Customer Reviews

Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is a inside look at what it's like for an Ivy League graduate to try to blend in as one of the boys in a rookie league in the low minors in Mormon country. His teammates ranged from bonus babies to fringe draft choices. More than a few eventually made it to The Show. I got a kick out of Matt McCarthy's having to dumb himself down to be accepted, while maintaining his admittedly Yale-based superiority about religion and academics. He really puts you inside the clubhouse and on the team bus. The off-the-field adventures are hilarious.

McCarthy has come in for criticism from his team's veteran manager and some of the players who he describes have said they were not even on the same team with him that season. Even if some facts have been lost in the four or so years since he played, or names have been changed, this book is easy to read and very accurately captures the flavor of what it's like to try to make it to the majors. George Will could experience vicariously what he never would come close to in real life.

A great book for any baseball fan or any parent out there who has a child dreaming of one day playing ball in the majors. McCarthy's minor league experiences are probably much like those of thousands of other guys who never reached their ultimate goal. But his ability as a storyteller makes them very noteworthy. The book is funny, candid and self-deprecating. And knowing throughout it that the author had a great future outside of the game made it much easier to read about his struggles.

A really fine book about minor league baseball. Sometimes funny , sometimes touching, but always interesting, this is a must read for anyone interested in minor league baseball and life on the road. Several reviews have compared this book to Ball Four and A False Spring, and you could also add Jim Brosnan's two books (The Long Season and Pennant Race) to the mix. However this book is actually much closer to Rick Wolff's, What's A Nice Harvard Boy Like You Doing In The Bushes? and Dave Baldwin's, Snake Jazz. The latter is in my opinion is one of the best baseball books ever written. If you are a baseball fan, or just someone who wants a good book to read, do yourself a favor and get this book.

Matt McCarthy graduated from Yale in the spring of 2002, and deferred his dreams of being a scientist when the Anaheim Angels selected him in the 21st round of the annual June amateur baseball draft. A left-handed starter (and one of three Yale pitchers drafted), McCarthy was eventually assigned to the Angel's Rookie League affiliate in Provo, Utah. As an Ivy League graduate, a southerner by birth but a New Englander by education and temperament, McCarthy derives observational humor from being the "Odd Man Out" on his club -- the rest of his team is made up largely of two demographics: tobacco-dipping Southerners, and rambunctious "Dominicans" (the Southerners' generic term for any Spanish-speaking ballplayer). Meanwhile, all the Provo Angels attempt to adjust to living in a predominantly Mormon city.

As a minor leaguer McCarthy is not a success, which is made clear pretty much on page one, as McCarthy is now a practicing physician. Although he reached 92 MPH on the radar gun late in his collegiate career, his velocity tops out at about 85 in Rookie League ball; he has trouble with control. He climbs his way down the ladder from starting pitcher to reliever to glorified spectator; at one point a coach suggests he should become a sidearmer (the kiss of death). The baseball observations are gently humorous; McCarthy finds no real soulmate in the organization so spends a lot of time making sardonic observations about everyone else.

I've seen some comparisions of this book to Jim Bouton's seminal diary of the 1969 baseball season, Ball Four. While "Odd Man Out" is amusing I don't think it will ever achieve the import of Bouton's book. Although both books superficially delve into the extra-curricular hijinks of their less mature teammates, Bouton's book made waves because it yanked the covers back on baseball management (both field-level and front-office), revealing the higher-ups to be essentially penny-pinching dolts. McCarthy, meanwhile, is employed by a model organization and he's treated at all levels with far more respect and dignity than his 6.92 ERA (in the lowest level of the minor leagues) would have suggested. Even when his career eventually ends McCarthy is given a rational explanation by the Angels' eventual General Manager. That never happened in Bouton's day.

Additionally, Bouton's book took place at a cultural crossroads; as a liberal playing just months after the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination, Bouton took pains to bridge the racial divide on his teams. McCarthy on the other hand seems mostly content to respect the English/Spanish divide in his locker room. McCarthy also gently tiptoes around the issue of performance-enhancing drugs in the locker room. I was impressed, though, upon looking at the real-life roster of the 2002 Provo Angels, how few names McCarthy eventually changed. A few identities have presumably been altered, a few players consolidated, but for the most part the people the characters named in the books actually played for Provo.

Even if it's not "Ball Four", this is overall a funny look at what it's like to play baseball at the lowest professional levels in the 21th century. It's almost a shame that McCarthy's career didn't take him to the major leagues; I'd have gladly read a sequel.

This was a great read, well written and expertly paced. Good enough that I Googled the author, his teammates, the Provo Angels, and other aspects of the memoir just to catch up and learn more of them 9 yrs later. I was dismayed to see the book slandered by the NY Times and alliterate bloggers for some negligible discrepancies. The entire memoir rings true and complements accurately the experiences of other low-minor leaguers recorded in previous memoirs (e.g., The Boys Who Would Be Cubs (1990; J. Bosco) and Minor Players, Major Dreams (1997; B.H. Mandel). I consider this the best MiLB memoir I've ever read and I favor the genre.

Matt McCarthy's autobio of his time in minor league baseball was quite entertaining and kept me interested in his and his team's exploits throughout. However, I was also left feeling incomplete. Characters could have been more deeply explored, the season covered more in depth, more, more, more. It was all just too superficial, but still managed to fill nearly 300 pages. It's a quick read that's great summer fare, just don't expect much depth to the story or character development. From Yalie to Angels minor league washout to med school intern, good luck Matt. I just hope you have greater appreciation for your skills as a doctor than as a baseball player; self-fulfilling propheses have a way of happening.

I had a hard time putting this book down. As a baseball fan, I really enjoyed the human face given to the players by the author; he has written about three-dimensional players, not baseball cards. Many of the then minor-league players Matt McCarthy played with are now in the majors and it was enjoyable to watch their progress and have a few laughs in the process. Recommended for everyone who loves the game.

This is just a great baseball book. Some athletes-turned-authors soften the blows for fear of a backlash from organizations that may be potential future employers, but not Matt McCarthy. He lets it all hang out in a minor league tell-all, complete with all the boyish antics you'd expect from a collection of major league wannabes from across the western hemisphere. Hilarious and informative at the same time, the author pulls no punches in taking us into the clubhouse and minds of his coaches and fellow players, giving the reader a rare peek into this private world. Any sports fan will have trouble putting it down.

Light, easy, often hilarious, often heart-rending read about a year in the minors with a minor league misfit. Just as the book jacket and promo material promise, and they are right on target.

Not for the serious or scholarly baseball fan, but great for the casual fan who loves the game, appreciates humanity and the effort and heartache put forth in pursuit of a dream.

A delightful book, actually. Quite good.

Finished it tonight while looking at a Braves-Cubs game and caught myself thinking about, wondering about, what the young players (and they are but babies now at my age!!) went through in the minors before getting their shot.

There is a youthful maturity about this book that makes it quite entertaining. More introspection and insight here than one might imagine from a "baseball book."

Matt McCarthy "almost" made it in baseball. His account of his year in professional baseball was informative and entertaining. As someone who has played baseball for nearly 40-years, but never came close to achieving what Matt achieved, I enjoyed reading about his journey. How many boys would love to grow up and at least get to the minors...and Matt did. His account of how some other players, and to some extent himself, washed out after playing baseball their whole life is heart rendering.

Additionally, Matt mentions Quan Cosby several times in his book. Being a huge Longhorn fan and knowing a little about Quan's background, it is inspiring to know that each of them came up in totally different environments, yet each of them achieved "professional" status but never made the pinnacle of baseball. Now, they each have started new careers, Matt with medicine, and Quan with professional football after a stellar career at The University of Texas. They were both able to move on after baseball.