[.ca] The 26th Man: One Minor League Pitcher's Pursuit of a Dream (ISBN 0803268912)

a great true story - i never knew what went on until now:
even though my dad wrote this book, i never knew what all went on. i think it's enjoyable to read, and very unbiased. i'm glad i read it, and it's fun to see my name in it.

Must read for aspiring professional ballplayers:
This book is an excellent text for any aspiring professional ballplayer. Decisions aren't always based upon the best talent/playing ability, a cold fact of life not mentioned much by recruiters and scouts. Wonderful reading for a baseball fan.

He pursues his dream with dignity:
The author tells his story with an honest, easy going approach. It was refreshing to read an athlete who is not bagged down with an enormous ego. I was pulling for Steve the entire way, and I hope that one day his sons will pitch for the Phillies and lead them to the World Series.

A clear picture of life in minor league baseball:
The author like many young stars in high school and college, started with great promise and expectations. But though he stood out in the minors, he never really got a chance at the major league level. This diary of his last year in baseball tells what day to day life as a minor league pitcher was like, and demonstrates that the system is sometimes as blinded by images, by prejudged expectations, as the rest of us. Fireovid was a better pitcher than several who were elevated, but "They were a prospect, I was a suspect." I'm not really a baseball fan, but I very much enjoyed this frank picture of the life of a mature, thoughtful man making one last try for his childhood dream.