Synopses & Reviews
Forget the steroid-addled, overpaid, and unmotivated players: Americaand#8217;s pastime is still alive and well, and is still the heartfelt sport itand#8217;s always beenand#8212;in the Minor Leagues. And nowhere is this truer than in Kentucky, whose rich baseball history continues to play out in the four teams profiled in this book. Following these teams through the 2010 seasonand#8212;the triumphs, struggles, and big league hopes and dreamsand#8212;the book tells the larger story of baseball in Americaand#8217;s smaller venues, where the game in its purest form is still valued and warmly embraced.and#160;
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The story begins before the season with national-anthem singing tryouts in Lexington, then tags along with players, staffs, and fans at home, in the office, and on the field, offering a rare glimpse of the unglamorous reality of Minor League ball. From the front-office staff in Bowling Green planning kooky promotions, to a trainer grocery shopping for a team on forty dollars a day, to a new wife coming to terms with her husbandand#8217;s transitory lifestyle, to a father struggling to make it back to the Majors and a Cuban defector blowing everyone away with a 100-mph-plus fastball these are the people who live to make baseball happen, in all its nitty-gritty glory.
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Review
“[Cengel provides] an interesting and behind-the-scenes insight to the life of Minor League players.”—Drew Stubbs, Cincinnati Reds center fielder
Daniel Shoptaw - C70 at the Bat
Review
“If you dont know what cat food and cave shrimp have in common with Kentucky baseball, join Katya Cengel on her enlightening and entertaining odyssey with the states professional teams. She takes us places where fans cant typically go and introduces us to people whose personal stories make the balls and strikes much more interesting.”—Anne Jewell, author of Baseball in Louisville and executive director of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Drew Stubbs
Review
"Bluegrass Baseball performs a reality check for prospective players and owners in the minor leagues."and#8212;Dorothy Seymour Mills, New York Journal of Books
Review
"With depth and sensitivity, Cengel details the grind faced by owners, players, trainers, groundskeepers, ushers, broadcasters, mascots and even local families who take in ball players as boarders in their homes. Life in the minors is devoid of chartered planes, fame and fortune, but these vivid, personal stories of ordinary people with a dedicated passion and drive for the game will serve as inspiration for all."and#8212;Kathleen Gerard, Shelf Awareness
Review
"While Bluegrass Baseball is centered in Kentucky, the experiences of the players and employees are universal. It provides excellent insight into just what the minor leagues mean to just about anyone involved in the game."and#8212;James Bailey, Baseball America
Review
"From the front office scheming wacky promos to trainers shopping for the team to players struggling for a shot to The Show, this nitty-gritty account puts you in that minor-league clubhouse. So well done youand#8217;ll smell the bus fumes and hear that heckler over on the Bluegrass Baseball third-base line."and#8212;Society for American Baseball Research
Review
"This was a fascinating way to look at minor league life from all levels and all angles. . . . If you are a fan of baseball and especially like to see the human side of these players that get out there every night for our entertainment, I would surely recommend picking up Bluegrass Baseball."and#8212;Daniel Shoptaw, C70 at the Bat
Review
andquot;Bluegrass Baseball portrays its large cast of characters with honesty and journalistic skill. It is a fast and engaging read.andquot;andmdash;Jeffrey P. Beck, AETHLON: The Journal of Sport Literature
About the Author
Katya Cengel is a freelance writer based in Richmond, California. A staff reporter for the
Louisville Courier-Journal for eight years, she reported from the former Soviet Union, Europe, and Africa and has published in
Esquire and the
Wall Street Journal.