Customer Reviews

Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Baseball Player

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
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I was a fan of shortstop Miguel Tejada before I read this book and was overjoyed when he won the AL MVP honors this past year. The book opened my eyes to the incredible struggle and long odds that Dominican players - or any Latin players - face to make it in the major leagues. It makes Tejada's accomplishment seem that much more amazing and important to me. His story is interwoven with a lot of baseball history that I would not have otherwise known, and it is one that kids my age and up (8th grade) would enjoy because it makes you think.

Being a baseball fan since Orlando Cepeda led the Cardinals over Yaz's 1967 Red Sox, I thought I was well versed about the history of minorities in major league baseball. (The Jackie Robinson story became gospel in my house.) After reading "Away Games," I had to eat some humble pie. The sports pages, which I read cover-to-cover as a youth, never made mention on how the Clementes, Tiants, and Marchials made it to the majors. Authors Marcos Breton and Jose Luis Villegas provide that missing story. "Away Games" is about how major baseball exploits young Latino men in the same way that the film "Hoop Dreams" documented basketball's exploitation of inner city black youth. Breton and Villegas elaborate on how the baseball establishment entices Dominicans into their camps and then uses them like throw away parts. I only wish the authors would have kept their focus on Miguel Tejada- "the star" of the book- rather than flip-flopping between his "life and times" with the history of Latino baseball players. (Actually, there are two books in one here- Tejada's baseball journey and the history of major league baseball in the Caribbean.) Far from being an enjoyable book, "Away Games" is often painful to read especially for gung-ho baseball fans; however, it should be included right next to the censored sports page as we're implored to "root, root for the home team."

Away Games by Marcos Breton is an insightful look at the struggles of Dominican players trying to reach the major leagues. Breton captures a lot of generally unknown history of the Latino ball player in the majors and tells his story through the eyes of Miguel Tejada, the now successful shortstop of the Oakland A's. This is by no means a great tale that will tug at your heartstrings. Instead, what you'll get is a look at a misunderstood population of young men, mostly from extreme poverty, and their unfavorable plight in trying to reach the "Show." If you're a hard core baseball fan, you'll like this book

Breton and Villegas make the case that Latin ballplayers are exploited and then, in the overwhelming majority of cases, tossed away by major league teams. Miguel Tejada was one of those who, it turned out, wasn't just cheap filler for an organization's minor league chain, but instead broke through to the majors. This surprised the A's organization which originally ranked him below other Dominicans who have since faded and returned to island obscurity or the life of an undocumented alien in New York City. Unfortunately, the author's case is buried by some truly stilted prose in a narrative that wanders all over the map without giving Tejada himself much more life in the book than as a paradigm for the author's argument. I happen to know already a fair amount about Latin ballplayers so this book brought me neither increased insight into them as a group or to Tejada as an individual.

I have been to the Dominican Republic and to the small town where Miguel Tejada is from and can really feel what he went through to survive in the world of big league baseball. I have been to many of the academy's in the Dominican and I know first hand how hard these young men have to work to even get to the states. The writers should and could of gone into even more details on the lives of these young men when they do not make it to the majors and do not want to go back to there island and end up in Miami or New York.

This is more than a story about one Latin baseball player, Miguel Tejada, but is the story of all Latin baseball players. It's the Jackie Robinson story of Latin baseball. Well researched and a fun read, with details that keep it interesting all the way to the end. This should be a movie.

This book is awesome, one of my favorites. I have read it more than once it is so good. What makes it so great is it tells the story of the latin baseball player that happens so often these days. From step to step, the book shows the reader how Miguel Tejada got from the barrios to America, to MLB star. What makes this bok so special is what a great story Miguel Tejada is. In his town, he was not regarded as a great player. But as soon as he was in a league there, he was great and never stopped. Now he has an MVP. A great job by Marcos Breton for the book and Jose Luis Villegas for the great pictures.

For me this book is amazing. I do mission work in the DR and know first hand just how bad the economy is there and what many people have to do to survive and feed their families. This book really touches the heart and soul of the struggles that many Dominican players go through from the first time they can hold a makeshift bat or ball.

This is a good read for understanding the history of Dominican baseball and it even touches on the history of African American baseball history. I recomend this book to people that are true fans of the sport of baseball and appreciate the knowledge of its history.

I saw the authors on a local TV program and was intrigued by their subject matter. Coming from a baseball-loving cuban family and growing up hearing about and actually meeting latin players I was interested in seeing if the authors got the story right. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Away Games was both informative and entertaining. I found the book to be an excellent blend of meticulous research and heart-felt emotion. You learn that it takes more than god-given talent to land and keep a coveted job in the "grandes ligas". I recommend this book to anyone who loves the national past time and is interested in learning more about the latin version of the game.

THIS BOOK IS A REAL "SLEEPER". BRETON TAKES THE EVENTFUL LIFE OF ONE LATIN BALLPLAYER AND INTERTWINES THIS WITH THE HISTORY OF THE STRUGGLE OF ALL LATIN BALLPLAYERS. THE STORY OF SOME OF THE LATIN PIONEERS IS AN UNEXPLORED TERRITORY IN BASEBALL HISTORY. BRETON BRINGS THESE STORIES OF PREJUDICE, TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY TO THE SURFACE. I LEARNED ALOT FROM THIS BOOK, AND WAS WELL ENTERTAINED IN THE PROCESS.