Philip F. Deaver is the author of How Men Pray and Silent Retreats and winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. He is writer-in-residence and associate professor of English at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Lee K. Abbott is the author of seven collections of short stories, including Wet Places at Noon and All Things, All at Once: New & Selected Stories. He is a professor of English at The Ohio State University in Columbus. Contributors: Jocelyn Bartkevicius, Rick Bass, Larry Blakely, Earl S. Braggs, Christopher Buckley, Rick Campbell, David Carkeet, Ron Carlson, Michael Chabon, Mick Cochrane, Hal Crowther, Andre Dubus, Leslie Epstein, Gary Forrester, Lee Gutkind, Jeffrey Hammond, Jeffrey Higa, Peter Ives, Richard Jackson, William Least Heat-Moon, Lee Martin, Michael Martone, Cris Mazza, Kyle Minor, Dan O'Neill, Susan Perabo, Rachael Perry, Kurt Rheinheimer, Louis D. Rubin Jr., Luke Salisbury, Floyd Skloot, Tom Stanton, Michael Steinberg, Tim D. Stone, and Robert Vivian.

"Baseball fans who yearn for the days of Ring Lardner will find in this collection ample evidence that gifted writers still celebrate America's national pastime. . . . There are numerous other double-play delights here. . . . Predictably, some contributors betray passions for a favorite team—Yankees or Red Sox, Cardinals or Cubs. But the heavy hitters hit the ball over all these partisan fences, reminding readers that a great game unites us all. Fans will treasure this book."—Booklist "Another winner from the University of Nebraska Press."—Library Journal "[T]hese pieces by such noted writers as Christopher Buckley, Andre Dubus, and Chris Mazza address not just a sport but a sport's place in the fabric of our lives. . . . The writing is polished, and the sentiments will touch a chord."—Library Journal Xpress "Enjoyable and insightful observations about a sport that has a richer literary tradition than any other sport in the US. . . . The entries' ability to remain fresh and entertaining speaks well of their quality and Deaver's discernment."—Todd Starkweather, American Book Review

Philip F. Deaver is the author of How Men Pray and Silent Retreats and winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. He is writer-in-residence and associate professor of English at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Lee K. Abbott is the author of seven collections of short stories, including Wet Places at Noon and All Things, All at Once: New & Selected Stories. He is a professor of English at The Ohio State University in Columbus. Contributors: Jocelyn Bartkevicius, Rick Bass, Larry Blakely, Earl S. Braggs, Christopher Buckley, Rick Campbell, David Carkeet, Ron Carlson, Michael Chabon, Mick Cochrane, Hal Crowther, Andre Dubus, Leslie Epstein, Gary Forrester, Lee Gutkind, Jeffrey Hammond, Jeffrey Higa, Peter Ives, Richard Jackson, William Least Heat-Moon, Lee Martin, Michael Martone, Cris Mazza, Kyle Minor, Dan O'Neill, Susan Perabo, Rachael Perry, Kurt Rheinheimer, Louis D. Rubin Jr., Luke Salisbury, Floyd Skloot, Tom Stanton, Michael Steinberg, Tim D. Stone, and Robert Vivian.

"Baseball fans who yearn for the days of Ring Lardner will find in this collection ample evidence that gifted writers still celebrate America's national pastime. . . . There are numerous other double-play delights here. . . . Predictably, some contributors betray passions for a favorite team—Yankees or Red Sox, Cardinals or Cubs. But the heavy hitters hit the ball over all these partisan fences, reminding readers that a great game unites us all. Fans will treasure this book."—Booklist "Another winner from the University of Nebraska Press."—Library Journal "[T]hese pieces by such noted writers as Christopher Buckley, Andre Dubus, and Chris Mazza address not just a sport but a sport's place in the fabric of our lives. . . . The writing is polished, and the sentiments will touch a chord."—Library Journal Xpress "Enjoyable and insightful observations about a sport that has a richer literary tradition than any other sport in the US. . . . The entries' ability to remain fresh and entertaining speaks well of their quality and Deaver's discernment."—Todd Starkweather, American Book Review

Philip F. Deaver is the author of How Men Pray and Silent Retreats and winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. He is writer-in-residence and associate professor of English at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Lee K. Abbott is the author of seven collections of short stories, including Wet Places at Noon and All Things, All at Once: New & Selected Stories. He is a professor of English at The Ohio State University in Columbus. Contributors: Jocelyn Bartkevicius, Rick Bass, Larry Blakely, Earl S. Braggs, Christopher Buckley, Rick Campbell, David Carkeet, Ron Carlson, Michael Chabon, Mick Cochrane, Hal Crowther, Andre Dubus, Leslie Epstein, Gary Forrester, Lee Gutkind, Jeffrey Hammond, Jeffrey Higa, Peter Ives, Richard Jackson, William Least Heat-Moon, Lee Martin, Michael Martone, Cris Mazza, Kyle Minor, Dan O'Neill, Susan Perabo, Rachael Perry, Kurt Rheinheimer, Louis D. Rubin Jr., Luke Salisbury, Floyd Skloot, Tom Stanton, Michael Steinberg, Tim D. Stone, and Robert Vivian.

"Baseball fans who yearn for the days of Ring Lardner will find in this collection ample evidence that gifted writers still celebrate America's national pastime. . . . There are numerous other double-play delights here. . . . Predictably, some contributors betray passions for a favorite team—Yankees or Red Sox, Cardinals or Cubs. But the heavy hitters hit the ball over all these partisan fences, reminding readers that a great game unites us all. Fans will treasure this book."—Booklist "Another winner from the University of Nebraska Press."—Library Journal "[T]hese pieces by such noted writers as Christopher Buckley, Andre Dubus, and Chris Mazza address not just a sport but a sport's place in the fabric of our lives. . . . The writing is polished, and the sentiments will touch a chord."—Library Journal Xpress "Enjoyable and insightful observations about a sport that has a richer literary tradition than any other sport in the US. . . . The entries' ability to remain fresh and entertaining speaks well of their quality and Deaver's discernment."—Todd Starkweather, American Book Review