Customer Reviews

Safe at Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

Miss Milano, whose adult acting career I have not followed, is 30 years younger than I am, and 50 years younger than my mother-in-law, who bought and liked her book and urged me to read her copy. So perhaps she did not expect to get an audience of readers between 65-85, but there you are...baseball love leads us to unexpected relationships (one of the central messages in her book, if "message" is the right word at all.) I grew up in New Jersey, adopted the Brooklyn Dodgers as my team at age 12, saw them off to California with a broken heart, and became a Pittsburgh Pirate fan in 1959. (They used to be a major league team, with three World series titles between 1960 and 1979. Now they are allowed to play against real major league teams, but not allowed to win more than they lose. Been the truth for the past 18 seasons. Alas, I am still a fan.) Her book explains the history of Dodger fandom in her family of origin, and how the L.A. version of "Da Bums" finally won over these transplanted New Yorkers. Milano does a good job of explaining the basics of the game and the benefits of loyally rooting for one team or another for a lifetime. There is very little in here about her entertainment career, and not much more about her personal adult life. This is a tribute to her family and to baseball itself, flaws and all. I enjoyed it.

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.

Safe at Home is a good book to read. I like baseball but I basically got this book because I am a huge fan of Alyssa Milano. Safe at Home is interesting because it gives a lot of insight into baseball and the Dodgers from her perspective. This book is also full of baseball and Dodgers facts which I thought was cool. This book has a lot of baseball history in it so if you are just becoming a fan of baseball then make sure you pick up a copy. She definetely knows a lot about baseball which she demonstrates through her writing. There are also pictures in the middle of ths book of Alyssa at Dodgers games, etc. Joe Torre also wrote a foreward in the book so that is awesome. This is a great book to have if you are a fan of baseball or Alyssa.

The only thing is I would of liked to know a little more about her life as a whole instead of just about baseball.

You will definetely learn a lot by reading this book. Go pick up a copy today.

I would consider myself a fan of baseball, but not a fanatic. Especially after reading this book! Alyssa's knowledge of baseball is impressive, but I'm sure she did some research when writing this book. Either way, I'm sure she knows her stuff and clearly has a passion for baseball.

When I first started reading the book, I thought she was a little over the top with some historical quotes or famous references in baseball history. I guess it's because I had a hard time believing that she knew so much about baseball. Although after the first couple of chapters, I enjoyed the many historical flashbacks, and short stories.

Her frequent mention of Kirk Gibson really struck a cord with me because I grew up in Detroit watching Gibson play on one of the best Tiger teams in history. While I (and every other Tiger fan) was upset when Kirk left the team, I still look at him as a Detroit Tiger.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the book, but it wasn't what I expected. If the book were written by a sports writer or someone else in the business, I would have known what to expect. Regardless, if you're a fan (or fanatic) of baseball, you might enjoy reading this book and even connect on a personal level.

If you love either Alyssa Milano or Baseball, you will enjoy reading this interesting view of baseball and the role it has played in her life. As a boy a few years younger than Alyssa, I watched her on Who's The Boss and loved her. Of course, being a boy I also loved Baseball, including watching baseball, playing baseball, and collecting baseball cards. Although I'm not the mega-fan that Alyssa is, I do enjoy watching my teams (Astros & Rangers) and I enjoy watching the game in general. I give you this background only to show that you don't have to be a big time fanatic to enjoy the book. You should know a little about the game, but unless you know most of the terminology, you will be referring to the back of the book for an explanation. Alyssa throws out a lot of stats that I will never remember, but she loves numbers and it shows.

Alyssa gives a lot of reasons to be a fan of baseball, and I agree with just about everything she wanted to do as "Commissioner for a Day". I also agree with her excitement about the double play as I usually find myself clapping in response to a great play (unless of course it was my team that hit into it!). I also agree with her perspective on the "pink" clothes for Women. It never made sense for me since Pink has is not part of MOST team colors that I know of. That is why she created a clothing line for MLB just for women.

Her view of the game is interestng, the book is written pretty well in my opinion and you can tell it comes from the heart. Some of the stats may get confusing to people who don't know the game, but they could always just go ahead without "fully understanding" and them come back later if they wish.

Bottom Line: If you enjoy baseball, you will enjoy the book and Alyssa's views and thoughts about the game. If you are a fan of Alyssa Milano, you will enjoy learning about a big part of her life.

A book worth the buy for any Alyssa Milano fan. It's a very interesting read, and it's worth reading more than once! Anyone would probably enjoy this book whether you like baseball or not. Also a good book for baseball fans!

I came at this book from an entirely different perspective than it's author. Unlike most baseball fans, I discovered my true love for baseball late in life (early forties, to be exact.) I picked up this book for two reasons--it seemed to be well-written, and was written from a true fan's perspective. I must say that Alyssa Milano exceeded my expectations. This was a loving depiction of a fan's love for baseball and her home team. As a recent baseball convert, and die-hard fan of the Texas Rangers, I can share Ms. Milano's passions and percetions about her home team. What really struck me about the book, however, was how Ms. Milano managed to share details of her personal life in such a way as to highlight her primary point--that baseball, to a large degree, is about life. The game has taught me much in a very short time. I was moved to read that another individual has found similar meaning in the game throughout her life.

In short, this was an excellent read on two levels--for the baseball fan, and for those who will enjoy a well-written love note to one woman's passion for her avocation.

As a female baseball fan I was impressed when Alyssa Milano and MLB came out with the 'Touch' line. It's great that baseball is recognizing that a lot of us women do come out to the park to support our teams. I have been a Detroit Tigers fan for as long as I can remember and so I can relate to a lot of things Alyssa writes about. Being with my family and the sensory experiences at the park, first the Old Tiger Stadium and now at Comerica Park. I love to think about what I would do if I was manager for a day. The glossary was unnecessary (for me anyway) and thought the margins were larger than necessary (hence only four stars) but other that that this was a very enjoyable book.

As a huge baseball fan, I was hoping this book would help me get into full-swing for baseball for the summer. Though reading the book has encouraged me to visit many nearby Major and Minor Leagues stadiums, I have to admit that it is not the best book on baseball that I have read. I have to admit that the author seems to have a strong passion and knowledge of the sport. Not to be stereotypical, but it was something far greater than I would think most actresses could speak of baseball (even if she was assisted by an editor or ghost writer for much of the project). I recommend this book to other baseball fans as it does provide a look at baseball from an interesting perspective.