, for instance, have "no fewer than five mascots each circulating through the crowd all night " The book is rife with memorable personalities, tireless mentors, and desperately devoted families, the latter perfectly illustrated by a father's response to the news that his son has been called to the big leagues. "Don't say that you re lying to me!" A great read for everyone. Photos.
