Customer Reviews

Wild Pitch

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

.... The writing is awful and the story is inane. I cringed from the very beginning, and only continued reading because I thought it had to get better. It doesn't.

A few years ago I bought "Bump and Run" mainly because it came highly recommended; particulary by Don Imus. As I struggled through it, I kept waiting for the laughs, which never came, not even a smile. I find it hard to believe, but "Wild Pitch" is even worse!! A book this size is usually a two stitting read for me, but it took me over a week to finish....

In sum, the book was boring and unfunny. The events predictable and the characters so poorly drawn that I didn't care what happened to any of them.

Mike Lupica, one of the nation's preeminent sports columnists, takes a turn at his second novel with WILD PITCH, the story of 40-something Charlie Stoddard, a pitcher who in his youth was a sure bet to make the Hall of Fame. But as sport fans know, a proclamation such as this just begs for divine intervention to the negative. Sure enough, Stoddard suffers an injury and floats along for the next decade or so, not wanting to give up a life that allows him to remain a carefree youngster for a few more years. Along the way he finds comfort in an exceptional amount of wine, women, and song. His ex-wife always complained that it was "always about Charlie." Lately, though, Stoddard has become a member of the "didn't you used to be somebody" club, making appearances at sports memorabilia shows and living off past glories.

One morning after, when he wakes up next to one of his assignations and finds himself barely able to stand up straight, he is sent to Chang, a mysterious and cynical fitness guru who, through the voodoo he works so well, manages to undo the damage resulting from the scar tissue left by earlier surgeries. In fact, Chang's intense regimen works so well that Stoddard decides he might just be able to make a return to the big leagues.

The road back is slow and cautious, but it inevitably leads to the Boston Red Sox, managed by Ted Hartnett, Stoddard's ex-catcher and best friend. Of course, by midseason their large lead is quickly dwindling, and the Sox are in a battle for the pennant with their arch rivals, the New York Yankees. So guess who steps in to become the hero?

WILD PITCH falls back on numerous sports cliches and ethnic stereotypes: the athletes are, for the most part, portrayed as alcoholic sex addicts. Stoddard's new catcher, Pooty Shaw, is an African American who juggles women ("primaries and secondaries," as he refers to them) like so many billiard balls. In fact, most minorities speak in dialects and are depicted in ways that some might find offensive. (Lupica's first novel BUMP AND RUN, a football story, followed a similar tone.)

A few wrinkles, however, keep WILD PITCH moving along. One is Stoddard's relationship with his new sensei Chang. While they exchange banter and frustration, there is undeniable respect, as the aging pitcher struggles to change his ways, achieving middling results. Another is the burgeoning romance with his ex-wife, the beautiful and talented (of course) Grace MacKenzie. And then there's Tom MacKenzie, a Red Sox pitching prodigy who just happens to be Stoddard's estranged son. There is a lot of animosity there, but it's one of several problems that Charlie must deal with in order to make a complete comeback, not just as an athlete, but as a person.

It's almost unfair that publishers allow sports columnists to submit manuscripts like this, given the edge they understandably have when it comes to behind-the-scenes reportage. WILD PITCH may be nothing startling and different in the world of sports fiction, but that doesn't make it bad. Fans of this genre will appreciate the detail that Lupica brings to the plate.

--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan

"Wild Pitch" is definitely Lupica's best sports novel. It starts a little slowly, but when Showtime Charlie Stoddard the 40-year-old comeback kid finally gets his start with the Red Sox, the story kicks into high gear.

A whole array of colorful characters project Lupica's view of the game and those around it. Mo Jiggy, the gangsta rapper from "Bump and Run" who became a big time agent in "Full Court Press", is back for a cameo. The main voice of irreverence, however belongs to Pooty Shaw, the hard hitting catcher whose baseball millions have attracted an endless string of beautiful girlfriends with attitude. We also get to meet Booker Impala Washington, the limo driver who's really the brains behind the new Red Sox owner. The main story revolves around Charlie and his inscrutable trainer Chang, which will remind you a lot of Kevin Costner and Cheech Marin in "Tin Cup". As it builds to a close, you will realize that there's not enough time for a real sappy storybook ending. Lupica finds the perfect touch to wrap it up.

There are a few bumps along the way. Lupica seems to insert a brand name on every other page giving you the feeling that you're watching those rotating ads in the ballpark, spinning at warp speed. There's a little too much baseball trivia, like three solid pages on the history of the left field wall at Fenway. The references to Elaine's and T.J. Tucker's make it read like a Dan Jenkins knock off at times, and the word games around the Grace MacKenzie character - Amazing Grace, goodnight Gracie, Grace under pressure - are a little too cutsie.

All in though, it was a five star read.

The only thing better than reading Mike Lupica's sports columns in the New York Daily News is reading his sports novels. "Wild Pitch", the latest in an impressive body of work, belongs on your bookshelf next to all the Dan Jenkins novels. After taking his readers on fun trips through pro football ("Bump and Run") and basketball ("Full Court Press")worlds, Lupica has created a terrific baseball adventure. Showtime Charlie Stoddard is a marvelous character, a baseball pitcher, ex-husband and father. "Wild Pitch" is a fastball and a curve. The book is funny and moving and contains a few surprises which you may or may not see coming.

Though he was one of the reasons the Mets won a hundred games and played in the post season, young fans either never heard of Showtime Charlie Stoddard or think of him as a phenom footnote. However, Charlie, who believed in two things, baseball and partying, hurt his arm in the '88 playoffs and never came back that is until now years later at the age of forty.

After years of boozing, womanizing, and gambling, Charlie meets therapist Chang who provides his aching arm with relief that feels so good the former pitcher makes a comeback with the Red Sox, who as usual are hurting in their run against the Yankees. As he returns to the mound, Charlie also tries to reconcile with his former wife who believes a continent may not be enough landmass between them. Charlie also makes an effort to reconcile with his son who loathes him. While laboring over straightening out his personal life, Charlie works hard on helping the Red Sox overcome the Killer Bs (the curse of the Babe and Buckner's Dent) that haunt New England.

Though the story line is evident from almost the start, sports fans will enjoy this amusing look at baseball, especially in light of the recent settlement. Charlie's injury will remind the boomers of the Bird, but his reaction is so different from Fidrych's contented return to his farm. Mike Lupica provides an entertaining tale that is a walk off home run winner except this reviewer from the Bronx points out that only in fiction could this ending occur.

Harriet Klausner

Great heart - great insight - and really funny. Mike Lupica is a terrific writer. I've seen his photo and he couldn't have been a pro athlete. So he somehow has the gift of finding the soul of his subject. I'm a girl sports fan - and Mike has a way of making the world of sports accessible to me.
I know what I'm giving to all the guys on my list for Christmas - Wild Pitch.

Mike Lupica has become a writer that I can't wait until his next book comes out. Now I've read "Wild Pitch" and I have to wait again. It takes you deep into the sport of baseball, with his real knowledge of the game, his rich characters, and his great sense of humor.
It's a wonderful read. If you're a sports fan, and I am, you'll really enjoy this one.

Mike Lupica has gone yard once again and this time the bases are loaded. Everybody loves a comeback and Lupica's account of Showtime Charlie Stoddard's return to glory is laugh-out-loud funny. This on and off the field glimpse of big time baseball is a breeze to read and the best I have read in 12 months. If you are looking for an entertaining read to get you through the fall and winter, pick up Wild pitch...it is Lupica's best!!

Charlie Stoddard was a great pitcher. Like most young men he was unappreciative of his gift when he had it. Like Roy Hobbs' father tells Roy in "The Natural," 'Roy, you have a gift . . .'

With a tragic, predictable hubris, Charlie loses his gift. And like Roy, the real life Jim Morris, maybe Kevin Costner's in "For the Love of the Game," he gets a chance to reclaim it.

Recapturing it is really just a metaphor for all of our second chances. We all get them; some ignore them and some jump at them. We don't always know why we have this opportunity. We're just fairly certain we won't get a third.

So Charlie Stoddard get's a chance with Chang, sort of a 'Hawk-like' Yoda character into healing, and refinds his lost 94 mile an hour fastball.

There are no doubt many women will enjoy Mike Lupica's writing. But the real appeal may be to the little boys who grew up with Reggie Jackson and even Kyle Rote and Frank Gifford and Vida Blue and George Brett and Bucky Dent. And the American League. And the designated hitter.

The real lesson is somewhat like Gene Shallit wrote about the Rocky I movie in 1975. Shallit wrote, ". . . it ain't about boxing." And "Wild Pitch" may not be about baseball. Well. It's probably about baseball with a heavy dose of the moral consequences of your acts.

Lupica has a nice style. I especially enjoyed the dialogue. Mike Lupica is an excellent narrator. The paper better watch out or he'll do this full time.

It's a feel good book with Charlie's son finally coming to grips with 'his' gift and an acceptance of his father's frailty and humanity. I prefer H. G. Bissenger's "Friday Night Lights" but I'll put Lupica next to him.