The Pitch: The Adventures of Luther Woundup and His Magical Orange Ball [Paperback]

R. A. Cabral (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2004

To contact the author, please send e-mail to [e-mail] From the moment Luther Woundup launches the orange baseball over the wall at Riders Field, Sacramento fans are introduced to the most intriguing mascot the game has ever seen. Luther bursts onto the field and into their hearts with the most ingenious, magical displays. But like a modern day Trojan Horse, the display serves as a ruse to collect human brain waves with an innocent-looking device invented by Luther's father, the reigning scientist on Spalding. The mission: convert the contents into cortesium, which is needed to save his people. At least, that's what Luther is told. Eventually, he learns the true purpose of his mission, pitting father against son in The Pitch

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

R. A. Cabral is a Sacramento-based writer that enjoys writing about the game of baseball. Cabral has published several feature articles in The Sacramento Bee and Sacramento News & Review with a focus on baseball history. One article profiled the only appearance by the New York Yankees in Sacramento against the hometown Solons in 1951. Another feature printed in the Bee recalled the Bustin' Babes and Larrapin' Lous barnstorming tour of 1927, featuring exhibition games between Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. He also is the editor of http://BaseballSacramento.com He is a member of The Society for American Baseball Research. To contact, the author send e-mail to [e-mail]

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Booksurge, LLC (June 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594574952
• ISBN-13: 978-1594574955
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,720,840 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:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story and intriguing characters..., March 3, 2005

By 

Regina Jones (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pitch: The Adventures of Luther Woundup and His Magical Orange Ball (Paperback)

As a native Sacramentan and avid science fiction fan, this book piqued my curiosity. The unusual, colorful cover grabbed my attention as I was browsing around Tower Books on Broadway. I bought it on a whim, and only put it down once before I was finished.

The book takes place in the near future in Sacramento, CA, in the familiar territory of downtown, on the Sacramento River, and at Raley Field (called Riders Field in the novel). Our protagonist (or is he? we're not quite sure) is Luther Woundup, a fiery redheaded sprite of a youth, who just happens to hearken from a planet called Spalding (the novel is not without its requisite sci-fi puns - but thankfully, Cabral humors us with a plausible explanation). If nothing else, this kid wants to play baseball, and bad. We soon learn that he's on a mission to collect energy from people to deliver back to his home planet - and where better to collect it than from 13,000 upbeat baseball fans? (Well, Arco Arena - but Spaldingians are apparently not into basketball.)

Luther's mission leads him to some interesting characters - Bo Wandele, a good-natured river rat with a bum leg and a homeless lisp; Susan "Mink" Minkin, a PR career woman for the baseball team whose only flaw is determination in the face of almost certain humiliation; and, believe it or not, a shockingly accurate Rush Limbaugh - who becomes more central to the story than one would ever think possible.

It's a really great book. Well written, funny, with lively characters and dialogue. We really LIKE Luther, and Bo, and Mink - and we're really rooting for them throughout the story. The plot is also very sophisticated for a "sci fi" piece. (I strongly hesitate to use that label, by the way - this novel would be enjoyed by anyone who just likes a good story.) It was interesting: After I finished the book, I felt like I was waking up from a vivid dream - I guess I was that committed to what I was reading.

I'm very much a supporter of local writers, arts and entertainment, and I think this book is just as good as anything else out there. I gave it four stars instead of five just because it felt a little rough around the edges in places, but it was truly worth reading. I wholeheartedly recommend this book - especially if you're a Sacramentan, a baseball nut, or a Rush Limbaugh fan/enemy (trust me, the character will appeal to both conservatives AND the "bleeding-hearts!")