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The Greatest Show on Dirt [Paperback]

James Bailey
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 17, 2012
Lane Hamilton takes stock of his life and doesn't like what he finds. His friends are all chasing their dreams, while he's working for a goose-stepping bully on the middle-management track to nowhere. When Lane is fired for sleeping through an important meeting, a high school buddy lands him a job with the Durham Bulls. Despite the grueling hours, it doesn't take him long to realize even a bad day at the yard beats a good one in Corporate America.

But is his new gig worth risking his magazine-cover girlfriend? And between jealous co-workers and psychotic relief pitchers, will he survive the season? The Greatest Show on Dirt is set in historic Durham Athletic Park, a place so rich in character that it plays as big a role as the crazy cast that makes up Lane's Bulls family. Here is a realistic portrayal of what life was like working in the minor leagues in the early 1990s, before the explosive growth that saw many old ballparks replaced by miniature versions of big league stadiums. No one got rich, but they sure had a good time.

Frequently Bought Together

The Greatest Show on Dirt + Bluegrass Baseball: A Year in the Minor League Life + The Bus Leagues Experience: Minor League Baseball Through The Eyes Of Those Who Live It
Price for all three: $32.45

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Greatest Show on Dirt is funny, fast-paced, and peopled with likable characters in a believable minor-league setting. In other words: manna for fans of sports fiction." -JOSEPH WALLACE, author of Diamond Ruby

"In The Greatest Show on Dirt, James Bailey performs a double-play pivot worthy of Bill Mazeroski, deftly pairing a page-turning coming-of-age tale about the cluelessness and angst of the post-college years with a richly detailed tour behind the scenes at a minor league ballpark." -JOSH WILKER, author of Cardboard Gods

"As Bailey digs deep into his baseball life here for the landscape, it's not just believeable, but is easy to imagine as being the starting point for a movie script -- even with 'Bull Durham' already a classic." -TOM HOFFARTH, Los Angeles Daily News

"Nobody has a better feel for the sleepy rhythm of Durham life than James Bailey, nor can anyone give you a better guided tour of the fascinating subculture of minor league baseball. Give this man a steak. He's gone yard." -MIKE BERARDINO, Sports columnist, South Florida Sun Sentinel

"Bailey's knowledge of life in the minor leagues comes across in rich detail, making Greatest Show on Dirt an engaging and entertaining read of a young man finding himself during the daily grind of a season in Durham." -JOHN MANUEL, Editor in chief, Baseball America

About the Author

James Bailey worked for the Durham Bulls for three seasons, from 1990-92. He is a regular contributor to Baseball America magazine, for whom he spent six years covering minor league baseball. He lives in Rochester, N.Y., with his wife Jill and son Grant. The Greatest Show on Dirt is his first novel.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 254 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 17, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1461116503
  • ISBN-13: 978-1461116509
  • Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 6 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #302,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Bailey worked for the Durham Bulls for three seasons, from 1990-92. He is a regular contributor to Baseball America magazine, for whom he spent six years covering minor league baseball. He lives in Rochester, N.Y., with his wife Jill and son Grant.

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
(12)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is a wonderful read. I downloaded it to my KINDLE yesterday, started reading it last night, and finished it up a little while ago. It's definitely a page-turner and I found myself unable to put it down. It reminds me of the great John R. Powers (Loyola Classics) trilogy, "The Last Catholic in America", "Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?" and "The Unoriginal Sinner And The Ice-Cream God". I read those books thirty years ago and place "The Greatest Show On Dirt" right up there on the top shelf beside of them. I found it refreshing to finally stumble across another novel that I found to be as enjoyable.

My family experienced a renaissance with Minor League Baseball last year and attended quite a few games in Durham and Greensboro. We have purchased ticket packages to both Ballparks this coming season. As he noted in the Acknowledgement, the cities both have new Stadiums and MILB has gone through a Renaissance of it's own here and all across the USA. This is a good thing because the small towns of our Country are better because of it. Here in Burlington, the BAP remains just as described by "Lane Hamilton". Still plenty of great parking space right outside the gates.

Bailey says that he has written "a work of fiction". However, it reads, feels and smells exactly like Minor League Baseball and real life in the Piedmont of the Old North State. Congrats, and thanks to James Bailey.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am familiar with James' work through "Bailey's Baseball Book Reviews". When I find any free time to read a new book, his reviews are the first thing I check out to see what book I should grab. When I saw he was writing a baseball book of his own I was very excited. Upon receiving it the excitement did not diminish, as I have read the book twice already. The tales of the different minor league players reminded me of Dirk Hayhurst's "The Bullpen Gospels"...Bailey's characters were so real, in fact, I had to fight the urge to jump online and look up their minor league stats.

The behind-the-scenes look at minor league baseball is what I really enjoyed about Bailey's novel. My wife and I spent some time in Hornell, NY and hosted a player from the NYCBL's Hornell Dodgers...I also worked closely with the team's GM and got to see many of the front-office, behind-the scenes activities that Bailey writes about. "The Greatest Show on Dirt" captures the essence of minor league baseball and this book is a must-read for baseball fans or for those looking to learn more about the life as a player progresses through the minor league system.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Show on Dirt a Compelling Read May 2, 2012
By Thom H
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Lane Hamilton has an uninspiring bank job and a high-maintenance, trophy girlfriend. Early on, the recent college graduate shares an insight from a professor, who warned him of the risk of waking up one day and hating his life. With that lesson in mind, Lane sets a new course when he takes a job with the Durham Bulls, one of baseball's landmark minor league franchises. There are more lessons to learn, as Lane navigates the long hours, various challenges and wacky twists and turns of a baseball season. In a breezy, compelling read, filled with humor and insight, James Bailey gives us an inside look at minor league life, and how it shapes a young man trying to find his way.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars A nostalgic look at life for the minor league support staff
The more I thought about this book the more I appreciated its authenticity. While I never worked for a minor league club, I went to plenty of games. Read more
Published 6 months ago by the faunster
5.0 out of 5 stars A well-paced read
I did not purchase the book on Amazon as it was given to me as a gift. I enjoyed this book very much. James Bailey tells a story with as much detail as necessary, but no more. Read more
Published 10 months ago by ajz
5.0 out of 5 stars What a fun read!
Just got finished reading this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story line and characters were very engaging and realistic. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Craig Ryan
4.0 out of 5 stars If you enjoy baseball, you'll enjoy this book.
This book is great for anyone that enjoys baseball. I really liked the behind the scenes look at the minor leagues. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Book_lover
4.0 out of 5 stars A fun, engaging baseball novel
In the first paragraph of The Greatest Show On Dirt, narrator Lane Hamilton recalls a bit of advice from one of his college professors: One day we'd each wake up and realize we... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Donald Capone
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
The Greatest Show on Dirt is a compelling story with entertaining characters and a well-thought-out plot line. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jane Austen
4.0 out of 5 stars A good look at Minor League Baseball
James Bailey does a great job of using his first novel to take readers inside the operation of a minor league baseball from the front office viewpoint. Read more
Published 12 months ago by David A. Chase
4.0 out of 5 stars good summer read
I am not a big fan of baseball, but I could relate to the characters in this book and the secondary story lines about a minor league baseball team. Read more
Published 14 months ago by nacnt28
4.0 out of 5 stars A Refreshingly Readable Slice of Americana
I have to admit I bought the book because I know James and wanted to support his literary efforts. Well, that and it's Spring and baseball is in the air as well as back in the... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Steve Lig
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