Ballpark Blues: A Novel Hardcover - 2003

From the publisher

Russ Bryant, a lonely, downtrodden reporter trapped in a job he hates, stumbles into the story of a lifetime when he befriends a promising rookie named Casey Fox. Casey, possessed of mythic talents but mortal insecurities, isn't even sure he wants to play in the Major Leagues, but an offer from the Boston Red Sox proves irresistible. As Casey moves along the fast track, from the anonymity of the minor leagues to stardom at Fenway Park, Bryant's dreams of journalistic glory soar as well. Both men, however, begin to wonder whether there's still a place for heroes in a world where sports has become a hard-nosed business, and the media is steeped in cynicism. The closer they get to their goals -- Casey to a triumphant season finale, Russ to a plum job with Sports Illustrated -- the more they struggle with the dissonance between their professional success and their personal happiness.

C. W. Tooke, a native of Boston and a lifelong Red Sox fan, perfectly captures the special atmosphere of Fenway Park -- from the smells of freshly mowed grass and stale beer, to the Green Monster looming over left field. At once a thrilling story of baseball and a poignant look at the meaning of sports and fame in America today, "Ballpark Blues" marks the debut of a remarkably talented writer. William F. Buckley, Jr., is already a devoted fan, calling the novel "as pleasurable an experience as I have had from a novel in the past dozen years. . . . The writing is simply superb: restrained, imaginative, extraordinarily accomplished, and poised."