Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Stewart O'Nan (Author), Stephen King (Author), Ron McLarty (Reader), Adam Grupper (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 2004

A fan's notes for the ages, Faithful grew from an email exchange last summer. Filled with the heady mix of exhilaration and frustration familiar to all Boston Red Sox fans, Stewart O'Nan fired off a note to fellow Sox fan, Stephen King, who responded with his thoughts on Pedro, Nomar, Manny, Mueller, and Theo. From the supposed Curse of the Bambino to f###in' Bucky Dent to the recent off-season battle for Alex Rodriguez, Sox fans have seen it all since 1918...except for that elusive World Championship. Baseball history has transformed these fans into a "nation" -- not to mention the most dedicated, knowledgeable fanbase on the planet. Stewart O'Nan and Stephen King, proud members of Red Sox Nation, will chronicle the 2004 baseball season from spring training to the last game of the season -- the important plays, the controversial managerial decisions, the significant front office moves, and the spectacular finish (whether heartbreaking or joyous). Attending games together, keeping a running diary of observations and arguments, and occasionally evoking great or tragic events in Red Sox history. King and O'Nan will cheer on their beloved team with the eternal hope that this just might be the year. If you don't have season ticket box seats right behind the firstbase dugout, you can't beat Faithful.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Fans watching the 2004 baseball playoffs were often treated to shots of Stephen King sitting in the stands, notebook in hand. Given the bizarre events on the field, from the Red Sox's unprecedented comeback against their most hated rivals to their ace pitcher's bleeding, stitched-together ankle--not to mention the Sox's first championship in 86 years--you could be forgiven for thinking King was writing the script as he went along, passing new plot twists down to the dugouts between innings.

What he was writing, though, along with his friend and fellow novelist Stewart O'Nan, was Faithful, a diary of the 2004 Red Sox season. Faithful is written not from inside the clubhouse or the press room, but from the outside, from the stands and the sofa in front of the TV, by two fans who, like the rest of New England, have lived and died (mostly died) with the Sox for decades. From opposite ends of Red Sox Nation, King in Maine and O'Nan at the border of Yankees country in Connecticut, they would meet in the middle at Fenway Park or trade emails from home about the games they'd both stayed up past midnight to watch. King (or, rather, "Steve") is emotional, O'Nan (or "Stew") is obsessively analytical. Steve, as the most famous Sox fan who didn't star in Gigli, is a folk hero of sorts, trading high fives with doormen and enjoying box seats better than John Kerry's, while Stew is an anonymous nomad, roving all over the park. (Although he's such a shameless ballhound that he gains some minor celebrity as "Netman" when he brings a giant fishing net to hawk batting-practice flies from the top of the Green Monster.)

You won't find any of the Roger Angell-style lyricism here that baseball, and the Sox in particular, seem to bring out in people. (King wouldn't stand for it.) Instead, this is the voice of sports talk radio: two fans by turns hopeful, distraught, and elated, who assess every inside pitch and every waiver move as a personal affront or vindication. Full of daily play-by-play and a season's rises and falls, Faithful isn't self-reflective or flat-out funny enough to become a sports classic like Fever Pitch, Ball Four, or A Fan's Notes, but like everything else associated with the Red Sox 2004 season, from the signing of Curt Schilling to Dave Roberts's outstretched fingers, it carries the golden glow of destiny. And, of course, it's got a heck of an ending. --Tom Nissley --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

"Why do you suck so much?" O'Nan shouts at his TV. Until the 2004 baseball season, this had been the query of many a Boston Red Sox fan. But 2004 was not only the year in which they broke the "Curse of the Bambino," it was also the one that O'Nan and fellow Sox fan and friend King documented through journals and e-mail. The result is a book-length conversation, perfect for audio format. In the hardcover, King's writing is signified by bold-faced type. The distinction here is made by the use of two narrators. Since McLarty has successfully narrated King's work before (Salem's Lot, etc.), it may seem that choosing him would be a no-brainer, but his tough New York accent and beefy voice don't quite mesh with that of King, who, though a demon at the typewriter, is amiable and soft-spoken in public interviews and television appearances. However, this new hardboiled persona does contrast well with Grupper's rendition of O'Nan, who's given an energetic, crisp, almost naïve-sounding voice. All in all, both readers deliver excellent and enthusiastic performances, and they work well together to convey the excitement of this memorable season.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (December 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743539516
• ISBN-13: 978-0743539517
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 3.8 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,593,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'M REALLY HAPPY FOR SOX FANS, December 3, 2004

By 

Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season (Hardcover)

As a Detroiter, I am truly happy for Sox Fans...I know how happy we hockey Fans were when the Red Wings won their first Stanley cup in 48 years back in 1997...I can only imagine what sox fans felt waiting over 80 years!

I've had the opportunity to meet Stephen King..Oddly enough here in Detroit as he was following his Red Sox on a road trip. We talked for about 15 minutes and he wanted to talk more about the Sox than his books! That was about 15 years ago and he's remained a truly passionate fan.

This book with his daily journal is really a hoot to read. It's kind of cool to see a guy who's a millionaire many tims over agaonizing over his favorite sports team just like the guy on the assembly line in the Ford plant.

King paints a picture filled with hope yet covered with a layer pessimism that only one who has seen so many dashed hopes can ever relate to. The missives back and forth between King and O' Nan, discussing stats and performances like a couple of fan boys was so fun to read. It's serendipitous too that this, the most significant and eventful season in Red Sox history, was the one King and O'Nan happened to chronicle. It had more tortuous (often torturous) story lines and plot points than either novelist could hope to devise - from the team's promising start to its maddening mid-season mediocrity to its overpowering win streak that annihilated the wild-card competition to its monumental post-season comeback.

What a read. Enjoy it Sox fans!

74 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why we love baseball, December 2, 2004

By 

Dr. Emil "Tom" Shuffhausen (Central Gulf Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season (Hardcover)

Bear with me for a second here...I am not really a Red Sox fan. At least, I wasn't until the playoffs. Naturally, being a good American, I rooted for the Sox against the "Evil Empire," and I was worried about them when they were down 0-3. As they began their amazing comeback, I felt myself being swept under their spell and by the time they went into the Series, I had gone out and bought myself a nice "B" ballcap. This book captures all of the joy and magic that the Red Sox gave to ALL baseball fans (except for a few diehard fans of the Yanks and Cards). Let's face it...stories like the Red Sox in '04 are why we love baseball. It's the stuff of legends. Yeah, sure, the overpaid billionaires on the Yankees might win the Series every other year, but all of their victories combined aren't as special as that of the Sox this year. My team didn't make it to the Series this year, but thanks to the Red Sox, I had something to really cheer about. Steven King and Stewart O'Nan provide giddy, partisan commentary that perfectly reflects the hopes, fears, frustrations, and triumphs of this franchise and their fans. I read a pretty hateful review of this book from a Yankee fan who apparently can't handle the truth, but speaking as an * objective * fan of baseball at large, I can tell you that most of the country was pretty thrilled at the Red Sox and their victories, especially over the Yankees. Hey, the Cardnials are a great franchise also, but this was the year of the Sox, and this book gives underdogs everywhere cause to cheer. If you love baseball and great sportswriting, pick it up.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faithful not just for Red Sox Fans., June 27, 2005

By 

Rachel M. Stenberg (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season (Hardcover)

I have been a Red Sox fan as long as I can remember. Moving out of New England years back, I still follow the Sox and ecstatic was not even the word when I saw Foulke throw the ball to first to record the final out. And I got to relieve this memory and more in Faithful. What I loved about the book is not only did it follow the games, it followed the life of two other Sox fans and how it can be all-consuming to be a part of "Red Sox Nation" I loved that even though Stephen King is a famous author he still gets excited by his idols and wants autographs and other memorabilia just like little kids. Being a Sox fan is not easy at times and they showed the angst and anxiety that comes along with the job. But I bet if they had to do it over again, they would not change being a Sox fan for anything. And neither would I.