I want to register a rave on this one, as there are no other reviews of the book and it deserves a rave. Most would see the title or the cover and write it off as a peculiarity centered on a sport they may or may not be interesting to them. But it's so much more than that. Forbes uses various aspects of the game to examiner his life. For those who love the game, its inner workings and oddities have always reflected the larger world, and the human heart. If you can watch Ken Burns documentary and not find at least one section that makes tears well up, then you need to check your pulse and call for a medic. Forbes angles the outfield lights on himself, deeply into his inner world. The product is incredibly quickening. And it exposes so many real world values, exhibits the individual as part of a collective in ways that are desperately necessary in these divisive times. In the acknowledgements, Forbes thanks the small press that printed the book for believing a book of baseball essays might sell more than a couple books, understandably. But the slim volume belies its heart.

Highly Recommended - a favorite for the year.
5 bones!!!!! ( )