I don't believe I have ever read a book about sports before, and I probably will not have ever read this book except it is the first category in this year's ReadHarder Challenge. The book follows the St. Louis Cardinals as they play a three game series against the Chicago Cubs in late August 2003. The main focus is on Tony LaRussa, the former Cardinals manager, but still gives a lot of insight into the players and coaches as well. I have to admit that I found myself far less interested in the drama of the games' play-by-plays and more interested in the different asides the author took. Examples of these asides include parts on the etiquette of hitting hitters with wild pitches, the evolution of stealing bases, the steroid scandal, and dealing with injured players. I also enjoyed reading about which players are whiny, which are narcissistic, which are hard working, and which are teachable. There was also a section on Darryl Kile and how he acted in his last few days before his tragic death just before a scheduled 2002 game against the Cubs.
Parts of the book lost me a bit, however, especially when we get the play-by-play of the thee games. Thankfully, the author skips certain innings that were quick 1-2-3 outs. Although I learned a lot about a game that I love, the sports non-fiction genre is not one I would have normally read. It helped that I love the Cardinals.
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