Synopses & Reviews
Russ Bryant, a lonely and downtrodden reporter trapped in a job he hates, stumbles onto the story of a lifetime when he is befriended by Casey Fox, a promising rookie catcher on the local minor league team. Possessed of mythic talents but mortal insecurities, Casey isn’t even sure he wants to play in the major leagues (and unless he improves his attitude toward the team’s management, he may never get the option). Still, when circumstances in Boston lead to an offer from the Red Sox, the lure proves irresistible, and Casey moves on the fast track from the anonymity of the minor leagues to stardom at Fenway Park.
Russ’s dormant dreams of journalistic glory soar as well, as his near-exclusive access to the hottest figure in sports puts him in national demand. And having the world’s leading home-run hitter for a best friend has other benefits. While he used to pass solitary evenings watching SportsCenter, he spends his nights in the company of professional athletes, getting the kind of access that other fans would do anything for. His growing acquaintance with Casey’s foster sister, Molly, gives him something to look forward to away from the world of sports, offering the possibility of love and maybe even redemption.
The closer they get to their goals—Casey to a triumphant season finale, Russ to a plum job at Sports Illustrated —the more they struggle with the dissonance between professional success and personal happiness. Both men begin to wonder whether there’s still a place for heroes in a world where sports has become a hard-nosed business and the media is steeped in cynicism. As Casey’s brilliance becomes increasingly offset by his troubles away from the ballpark, both Casey and Russ wonder if they should abandon professional baseball—and its accompanying dreams—in order to find happiness.
All this in the most edge-of-your-seat season Red Sox fans have ever seen, with the excitement of the fans ringing in your ears and the smell of freshly-mown grass and stale beer.
Synopsis
Russ Bryant, a lonely, downtrodden reporter trapped in a job he hates, stumbles into the story of a lifetime when he befriends a promising rookie named Casey Fox. Casey, possessed of mythic talents but mortal insecurities, isn't even sure he wants to play in the Major Leagues, but an offer from the Boston Red Sox proves irresistible. As Casey moves along the fast track, from the anonymity of the minor leagues to stardom at Fenway Park, Bryant's dreams of journalistic glory soar as well. Both men, however, begin to wonder whether there's still a place for heroes in a world where sports has become a hard-nosed business, and the media is steeped in cynicism. The closer they get to their goals -- Casey to a triumphant season finale, Russ to a plum job with Sports Illustrated -- the more they struggle with the dissonance between their professional success and their personal happiness.
C. W. Tooke, a native of Boston and a lifelong Red Sox fan, perfectly captures the special atmosphere of Fenway Park -- from the smells of freshly mowed grass and stale beer, to the Green Monster looming over left field. At once a thrilling story of baseball and a poignant look at the meaning of sports and fame in America today, "Ballpark Blues" marks the debut of a remarkably talented writer. William F. Buckley, Jr., is already a devoted fan, calling the novel "as pleasurable an experience as I have had from a novel in the past dozen years. . . . The writing is simply superb: restrained, imaginative, extraordinarily accomplished, and poised."
About the Author
C.W. Tooke has worked as a feature writer and editorial consultant and has published features in Salon, New Jersey Monthly, and Princeton Alumni Weekly. A native of Boston, he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.