Leach was a journeyman pitcher for the Mets and the Twins in the 1980s and 1990s, and this book relates his precarious experiences in baseball. His perspective is that of someone who was always fighting for the last roster spot on the team because he was never quite talented or young enough. Leach is aided here by poet Clark, who has written a handful of books on baseball, including One Last Round for the Shuffler, the story of Phil Douglass, a journeyman pitcher from the 1920s. Here, we do not get many glimpses of rich and famous teammates, since the focus is on Leach's struggle to survive. At times, the text is quite striking and entertaining; at other times, it seems of no great significance. Libraries in the New York and Minnesota regions will be interested. [With introductions by David Cone and Paul Auster.DEd.]DJohn Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, N.
-DJohn Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
For every Sosa, there are a dozen major-league players such as Leach. His professional pitching career began in 1976 with an independent minor-league team in Baton Rouge and ended in 1993 with Birmingham in the Triple AAA minors. In between, he pitched parts of 12 seasons in the majors, won 38 games, pitched almost 700 innings, and had a very respectable 3.37 earned run average. He was never a star, and every season of his career was a struggle to make a major-league roster. What dominates this book is Leach's love for the game, its camaraderie, its history, and his small role within it. Guys turning down contracts for millions of dollars often say--and fans know better--"It's not about the money." It's nice to know there are some players who can truthfully say that. Leach is such a player. Wes Lukowsky
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