Joy in Mudville C Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

Joy in Mudville C Book

Little League baseball parents are the stage mothers of our era. Hardly a summer goes by without another story about them brawling, threatening the umpire, or berating their own kids or others to the point of tears. Former Crawdaddy editor Greg Mitchell's father wasn't like that: he played catch with young Greg exactly once. Determined to do better, Mitchell volunteered to manage his son Andy's Little League team in Nyack, New York. Joy in Mudville is the delightful result, restoring sanity, perspective, and fun to what is, after all, a kids' summer game. The book chronicles Mitchell's first two seasons as manager of the Red Sox and the A's, nicknamed the Aliens for the rubber alien head mascot that the kids rub for luck before (almost) every game or at-bat. The Aliens' inspiring 1998 season provides the drama, from draft-day rumor-mongering to the brilliant late-inning playoff stratagem Mitchell employed to protect a thin lead (and his son the pitcher's psyche). With solid knowledge of baseball traditions--superstitions, nicknames, even a pilgrimage to Cooperstown--coupled with a good father's sense of what's best for his son, Mitchell spins a masterful yarn sure to keep parents and fans of all ages on the edges of their seats--when they're not laughing out loud. Best known for political books (Tricky Dick and the Pink Lady, The Campaign of the Century), Mitchell shows his versatility with this warm, lighthearted, and deftly told memoir of one of the great pleasures of summer. Joy in Mudville will have readers in stitches, and it might even keep a few Little League parents out of the headlines. --Bill PenroseRead More

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  • Product Description

    National bestselling author Greg Mitchell tells an extraordinary "tale of two seasons" in this humorous and inspiring chronicle of managing his son's wildly unpredictable Little League® teams. Through highs and lows, brutal losses and surprise wins, Mitchell learned much about baseball, parenting, and today's kids. With wit and wisdom he explores the pleasures and pitfalls of adult involvement in Little League today -- in a game played by, and meant for, kids.

    Joy in Mudville

    Unable to play organized ball as a boy, lifetime baseball fan Greg Mitchell jumped at the opportunity to manage his preteen son, Andy, and his colorful cast of teammates, in a typical suburban Little League. In this uplifting account, he reflects on the profound emotional conflict and ineffable joys faced by Little Leaguers and their coaches. He highlights his experience with hilarious anecdotes about his son's teams -- the "Better Dead Than" Red Sox and the "Amazing A's," whose nail-biting season climaxes in a dramatic playoff showdown.

    Mitchell also steps to the plate and knocks the cover off timely issues surrounding youth baseball today. Through interviews with parents, opposing coaches, major-league players, and celebrity Little League dads such as Bruce Springsteen, Mitchell examines the father/son dynamic and explores both undue pressure and unexpected rewards. He investigates the phenomenon of "Little League® Rage" -- where disputes on and off the diamond have led to assaults, arrests, and litigation. And he ponders why baseball lost favor among so many American kids -- but now seems to be on the comeback trail once again. Do real sports have a role in a "virtual" age?

    A sharp-witted and entertaining memoir filled with life lessons and unforgettable characters, Joy in Mudville marvelously illustrates why Little League baseball -- for kids of all ages -- is a uniquely American rite of passage.

  • 0671035312
  • 9780671035310
  • Greg Mitchell
  • 22 March 2000
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Hardcover (Book)
  • 272
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