Plain and simple, if you like baseball, you'll really like this book. If you don't like baseball, you shouldn't read this book.
Feinstein interviews scads of people to tell us the story of baseball personnel (players, coaches, and umpires) who are tantalizingly close to making it to the major leagues, but never quite cement their place there. My two sons play baseball, and the process of eliminating players really starts in middle school and just continues on from there. Everyone stops playing competitively sometime. Usually well before they turn 40. It's a little heartbreaking at any age. But the leap from Triple A to the Major Leagues is a huge one, and it is FRAUGHT with ups and downs for many players. Imagine making $2000 per month one day, getting called up to the majors and making $15k per month, and then performing poorly and getting sent back down. It's a roller coaster, and a lot of players are riding it.
Feinstein does a great job of bringing us the inside stories of these players and their hopes and dreams. A few of the tales moved me to tears.
My only criticism is that the book jumps around quite a bit which is fine if you are a fan and very familiar with the players, etc., but it would be a bit hard for a more casual reader to follow. Sometimes I found it a little challenging.
Other than that though - - highly recommend for baseball lovers. ( )

I am a baseball fan. For years and years before I moved to a town with a major league team, I was a season ticket holder at single A, double A and triple A teams in the towns I lived in. There is nothing more fun than Used Car Night or bat night (well, bat night is really loud) anyway, John Feinstein made those magical nights come alive with the stories of the players. I've been a fan of his reports on NPR and his book is just as delightful. Many of the players who's stories he told have played in the major leagues so I was familiar with the names but many I was not. Oh and he also talked about the umpires in the minors and the broadcasters. It takes a village. I only with this book was twice as long. When I got to the end, all I wanted was more. ( )

A forgettable series of vignettes featuring former and aspiring minor leaguers. ( )

This isn't a story. It isn't one. It is (at least) nine stories. Nine guys working in the minor leagues, Feinstein tells their fun little stories. But not in any kind of order that makes it easy to read. Yes, there are fun tidbits but following so many viewpoints really hindered my reading enjoyment. ( )

This is the first Feinstein book I've read and after reading I may need to tackle more in the future. Feinstein follows the trials and struggles of various baseball players (and some umpires as well) trying to get out of the minors and show their skills on a major league field. Many people, even ones who follow baseball closely, are unaware of how difficult it is to come up through the minors and make a major league team. This book does a magnificent job of describing what certain players go through, chronicling the ups as well as the major downs that these guys experience. Probably the quote that sums up the book the best is uttered by former Triple-A manager Ron Johnson to players that complain about being in the minors: "If you don't like it here, do a better job." ( )