Synopses & Reviews
Now in paperback—a cross between
A Day in the Life and
Moneyball—comes the inside, intertwining stories of famous, and not-so-famous people as their lives are affected by one day of baseball: August 30, 2003, Red Sox-Yankees at Fenway, during their most famous season ever.
Fenway Park, Saturday, 8/30/03: Yankees versus Red Sox. Not just a special day in a historic rivalry but a unique one in the long tradition of baseball writing. For on this day award-winning sportswriter Steve Kettmann worked with a team of top reporters to chronicle everything that happened, from the point of view of everyone involved. With One Day at Fenway, Kettmann goes beyond the ballpark to bring you interviews and anecdotes involving all the major players—from Red Sox owner John Henry and CEO Larry Lucchino, privately second-guessing Grady Little's managing moves during the game; to Yankee skipper Joe Torre, worrying on the bench about Mariano Rivera, who can't find home plate; to Sox slugger Manny Ramirez, who missed the game with a throat infection. And there's more: the famous and infamous players in the field and in the boardrooms, rabid fans on both sides, the not-so-innocent bystanders—all here in this brilliant re-creation of a day in the life of America's favorite pastime.
Review
"An ambitious undertaking and a riveting read."
-- The Boston Globe
Review
"I was blown away...Steve not only captured the intensity on the field but also the layers of interest that surround the greatest rivalry in sports."
-- Billy Beane, general manager, Oakland A's
Review
"Fascinating...The
Black Hawk Down of baseball."
-- Madison Smart Bell
Review
Billy Beane, General Manager, Oakland Athletics I was blown away. Baseball books usually bore me, but Steve grabbed my attention with every page. When the Yankees and the Red Sox play, even as an opposing general manager I become a fan. Steve not only captured the intensity on the field but also the layers of interest that surround the greatest rivalry in sports.
Review
Madison Smartt Bell Steve Kettmann's kaleidoscopic rendering of a single Yankees-Red Sox game makes a fascinating narrative even for those who know little about the sport. With its cast of dozens of acutely interested characters, One Day at Fenway is the Black Hawk Down of baseball.
Review
Leigh Montville, author of Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero For less than what you normally would pay to park, you get to sit in the good seats, the bad seats, the dugout itself....You squint and watch the action for a couple of innings through a hole in the scoreboard. All this and it's the Yankees and it's a hell of a game and...just start reading. You won't be disappointed. This is the ultimate Fenway experience.
Review
"Fierce...Fun...and often riveting. A rare inning-to-inning insight into the sport."
-- John McMurtrie, San Francisco Chronicle
About the Author
Steve Kettmann has reported from more than twenty countries on five continents for publications including the New York Times, the New Republic, the Village Voice, GQ, and Salon.com; he was a San Francisco Chronicle sportswriter for nearly a decade. He conceived and edited Game Time, Roger Angell's collection of baseball writing. This is his first book.