Excerpt of my July 16 review on[...]
Despite living in Santa Barbara, novelist Jane Heller is a die-hard Yankees fan. (She has NY roots, of course.) Heller normally focuses on "chick lit" books (Some Nerve, An Ex to Grind), but this is her first non-fiction book.
It all started when she wrote an hysterical essay in early summer 2007 in The New York Times, demanding a "divorce" from the Yankees -- that infuriated and delighted fans across the country. That lead to a book contract, and Heller and her husband Michael hit the road, with the goal of attending (almost) every game, talking to players, and writing about the 2007 season from a "she fan's" POV.
The result is an funny yet amazingly nuanced non-fiction book that reads like a juicy novel. After hunting for it all over NYC (Hey! Barnes & Noble - get your act together) I finally found a copy at the Wall Street Borders. I started reading it at the beginning of Monday's Home Run Derby, which proved no distraction, and didn't go to sleep until I had finished it.
I've always wondered why I care so very very much about games that I absolutely have no control over -- and that's a constant theme in Heller's book. (Yes, part of it is that the Yankees tend to end up in the playoffs despite al odds and I'm the world's most competitive person -- I once had my friends form a tenants' union against me when playing Monopoly).
My recessive sports gene did not kick in until I moved to New York in 1998, and became curious about why Joe Torre switched pitchers. Within a year I was drinking the Kool-Aid.
My biggest revelation after becoming a beisbol addict was how powerful a baseball game is as "social networking" -- it empowers you to talk to just about anyone in this baseball-crazed city, from cab drivers to top executives. But it ALSO teaches intense lessons about how to succeed in business (a theme explored years ago by Betty Harragan, in Games Your Mother Never Taught You.)
But as much as I love the game, I'm so not a "groupie" -- I have zero interest in meeting (most) players, or getting autographs (although one of my favorite possessions is a signed pix of Scooter with Sinatra, that my bro gave me). Think about it -- would you really want to endure a long dinner with 80% of the players? Sure, Moose, Leiter, Mo or Jeter -- but I'd be bored to tears if I had to spend 15 minutes with preening A-Rod, and I don't speak Spanish so that would rule out Melky. I'm much more interested in talking to the managers, administrators, and media -- especially folks like Michael Kay, Joe Girardi, Brian Cashman, and Kevin Dart. I'd happily give up a weekend in Hawaii to have a quiet lunch with any one of them.
And that turns out to be the real heart and soul of Heller's book -- her plot line revolves around whether she'll be able to break through the NYY administrative moat (which makes getting a visa to Cuba look easy) and get the coveted press credentials she needs to get access to players for her book. In the end, the book is more about the beat reporters and the "traveling circus" of away games -- and that's what makes it absolutely magical. I won't give away the ending, but let's just say it involves one of my all-time favorite players.
I flat-out loved this book on so many levels:
* As a journalist, I resonated to her subtle revelations about how tough it is to cover the Yankees, and how guarded folks like Suzyn Waldman and John Sterling must be to cope with all the demands on them, and yet how warm and caring they prove to be.
* Because I go to a lot of away games as part of my job, I thought she absolutely nailed the "traveling circus" -- including the dynamics of rooting against the home team (especially at Fenway). And the unique rituals of away parks (eg, the "O" at Camden, the umpire intros at McAfee, etc.)
* Her light, respectful touch gave dignity to even some of the young naive women who don't really understand the Jose Canseco perils of being too eager of a fan. And she gracefully explores how much going to even one game can mean to many folks who are facing astounding personal challenges.
* Her insight into the politics of access to the team, and how "who you know" can make all the difference in the world; and yet how the surprises of unexpected encounters ultimately prove productive.
* Why it's a lot more fun, if you are a true baseball fan, to sit in the upper deck, and why night games are usually better than weekend games.
* The sheer joy of watching nine talented athletes take the field almost every day of summer, and the sheer bliss in February when Pitchers & Catchers finally report.
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