Six Good Innings: How One Small Town Became a Little League Giant (Hardcover)

by Mark Kreidler (Author)
Key Phrases: six good innings, baseball town, Toms River, Little League, World Series (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Toms River, New Jersey, has a history in Little League baseball, winning the World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in 1998. In 2006, its team advanced farther in the competition than any team had in recent years, and—with most of the key players returning—expectations for 2007 were very high. Anything less than a trip to Williamsport would be disappointing. Kreidler, a regular contributor to ESPN and the author of the extraordinary Four Days to Glory (2006), returns with another in-depth examination of an off-the-beaten-path sports story. With virtually unlimited access to the team’s coaches, players, and parents, Kreidler follows the season-long quest for Little League immortality. In an era when too many Little League stories are about parental misbehavior, the most compelling angle to emerge here is the remarkably selfless dedication of everyone involved, from coach to players to parents. This is the story of a community effort to build a champion, and it is a genuine feel-good saga, a fascinating, warm, and decidedly entertaining look inside one branch of youth sports. --Wes Lukowsky

Review
"A quick and enthralling read." (Wall Street Journal )

"Unflinching...Meticulously researched and earnestly reported to a fault." (Philadelphia Inquirer )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006147357X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061473579
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #483,535 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Six Good Innings - Tom's River and Little League Baseball Glory, August 20, 2008

By	Mark "Technology, Music and Movies" (East Coast) - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)

(What's this?)

Six Good Innings: How One Small Town Became a Little League Giant is a story about little league baseball in Tom's River New Jersey from both the past and the present. The history of Tom's River little league looms large over the teams of today. As with most books, there are shortcomings. But the shortcomings should be put into proper context. For those willing to read through the slow parts, Mr. Kreidler has produced a good story of the present day team.

THE STORY

Toms River had profound Little League World Series success in the nineties under Coach Gaynor. That precedent meant that when the TRLL team of 2006 won their sectional and went on to the state championship, the 2007 team was already considered a favorite to return to Williamsport. Coach Puleo's 2007 team shows promise, but has to overcome high expectations as well as several bad breaks.

The first two chapters are meant to give insight into the rivalries between the various teams that have become collectively known as "Tom's River," even though the East teams of the 90s are very different from the Americans featured in the 2007 story. In that sense, Mr. Kreidler seems to be emphasizing that the perception of "Tom's River" as a baseball monolith is a misperception. He goes to great lengths to show that the high expectations are unrealistic given the luck needed to win in the current playoff format.

The story of John Puleo's team from 2006 and 2007 begins to take hold more in chapters three through seven and the epilogue. Those chapters are shorter, easier to digest and flow much better. We get to learn the fire and determination of Johnny and the good heart of Chris. This is the story that many readers probably were hoping would have started with chapter 1.

Baseball strategy is only lightly mentioned when it was relevant to the drama of a specific game. This is more of a human interest story about the players and their families.

ESPN is actually key to the story of Little League baseball and its worldwide spotlight. Till ESPN became a household name, there was no outlet to give Little League baseball such exposure. Tom's River managed to succeed in the early years of that new coverage. To criticize Mr. Kreidler for being an ESPN contributor is unfair. It's akin to criticizing a photographer for having pictures submitted to the Associated Press. ESPN's coverage is clearly the reason for little league baseball's visibility.

Kreidler makes it clear that Toms River's successes were due to good luck and good timing. No doubt, good players and coaches helped. But advancing far in the little league tournament essentially adds up to getting the right breaks as well as playing well.

THE CRITICISMS

I must admit that this book was NOT an easy read for me. In fact, I found that while I sometimes read quickly, this book took me almost a month to read 10 to 20 pages at a time. The book starts slow and the early narrative seems to switch between time periods in a disjointed way. Telling the story in chronological order would have made the key elements easier to communicate and understand.

The book also tends to over-document the successes of the past teams to give context to the 2007 team. The first two chapters approach 100 pages of very dense dialogue and repetitious background stories about the Tom's River teams that put the Jersey Shore town on the world's baseball map. It feels dry and lends to confusion because of the early jumping of the timeline from present to past.

The story also goes off on tangents that are not always very enjoyable reading, such as lengthy explanations of the structures and rules of various tournaments. I could somewhat accept it but I knew some readers would be alienated.

Overall these flaws are minor relative to the book's positives.

CONCLUSION

By the end the book very much redeemed itself. Many others may not reach that finish line and thus may not get to some of the better sections. But if you can power through the slow parts, there is actually a really great story here.

I would actually recommend that those who already know about the Little League Baseball format and the history of Tom's River baseball might want to read chapters three through seven before chapters one and two. Those with no basic understanding will just have to power through those dense foundational chapters first.

If you love baseball and want to learn about the past and present of Tom's River Little League, this book may be for you.

Enjoy!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific read about small town idealism has lots of heart!, August 12, 2008

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

(What's this?)

SIX GOOD INNINGS tells the tale and pretty much carries the flavor of how a small town little league team begins to learn and appreciate their game. Nicely constructed prose from author Kreidler, himself an ESPN guy shows that he knows the feel of a good bat, belting one perfectly on that sweet spot and the resonating sound of getting it right.

Toms River would produce a great group of kids who learn about winning and losing... and winning and losing all over again. The transition from youthful innocence to a wiser bunch of lads who learn how to keep going on is a compelling read, and so perfectly American that it deserves kudos and your time.

The bottom line is I loved it and couldn't put it down for too long. Let it break your heart a little because it certainly will. This is little league with clarity and soul.


Mark Braun
Executive Director
Old Timers' Baseball Association of Chicago
Since 1919

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story of hard work and guts for kids, August 19, 2008

By	Joseph J. Slevin (Carlsbad, CA United States) - See all my reviews

(What's this?)

I am impressed with Six Good Innings, having spent time in Toms River and seeing the environment, it is amazing the work that goes into developing the next best Little League team. The timing of this book coming out at the beginnning of the Little League WS is great too. You hear about these young people putting in long hours to become the best in their age group, in their town. Some have historically gone on to the pros. Is this hard work any different than what goes into being a Child Prodigy in Piano or Violin? Great work and encouraging. Worth it for those who want to see their kids get involved in sports.