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Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Who Got Game? : Baseball Amazing But True Stories, written by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by John John Bajet. Workman Publishing, Thomas Allen & Son. 2020. $17.95 ages 8 and up

 


"Baseball is a game of strategy and patience.
Of course, you've got to have the tools - 
a few heavy hitters, a couple hot pitchers, 
and a team of gritty ballplayers ready to 
put in the work - but you need than all that
when you're competing against the best of the 
major leagues. You need fire. Enough fire to 
keep fighting even when the odds are against 
you. Even when the other team has so many 
runs, a win seems impossible.
"

Just as kids who love hockey will enjoy Bobby Orr's early years and his hand-me-down skates, others cannot get enough of baseball and its stories. This entertaining and informative compilation of stories captures attention while providing much fodder for learning a great deal about the people, the players, the games, and the many feats that baseball has experienced through its long history as 'America's pastime'. Those who read it will want to repeat many of its stories, and will learn more than they ever thought they would know - so many amazing stories to share. 

There are four chapters: Pivotal Players, Sensational Stories, Radical Records, and Colossal Comebacks. The table of contents gives a clear listing for the people and events. I went first to 33 Short Innings. That game lasted eight hours and happened in 1981 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Two minor league teams played until 4:09 a.m. When it was finally ordered stopped by the league president, 19 fans from the more than 1,700 were still there, and were given lifetime free passes to the stadium. The game was completed on June 23 that year, and lasted only one inning - it was a sell-out with 5,746 fans in attendance. Eight and a half hours, fourteen records set, including the one for the longest home plate appearance by one ump, Mr. Dennis Cregg. And he kept coming back to ump for 28 years longer! 

I am a proud baseball fan, and I found these many stories of joy, hardship, triumph, racism, challenges, sexism, and achievement to be compelling and fascinating. It is a terrific and engaging read for classrooms, for baseball fans, and for readers who like short shots of information. While readers may know Babe Ruth, it's unlikely they have heard of Jackie Mitchell, the teenage girl who struck out both The Babe and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game. There's a lot to learn. The cartoon illustrations add charm and humor. They make you feel as if you are a part of the game you love. 

If you can't get to the baseball field to watch your favorite team this summer, this book will feed your interest - and in baseball 'stuff' you may never have otherwise known. You are likely to return to it again and again. 

In an email interview with 10-year-old Josh Sibler for Horn Book magazine, Derrick offered these answers to his questions: 

'The thing that fascinated me the most was how many baseball players voluntarily chose to leave behind the sport that they love in order to fight in WWII.' 

'My favorite players of all time are Josh Gibson, a power hitter from the Negro Leagues; and a player from my hometown Royals, from the 1985 championship team, second baseman Frank White. Mr. White was a smooth ballplayer, intelligent and a real competitor.'

'Pitcher is my favorite position by far. Everything begins and ends with the guy up on the mound. Plus...it has traditionally been the highest-paid position in all of sports. Wish I had an arm that could accurately hurl a ball one hundred miles per hour (I'd still be an author though!)'.

'My favorite all-time game was Game Five of the 2015 World Series. It was the bottom of the twelfth inning and right-handed pitcher Wade Davis shut out every batter that the NY Mets brought up to the plate. The Royals won the series 4-1 and ended a thirty-year championship drought.'

There you have it!  

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