by Bill Geist
First published 1997
Bill Geist steps into the dugout as a Little League coach and discovers a world far more complex than he bargained for. Parents hover anxiously in the bleachers, second-guessing every call and protecting their young stars from disappointment. Fellow coaches deploy cunning strategies that would make professional managers blush. Meanwhile, the kids just want to swing the bat and run the bases without getting yelled at. Geist navigates team meetings where adults argue over batting orders while eight-year-olds pick dandelions in the outfield. He watches parents transform from mild-mannered office workers into fierce advocates ready to challenge umpires over strike zones. Through practices that dissolve into chaos and games where the score becomes secondary to survival, Geist finds himself caught between competitive adults and children who remind him why baseball matters. This insider account captures the beautiful absurdity of youth sports, where good intentions collide with parental anxiety and kids somehow manage to have fun despite it all.
Genres: family-life, non-fiction, comedy, baseball, parenting
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
224 pages · Hardcover · Scribner