3.97 AVERAGE


I picked this up originally for my brother who is a baseball fanatic, but in the end, I read it first. Hayhurst has an easy prose style and a knack for humor, and undeniable skill for bringing his situation to life. The minor leagues have never been so illuminated for me. I did, however, like Hayhurst's internal and family issues over the bullpen/clubhouse antics. A solid read.

I LOVED this book-I laughed so much reading this! An honest look at a season in the minors and baseball in general. The writing and storytelling is fantastic!
Pick this book up!

Mmm, baseball. Minor league guys are insane, but Dirk Hayhurst is mostly sane--maybe a little too sane for this book. of course, that's why there's insight, not just raunchy story after raunchy story.

Hayhurst skillfully offers a memoir of a championship season in minor league baseball and does a wonderful job of weaving baseball and life together. I have wanted to check out this book for a while and I’m glad I did, can’t wait to pick up his other books

Lauded as the "greatest book about baseball ever written" by Keith Olbermann, this was a very enjoyable read. The author, Hayhurst, does an excellent job writing about what baseball is, and what it isn't.

There are many good things about this story, but I think I can sum it up by saying, it is a rare baseball book that can make me tear up on the city bus on the way to work.

This one is it.

A good and interesting book to read for a baseball fan. The book chronicles 1 year in the life of a minor leaguer (the author) as he tries to play his way up into the majors. He is very candid about his struggles growing up in a majorly dysfunctional family, where baseball became an escape. I could probably use less fart, poop, and boob jokes, but maybe that's par for course when one talks about a bunch of guys living and playing together. Overall, the book is insightful, in that it acknowledges that baseball is only a game. It cannot win wars or feed the hungry. However, as with the story of the little boy dying from cancer, it can give happiness to those who enjoy the game. In the end, it also helps an angry, lost young man find the meaning of a life well-lived.

thoughtful look at minor league baseball by a guy who wasn't your typical "minor league meat"

My husband recommended this to me and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. This had me feeling just about every emotion. In fact, I found myself laughing aloud multiple times throughout the book as well. This also had a phenomenal narrator for the audiobook as well. His zeal and vocal inflections helped to bring the stories alive. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has been part of a sports team, but also, anyone who loves sports or can relate to sports. This story was so much more than about a guy who was in minor/major leagues. Stay away if you dislike vulgarity!

Raunchy and hilarious, as well as honest and touching - this is the story of some of Dirk Hayhurst's time in the minor leagues of baseball. Great stuff. (It took me this long to read it because my partner picked it up when I was only about 20 pages in and I didn't get it back until he was finished with it!)