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Six Good Innings: How One Small Town Became a Little League Giant | 
 enlarge | Author: Mark Kreidler
Publisher: Harper
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $12.85
You Save: $12.10 (48%)
New (37) Used (12) from $7.00
Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 103952
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.1
ISBN: 006147357X
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9780061473579
ASIN: 006147357X
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
blockquote p In the tradition of iFriday Night Lights/i comes an unforgettable portrait of a small New Jersey town that became known throughout the world for the remarkable exploits of its Little League stars. /p /blockquote p Summertime in Toms River means two things: tourists and champions. The tourists head for the beaches; the 12-year-old Little League champions can be found on the baseball diamonds, where they win titles at the local, regional, and international levels. /p p The Toms River dynasty began in the 1990s, when the team made it to the Little League World Series three times in five years and brought home a historic world championship victory in 1998. But with each passing summer in Toms River comes renewed pressure, as the latest collection of All-Stars strives to leave its mark on the town's imposing baseball legacy. /p p In iSix Good Innings/i, acclaimed sportswriter Mark Kreidler deftly illuminates the sometimes tense relationship between Toms River and the team that carries the town's hopes and dreams. Following the most recent juggernaut through one tumultuous All-Star season, Kreidler chronicles how the coach, John Puleo, works to strike a balance between healthy competition and bloodless ambition, and how the players themselves reckon with their own fleeting fame as they tumble headlong into adolescence. /p p Puleo, a man with a gift for inspiring young athletes, commands a team whose recent string of successes has led to speculation that this might be the squad to extend the Toms River tradition of reaching Williamsport, site of the Little League World Series. But along the path to glory, Puleo's players will deal with unexpected injuries, a brutally difficult schedule of games, and the daunting knowledge that they have been identified throughout their region#8212;and within the neighborhood blocks of their own baseball-crazy town#8212;as the team to beat. /p p With deep empathy, incisive reporting, and intimate access, Kreidler weaves the stories of the coaches, the parents, the fans, and the true iboys of summer/i into a memorable tableau. /p
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| Customer Reviews: Read 40 more reviews...
 Not Cohesive, or Absorbing December 1, 2008
Roger G. Williams (VA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Writing about Little League and all it's nuances is tough. I manage a championship team in VA in 3A, not the Majors... yet. We're good, and come from a town where winning and development go hand in hand, but we're not at the level of Tom's River... yet. br / br /I respect this town, their league and what they have achieved, yet it's very hard to ascertain from this book the true range of emotions a LL manager goes thru and his players as well. The tough choices that must be made, the drafting of players process, the range of emotions of the parents a manager deals with. LL rules are like studying physics these days, and I think these are fairly well covered in this book. I was hoping this book would provide more in-depth insight about the players as they grow into young manhood, the feelings that all of us managers must deal with in the parents, the varying skill levels in the players of the intricacies of the greatest game there is, the honest feelings of a manager who is dealing with very tough choices that will indelibly influence the lives of these young baseball enthusiasts. Believe me, these is a tight rope and juggling act all season long! If John was truly able to leave the politics of his local LL to the BOD and not have to deal with it himself, what a break! br / br /The greatest thing in coaching LL to me is when the kids finally "get it." The intricacies of the game. I've had boys whose Moms and Dads aren't baseball enthusiasts, but know there is something special in this game that they want taught to their boys, and who value what I give to them. I realize the boys in this book are beyond that, but a bit more of their individual stories would've helped flesh this story out, and make us feel more empathy for the players, and in this book, many of these boys, who I am sure are great kids as well as great players just aren't fleshed out enough, along with John's motivation techniques to the palyers. br / br /Once every season, with every new team I manage, there is inevitably a practice with pouring rain that we eventually have to cancel. It may be our 3rd practice of the week, with no game for another few days. The kids are bummed that I have to call them off the field., b/c of lightning threats. The parents of course aren't there yet b/c practice isn't supposed to be over for another hour and they leave them with me. This is the time when they all pile in the back of my '01 Durango for the cooler full of 'Kool Pops' and I show them the photo of my LL team from Gloucester, MA team from the late 60's, and they realize I was once like them. This is the bond between LL manager and player, and is the priceless aspect of managing LL, and makes the team play harder for the manager. I would've liked to see more of this from this book. br / br /We all do the winter training and pool parties. It's not until the final chapter that I get to really know a little of each of these boys, and it's not enough. The writer could've pulled more out. br / br /I felt for John but also questioned his decision not to have his son come in and pitch in the critical situation in the final chapter. Ouch! It's a testament to him that the parents didn't torch him after that! br / br /A tough theme for a book that has yet to be written.
 For Little Leaguers -- AND Their Parents November 1, 2008
Western Reader
My son thoroughly enjoyed "Six Good Innings," tearing through it to see how the Toms River boys would fare. I found the book equally compelling for myself. As a parent, I'm always asking the questions that the coaches and parents in this book have to face -- especially when it comes to competitive sports and reaching for the top. br / br /"Six Good Innings" made me aware that what goes on in my town, in our own Little League, is actually pretty close to what happens everywhere else. We all want to win, but at what cost? The book really made me think. Great characters and a great story -- and somebody to root for, too.
 Interesting... not remarkable October 23, 2008
Jennifer Spinner (Kitsap Peninsula - Western Washington)
I will say from the outset that I'm not a baseball fan... I bleed SEC football... br / br /That said, there's nothing terribly remarkable about this book. It's interesting... somewhat engaging... and very easy to follow. More of a "nothing better to do" read than an "appointment" read. br / br /If you like sports... and predictable feel-good stories... you'll like it!
A decent book for the most part October 17, 2008
#1 Amazon Fan (Arkansas)
As mentioned by many other reviewers, the book has some faults and the style is not one I am accustomed to myself. I do think it is a good book for kids to read, especially those who play sports. Kids will be less likely to notice the style of writing and somewhat awkward flow. br / br /In all fairness, I am not a huge baseball fan but that doesn't mean I am biased due to the subject matter. I have enjoyed a number of books and movies on sports and other things that aren't favorites of mine. br / br /As another reviewer pointed out, there does seem to be a bit of marketing or hype for certain things and the writing does resemble an elongated magazine article.
Six Good Pages September 18, 2008
Hrafnkell Haraldsson (Indiana)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Mr. Kreidler opens his book with a six page description of a home run. This is worthy of comment in itself. Anyone can describe a home run in one page, or even a single sentence, but to be able to devote six pages to it is an accomplishment to be admired. Unfortunately, the rest of the book does not live up to this early promise. Problems are apparent from the beginning. The sentence structure is difficult at times. Some are almost magical but others leave you reading and re-reading, trying to make out who is the subject of the sentence, or what, exactly, is taking place on the field. Who is doing what to whom? br / br /Baseball is an easy thing to love. It is in our blood from the time we are little. If Major League Baseball has become jaded and bloated on its riches, and shown disdain for what is sacred, Little League Baseball is untarnished, without taint and innocent of the sins of its bigger brother. But Mr. Kreidler somehow manages to make the game uninteresting and the youngsters who accomplished so much, unsympathetic. I found it hard to care, as I read, what happened. There is no magic in this account, and there should be. br / br /I suppose my expectations were unrealistic. I looked for the poetry of Bull Durham or The Natural. If you look for the same, you will not find it here. This is more of a wordy newspaper article than the work of near-poetry the subject deserves. I hope you will get more out of it than I did.
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