The 26th Man: One Minor League Pitcher's Pursuit of a Dream (Paperback)

by Steve Fireovid (Author), Mark Winegardner (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The average major league player currently earns more than half a million dollars a season. But, only 25 players make the big team's roster. The 26th Man details the season-long journey of Steve Fireovid of the Triple A Indianapolis Indians, as he deals with the realities and the heartbreak of playing a kid's games well into his thirties.

About the Author

Steve Fireovid has written an afterword for this Bison Books edition. He is now a stockbroker living in Bryan, Ohio. Mark Winegardner is the author of Elvis Presley Boulevard: From Sea to Shining Sea, Almost.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (July 28, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803268912
• ISBN-13: 978-0803268913
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #963,331 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clear picture of life in minor league baseball, July 10, 1999

By A Customer

The author like many young stars in high school and college, started with great promise and expectations. But though he stood out in the minors, he never really got a chance at the major league level. This diary of his last year in baseball tells what day to day life as a minor league pitcher was like, and demonstrates that the system is sometimes as blinded by images, by prejudged expectations, as the rest of us. Fireovid was a better pitcher than several who were elevated, but "They were a prospect, I was a suspect."

I'm not really a baseball fan, but I very much enjoyed this frank picture of the life of a mature, thoughtful man making one last try for his childhood dream.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great true story - i never knew what went on until now, September 17, 1999

By A Customer

even though my dad wrote this book, i never knew what all went on. i think it's enjoyable to read, and very unbiased. i'm glad i read it, and it's fun to see my name in it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the 26th man tells a first rate tale, January 29, 2006

By	John "J-Cokes" (Illinois) - See all my reviews

Steve Fireovid played parts of 6 seasons in the major leagues. I guess the best way to describe him was that he was viewed as good enough to almost make the team, aka the 26th man. This baseball diary explores the process of actually making a baseball team. The roster spots don't always go to the best players. Money, contracts and connections often affect the decisions of baseball executives.
Fireovid reveals the inner workings of baseball and his struggle to make it in the majors. Despite the letdowns, he never comes across as bitter, just factual.
In a world full of autobiographies of almost every star, this unheralded book, by the self-described 26th man, accomplishes what most of the others don't. This book reaches out and grabs the reader. You care about him and about others like him.
This is not a tale of failure. This is the story of a true success, Steve Fireovid.