Product Description

Shortly before a serious accident ends his dream of pitching, Roy Tucker is called up from a small-town team in Connecticut to help the Brooklyn Dodgers out of a slump. Includes an introduction by Bruce Brooks.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #590063 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-17
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .76" h x 5.80" w x 7.50" l, .54 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
"A wonderful, timeless story that is entertaining while also addressing the problems of professional sports." (The Boston Sunday Globe )

Baseball is like life. You win some and you lose some, but it all depends on attitude whether you stay in the game or drop out. Ray Tucker was a rookie, a nobody from a small Connecticut farm that played field ball. Then, one day while he was pitching, a professional scout spotted him and brought him to spring practice and the big leagues. With help from a veteran catcher, he scored big in his first season. When pain seized his "salary arm" after an accident in the locker room showers, Ray was put on the bench. The reporters were relentless, but he hung in there, started fielding balls and hitting base runs and homers. When he got in a slump and started feeling sorry for himself, his hitting went downhill. His mentor and friend said to concentrate on connecting with the ball; When you think only of yourself and how many homers you hit, the team suffers. Baseball, like life, is a team sport where all players are needed and dependent on each other. Through injuries and failures, team camaraderie and successes, this book contains life's lessons and will appeal to kids if they are also baseball fans. 1989 (orig. 1940), Odyssey Classics/Harcourt, Ages 10 to adult. (Children's Literature -Janet L. Rose )

Ingram
Young Roy Tucker enters the major leagues as an unsophisticated country boy and quickly learns that he faces a great deal of hard work if he wants to pitch for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Just as Roy begins to prove himself, a freak accident dashes his hope of ever pitching for the team. Yet, he summons up enough determination to find another place for himself on the team.

About the Author
JOHN R. TUNIS (1889-1975) was considered one of the finest writers for young people during the 1940s and '50s. He wrote more than twenty books, many of them award winners. The timeless appeal of his novels has made them enduringly popular with readers of all ages.