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.
