My Season on the Brink: A Father's Seven Weeks As a Little League Manager [Hardcover]

Paul B. Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1992

Recounting his stormy tenure as coach of the Holmdel Athletic Association league's baseball team for children ages 6 to 8, a New Jersey family man discusses his adventures with lively kids and unpredictable parents. National ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Brown, a columnist for Inc. magazine, offers this account of his seven weeks as a Little League coach in a wealthy suburb. Through the course of the season he introduces the usual characters: obnoxious parents, the girl who becomes the star of the league, and the coach obsessed with winning at all costs. He also depicts a very gentle send-up of the type of Father Knows Best suburbia, where mothers do not need to work and fathers have plenty of quality time to throw around the old horsehide with the kids. Coach Brown manages to teach his kids some baseball, have a good time, and compile a decent won-lost record. Libraries in suburban communities may purchase, but others can pass.
- Dan Bogey, Clearfield Cty. P.L. Federation, Curwensville, Pa.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A pleasant account of a summer spent coaching six-to-eight- year-olds on a Holmdel, New Jersey, Little League team. Believing that ``Little League is...a time when kids learn a bit about the fundamentals of baseball and have some fun,'' Brown, a senior writer for Inc. magazine, offered to help with the team on which his son, Peter, played. This ``daddy track'' soon found Brown acting as head coach, devoting 15 hours a week of ``quality time.'' The rules took some getting used to: Coaches pitched to their own players and served as umpires; base-stealing was forbidden; and balls and strikes would not be called. Most difficult for the players and coaches was the nine-batter rule: No more than nine hitters could appear in an inning, with the scoring ending only when a fielder--with the ball--touched home plate. Brown lost his first exhibition game, 37-29, when his left fielder wrestled for the ball with the center fielder while four runs scored. Things would improve, however, as Peter fielded well and hit a consistent .800; Michael Goodman stopped flinching at every pitch; and the team's star, Agam Chakavarty, who had played a little shortstop back in India, led the way with both glove and bat. With the regular season underway, Brown's team jumped to a 3-0-1 start--the tie coming with a controversial game that was called because of darkness. Game Six was highlighted by an unassisted triple play by Peter, and Game Seven ended in a tie when both coaches became confused as to the real score. Without getting too cute (as Bill Geist does in Little League Confidential, reviewed below), Brown brings gentle humor and perceptive irony to some familiar ground. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 180 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312076398
• ISBN-13: 978-0312076399
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,001,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, August 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Season on the Brink: A Father's Seven Weeks As a Little League Manager (Hardcover)

This book is fantastic. It deals with the life of a little league manager and the trials and tribulations it brings. I normally love this guy's business writing, but this stuff is amazing. It gave me a good chuckle. Play ball with Paul!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Jim Carrey-ish, but amusing for an evening..., April 11, 2000

By 

K. Paynter (Marietta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Season on the Brink: A Father's Seven Weeks As a Little League Manager (Hardcover)

This book is a cute description of how a father attempts to coach his son's little league team while trying to a) not show favoritism to his son, who insists on copying a major leaguer's batting stance that makes him strike out; b) deal with outfielders who would rather collect worms and eat ice cream than play ball; c) decide whether to fire his drill sargeant assitant coach; d) handle rabid mothers determined that their son's team should win; and e) become the season champ without losing his mind!

This book is a quick read, and has some insightful comments on the behavior of adults who are supposed to be the 'responsible' ones in the world of Little League. It's not a masterpiece, that's for sure, but I got more than a few chuckles. If anyone has ever played t-ball as a child, or watched his younger sibling's Little League game, then that person will certainly be able to identify with this book.