One Day at Fenway; A Day in the Life of Baseball in America
New York: Atria Books, 2004. First Atria Books Hardcover Edition [started], First printing [stated]. Hardcover. xiv, 306 pages. Cast of Characters. DJ has minor wear and soiling. Some page corners bent and creased. A minute-by-minute collage-format portrait of the August 30, 2003 game between the Red Sox and the Yankees shares the perspectives of such individuals as John Henry, Joe Torre, Dominican Republic scout Rafael Avila, and Boston slugger Manny Ramirez. Steve Kettmann is a California writer known for his political commentary. Kettmann's first book was "One Day at Fenway," which described a single game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees on August 30, 2003, from a variety of perspectives. That book, nominated for a Quill Award and featured in the Farrelly brothers film "Fever Pitch," generated positive reviews. Derived from a Publishers Weekly article: Kettmann's account of the August 30, 2003 contest between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees is engrossing. With help from a team of researchers who watched the game alongside selected fans, players and front-office personnel from both ballclubs, Kettmann presents the action from multiple points of view, cutting around Fenway Park in an almost cinematic fashion and drawing readers in even though the outcome is foregone (10-7 Yankees). As the game unfolds, readers meet famous people and ordinary fans, among them former Senator George Mitchell, film directors Spike Lee and Peter Farrelly, Boston general manager Theo Epstein, Sox owner John Henry, Fenway Park scoreboard operator Rich Maloney and a Yankee rooter who plans to propose to his girlfriend on the giant video screen. It makes for a remarkably vivid recreation of a day at Fenway. Thanks to the diverse cast, readers also learn fascinating tidbits about everything from grounds keeping, to Japanese superstitions, to the methods outfielders use to track fly balls. It helps that this game has a great back-story--two rival teams playing in a historic ballpark with a pennant on the line--and Kettmann, a sportswriter and Red Sox fan, has a knack for conveying the tensions that build throughout the afternoon. He also has a great eye for detail, describing the way pitcher Andy Pettitte wipes his face with his shoulder and the laughter that erupts when hulking outfielder Ruben Sierra jokingly works out at shortstop. This is a riveting book. Condition: Good / Good.
Keywords: Baseball, Fenway Park, Boston, Red Sox, New York Yankees, George Mitchell, Spike Lee, Peter Farrelly, Theo Epstein, John Henry, Andy Pettitte, Larry Lucchino, Grady Little, Hideki Matsui, Bill Mueller, Jane Baxter, Joe Torre, Mariano Rivera
ISBN: 0743483650
[Book #86053]
Price: $28.50