Safe at Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: playoff appearances, World Series, The Numbers, New York (more...)

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Product Description

Alyssa Milano is in love; she has been for some time. But the object of her affection isn't the subject of tabloid gossip or an actor; in fact, it isn't even a guy. It's a game, a game of nine innings that uses a ball made of leather and cork. A game called baseball.

Now in Safe at Home, Alyssa Milano, the mind behind the bestselling sports-clothing line Touch, tells the story about her lifelong obsession with baseball, revealing what the game has meant to her and why everyone should take a chance on nine innings. Like it does for so many of us, Alyssa's baseball story begins with a father. A native Brooklynite who scorned the Dodgers for abandoning the city he loved, her father was reunited with the team when he and his young daughter moved out west for a fledging TV show called Who's the Boss. It was then that Alyssa learned one of the fundamental truths of the game: No matter where you are, no matter how old you are, baseball connects you to your past.

As it turned out, the Dodgers were just the beginning. More than simply a book about the Dodgers, Safe at Home offers a view from the bleachers unlike any other, as Alyssa gives a fan's perspective on the heart-ache, headache, and joy that make every baseball season worth following. From arguing about the importance of baseball history to appreciating the quiet months of the off-season to criticizing Major League Baseball's response to the steroid scandal, Alyssa intertwines her thoughts about the game with stories from her life, bringing an intelligent, wry, and entertaining female voice to the world of baseball writing.

Throughout all the shifts in Alyssa's life—the madness of growing up a child star, having to navigate life's most awkward phases in front of the cameras—baseball has been her one constant, a distraction that was always welcome. Whether you're already a fan or you need some convincing, Safe at Home makes a compelling case for why baseball is and always will be America's game. The end result is a unique and unexpected book that is equal parts memoir, manifesto, and love letter to our national pastime.

About the Author

Alyssa Milano has been the star of such iconic TV shows as Who's the Boss and Charmed. Today she continues to act and produce, while also running Touch, the sports-clothing line for women that she founded. In addition, she is a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and the lead ambassador for Global Network. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061625108
• ISBN-13: 978-0061625107
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #125,052 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peace, love, and baseball!, June 11, 2009

By	D. Roberts "Hadrian12" (Battle Creek, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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Before writing a review of this book, I feel that I should be honest by opening with a disclaimer. Truth is, I've never liked baseball. Ever. I've always found the game too slow, boring and something that's bound to elicit plenty of yawns from me. I've been to one (1) baseball game in the past 15 years, and my motivations for going were less than authentic when it comes to the sport. Rather, the lone reason I chose to go was because my city's minor league team had special guests: the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders! I left after my photo-op with them in the 7th inning stretch.

So, you ask, why oh why is this guy inclined to read a book about baseball? Well, there are two reasons. The first one is the most obvious: I absolutely adore Alyssa Milano. As she's just four years my junior, I kind of feel like I've grown up w/her. I own most of her movies, including the really bad ones.

Secondly, while I don't enjoy baseball games, I do have an appreciation for the history of the game. Ironically enough, I'm also very fond of a great many baseball movies. In fact, The Natural is my all-time(!) favorite sports movie.

Enough about me. This is a book that I (almost surprisingly?) found to be immensely entertaining. It is a well-written, intimate account of a woman's genuine love for a game. Her team is the L.A. Dodgers and she can tell you the batting average of the entire roster @ the drop of a baseball cap. Beyond that, she has an impressive erudition of the game that extends well beyond her Dodgers; the book is filled with curious stories / anecdotes about various franchises as well as allusions to the giants of yesteryear such as Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig & many more. All of the readers out there who consider themselves to be "baseball encyclopedias" will admire her knowledge of the game.

While baseball has never been my gig, as a sports fan I can certainly relate to the influence that baseball has had on Alyssa's life. For myself, college football is my game. In particular, Michigan State football. When Alyssa recounts her pre-game rituals, the highs of winning & the lows of losing and all of the drama of BEING there for big games, it reflects a great deal of my own pre-game rituals & how much of an impact that MSU football has on my life. Hence, even if you're disinterested in baseball, there's still bound to be something for you in this book - so long as you're a sports fan.

{As a personal sidenote, my heart melted when I learned the Alyssa has a sports-crush on MSU alumni & former Dodger Kirk Gibson - he was a Spartan legend in both baseball & football}

So many times in the past, I've looked up to celebrities only to find out that they were very shallow human beings. This cannot be said about our girl Alyssa Milano. Her passion for baseball is real, and this book recounts the myriad ways in which baseball has helped shape her life. I've always had a fascination with women who were both beautiful and women of substance @ the same time. She certainly fills the bill on that one.

If you're interested in a book on sports (not even necessarily baseball) that's told through the eyes of a fan, then I don't know of a better one than this. As a woman whose passion for sports is the real-deal, I'm sure Alyssa would be a blast to go see a game with! While options such as that are closed-off to mere mortals such as myself, it's still nice to know that there are women out there who are every bit as big on athletics as most men are. In a way, Alyssa is the voice of all those women out there who are frustrated by people who don't take their love of the game seriously.

So, if you're big on baseball nostalgia & enjoy films such as Field of Dreams (Widescreen Two-Disc Anniversary Edition) and Stealing Home, then this book is in the ballpark of what you're looking for. As for the author, I have but 5 words: Thank you Alyssa. For everything.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars truly a fan, June 4, 2009

By	J. Weber (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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I don't watch baseball so I was interested in a young woman's perspective on the sport. Alyssa Milano writes a sincere, breezy, easy to read book about how she fell in love with the game of baseball as a young girl and how important the game has remained in her life. She clearly loves the game and (to me) seems very knowledgable and articulate about both individual players, teams, and current issues affecting the sport such as the steroid scandel and how baseball has evolved into a money making machine and it's impact on players and the game. I don't get the baseball as a metaphor for life stuff.....but that's just me. I still found this an enjoyable book to read. It's a one person perspective of the impact of a sport on her life. If you are very knowledgable about the sport, you may not find it that captivating.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done, Ms M, May 27, 2009

By	Mark F. Braun (Norridge, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Actress Alyssa Milano writes a fan's book, on advice for buying your favorite team's gear to how to really make an impression (or proposal): Get it on the 'tron. Use just a couple of her pitches and you'll be a hit, honest. Sad to say that in Chicago, too many team giveaways seem to always hit for kids, girls under 12 or some weird restriction; otherwise it always hit me as possible to score a camo-Cubs cap but that's be the day that parking is a half mile hike or $35 parking on somebody's Addison Street patio.

I admit it; I read it poolside in Vegas and really enjoyed her collection of baseball stories and fan musings. I didn't really know Ms Milano, now I really LIKE her. She's a baseball babe, and God didn't break the mold after her, thank you, Lord. As a baseball fan, she'd be the ideal date, or better yet, game-day buddy who knows her teams. Here's one of her reveals: she sorta dates players, so besides calling games and designing clothing lines with a team theme, she knows what she's doing. But the whole thing is a family fandom tome sprinkled with stories, photos, and a glossery for the league-challenged.

All in all, I'm not sure if I LIKED it, because of the whole celeb thing, which turns somewhat narcissistic any way that you try to read it, but it is a sweet lil book and for the name value of its author, it has a good spin on an old theme of fanimals at the ballpark.