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With Bleachers John Grisham departs again from the legal thriller to experiment with a character-driven tale of reunion, broken high school dreams, and missed chances. While the book falls short of the compelling storytelling that has made Grisham a bestselling author, it is nonetheless a diverting novella that succeeds as light fiction.

The story centers on the impending death of the Messina Spartans' football coach Eddie Rake. One of the most victorious coaches in high school football history, Rake is a man both loved and feared by his players and by a town that relishes his 13 state titles. The hero of the novel is Neely Crenshaw, a former Rake All-American whose NFL prospects ended abruptly after a cheap shot to the knees. Neely has returned home for the first time in years to join a nightly vigil for Rake at the Messina stadium. Having wandered through life with little focus since his college days, he struggles to reconcile his conflicted feelings towards his former coach, and he assays to rekindle love in the ex-girlfriend he abandoned long ago. For Messina and for Neely, the homecoming offers the prospect of building a life after Rake.

Physically a narrow book, Bleachers is a modest fiction in many respects. The emotional scope is akin to that of a short story, with a single-minded focus on explorations of nostalgia and regret. The dialogue, especially that of Neely's friend Paul Curry, is sometimes wooden as characters recall Messina history in paragraphs that were perhaps better left to the narrator. But Grisham has otherwise written a well-made, entertaining--if a bit sentimental--story. --Patrick O'Kelley

Book Description

High school all-American Neely Crenshaw was probably the best quarterback ever to play for the legendary Messina Spartans. Fifteen years have gone by since those glory days, and Neely has come home to Messina to bury Coach Eddie Rake, the man who molded the Spartans into an unbeatable football dynasty.

Now, as Coach Rake’s “boys” sit in the bleachers waiting for the dimming field lights to signal his passing, they replay the old games, relive the old glories, and try to decide once and for all whether they love Eddie Rake – or hate him. For Neely Crenshaw, a man who must finally forgive his coach –-- and himself – before he can get on with his life, the stakes are especially high.

Customer Reviews:

Bleachers.......2007-10-10

This book was fantastic but very short. In the 4 hours it took me to read it I was laughing and crying.

A great football story.......2007-10-06

I am not a great football fan. However, in Bleachers, Grisham gives us the story of Coach Rake who is dying, and it's different and well, very moving.
I read recently that John Grisham is to the law what Ken McClure is to the medical world, but there's no sign of lawyers here
It's a shorter than average Grisham story at 163 pages, but if you're a Grisham fan, go and read it if you haven't already.

Solid.......2007-10-04

Solid sports book. I enjoyed it. It wasn't my favorite book of the year, but it was closer to the top than to the bottom.

Will those not into sports enjoy the read? Possibly. But it's definitely designed for the sports fan.

Also recommended: Playing For Pizza: A Novel

Small Town Football combine to create a wonderful story........2007-09-28

In "Bleachers", John Grisham took me on a trip to the small town of Messina, Mississippi, where Friday night football reigns supreme. No pro football here, just the home grown college and high school teams. The story brings back lots of memories and if you enjoy football this is the story for y. In the story, Coach Eddie Rake, who has had a long career as football coach that he built into a football dynasty. Because of it, he is the most important man in town, and he is loved by everybody in Messina and of course the players, both present and past, of the Messina Spartans. This story takes place over the course of four days as the Spartans from different eras return to stand vigil over their dying coach. The players sit in the bleachers, share stories and memories. They relive old rivalries and victories. Most of all, they remember the times, both good and bad, that they had with their coach. They also, remember the miracle 1987 game, and in the process, let out a secret that had been kept for a decade. While this short story is out of Mr. Grisham's usual genre, it still has the elements of a down home, wholesome story with a twist. Enjoy.

Grisham should stick to law...........2007-09-06

I love football & the idea of remembering "glory days" as one ages, so I thought I would enjoy this book. Unfortunately, this story did nothing for me. It was filled with dull dialogue that seemed to go nowhere.

Average customer rating:

Mr. Hano wrote a masterpiece !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Like being in a time machine
Like being at the game
Rejoice! "A Day in the Bleachers" is back in print!
A CLASSIC BOOK

A Day in the Bleachers
Arnold Hano
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books

History | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 030681322X
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Book Description

The 50th Anniversary of "The Catch"

From the subway ride to the ballpark, through batting practice and warm-ups, to the game-winning home run, A Day in the Bleachers describes inning by inning the strategies, heroics, and ineluctable rhythms of the opening game of the 1954 World Series. Here are the spectacular exploits of the Indians and Giants, and of a young player named Willie Mays, who made the most-talked-about catch in baseball history.

"The best of all the baseball books written from the point of view of the man in the stands." Roger Kahn, from the Introduction

Customer Reviews:

Mr. Hano wrote a masterpiece !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-08-17

After Willie's unbelievable catch, I was born until eighteen years later. As a result, I never visited the Polo Grounds. Mr. Hano painted an awesome picture for me. It was awesome to read about baseball in that era.

I work part-time a local radio station (just outside of NYC). After I read the book, I was able to contact Arnold. I thought he would be too busy for me! He returned my call promptly! I was thrilled!! I peformed my 1st off-air interview w/ him. We discussed the book in detail. Speaking of living in the moment, Arnold was a pleasure to speak with.
This is not just another baseball book written in the 50's! A+

Like being in a time machine.......2004-12-14

Although I was still 10 years away from being born when Mr Hano attended the first game of the 1954 World Series, I thoroughly enjoyed his telling of his experiences attending the game. As a baseball fan, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book, and it doesn't disappoint. I could imagine myself being there.

The book is a classic and one I will read again. My ONLY disappointment with the book is that it ends so abruptly. The last out is made. He looks around for the lady in the red hat. She's gone and he mentions the fact that he never got a look at the face of the Cleveland fan and basically, that's it. Book over. I was hoping he would end the book with his getting home and speaking to his wife about the game, the way the book opened.

My other disappointment was in the afterword. I was pleasantly surprised that Mr. Hano is still living. He ran down the list of where are they now from the '54 Giants, which I enjoyed. I kept waiting for any other recollections he might have had about that game, the way baseball was then compared to now, etc. And I was also hoping he would mention what happened to his wife; if she's still living or not. But he did neither, but that's ok.

All in all, this book is one that will stay on my shelf for a good long time. Well worth the read!

Like being at the game.......2004-09-30

Did you ever wonder what it was like going to a game at the Polo Grounds? This is an inning by inning description of Game 1 of the 1954 series that covers getting to the park, who was sitting nearby, and of course the game itself. It is told from the view of a fan who knows and loves the game, but avoids windy philosophy and theory. It is especially grand to read in the depths of winter when baseball is either a memory or anticipated. I can't recommend it too highly.

Rejoice! "A Day in the Bleachers" is back in print!.......2004-08-22

This book captures what it is to be a fan better than anything else I've ever read. I often read this book in the Spring, to cleanse my mental palate of a long dreary Winter of football, basketball, the off-season noise of player contracts, and all else that is life without baseball actually on the field and in the stands. This book always does the trick. I once lost my copy (probably loaned it to someone who never returned it) and had to live without it for years until I found another used copy. Those were hard times. Now it's readily available and I can give it as a gift. Glory, glory, glory!

I know, this doesn't actually tell you about the book, but I'm too thrilled to bother with all that now. Just get it. I've never lent my copy to anyone without them coming back singing its praises...except for that mystery s.o.b who apparently liked it too much to return it.

A CLASSIC BOOK.......2004-07-18

ARNOLD DOES A GREAT JOB DESCRIBING GAME 1 OF THE 1954 WORLD SERIES PLAYED IN THE POLO GROUNDS. READING THIS BOOK I CAN PICTURE VERY CLEARLY, THE EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE THAT DAY. FROM THE TIME HE LEFT HIS HOUSE TO THE GAME ENDING HOMERUN, I WAS TOTALLY CAUGHT UP THIS DETAILED ACCOUNT OF "THE CATCH". HIS DESCRIPTION OF THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM, THE GAME ACTION, AND HIS THOUGHTS ARE PUT TOGETHER IN THIS GREAT READ. A MUST READ FOR ALL GIANT FANS AND BASEBALL HISTORIANS.

Average customer rating:

Great Book!
Past the Bleachers
I love Bohjalian!

Past the Bleachers
Christopher A. Bohjalian
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0881848026

Customer Reviews:

Great Book!.......2007-09-29

This book was pretty mesmerizing for me, I had a hard time putting it down at bedtime. Sort of spooky in parts, sad in others. Excellent book, one of his best.

Past the Bleachers.......2003-03-04

I have just started reading Past the Bleachers and he has used "slang" to describe what he and his wife have been doing in order to get pregnant. I really thought it was uncalled for and was greatly diappointed. But on a lighter note, I just finished Hangman and that was a four star. But, Trans-Sister Radio, was definitely a five star!!

I love Bohjalian!.......2002-07-01

I love him! His books are great reads!
Even his earlier books. I really enjoyed this book.
It's about a couple who lost their son to leukemia.
And the father decides to coach a little league team the following year. He proceeds to meet a very mysterious little boy on the team. The curiosity keeps the pages turning.
Good book!

Diamonds Forever: Reflections from the Field, the Dugout & the Bleachers

Average customer rating:

Baseball is dull only to dull minds
a great book for everyone that loves the game of baseball.

Diamonds Forever: Reflections from the Field, the Dugout & the Bleachers

Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Inspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Essays & Writings | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books

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The Thrill of the Grass

ASIN: 0002557584

Customer Reviews:

Baseball is dull only to dull minds.......2002-08-22

Perhaps because he's Canadian (so am I, but I'm completely objective here), Kinsella has a superb understanding of the psyche of baseball -- which is truly America's national sport.

It's not all that odd. Alexis de Tocqueville, from France, wrote "Democracy in America" in (1835 and 1840), still the most penetrating and insightful view of the character and core values of American democracy. It took Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw to best understand the English -- no Englishman could write "Pygmalion" upon which "My Fair Lady" is based.

Novelist Bernard Malamud summed it up nicely, "The whole history of baseball has the quality of mythology." In about 150 quotes, this book brings that mythology to life.

Kinsella is a master observer of baseball. His "Shoeless Joe" became the classic "Field of Dreams" in 1989, the best film yet about the spirit that motivates boys and men to play, watch, understand and love baseball. This is a story of redemption and faith in the best American tradition, and the film captures the magic of Kinsella's story.

Baseball is not like other sports. It is a game in which each individual player faces the entire opposing team alone, in batting and base running to score points. Think of Canada's ice hockey in similar terms -- requiring a single player to face nine opponents to score a goal. It's tough enough to "kill a penalty" in hockey when a team is one player short; hockey, like most sports, is a team effort.

Baseball reflects the American spirit, a "lone eagle" against the world. Yet, it is also the poetry in action of superb teamwork; from pitching to fielding, from the subtle grace of a curve ball to a double or triple play, it has the grace of a lyrical ballet perfomed on fresh mown grass instead of a dull indoor stage.

In a world of factoids, sound bites and trivia, "Diamonds Forever" collects the best sayings about baseball by players, fans and others. Kinsella's skill is knowing what to include and what to omit, and he offers up the meaning of life as well as the inner qualities of baseball. Like Tocqueville who understood American democracy before Americans could define it, Kinsella offers an outsider's view of the magic that makes baseball the quintessential American sport.

Baseball isn't automatic success. Thomas Boswell wrote, "If you do everything right, you'll still lose 40 percent of your games -- but you'll also end up in the World Series." Ted Williams said much the same, "Baseball is the only field of endeavour where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer."

Tired of being criticized ? Reggie Jackson noted, "Fans don't boo nobodies." It's why, as Humphrey Bogart noted, "A hot dog at the ball park is better than steak at the Ritz." Casey Stengel of the Yankees offered the surest wisdom for a happy life, "The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided."

As broadcaster Bryant Gumbel said, "The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love." Or look at it philosophically by Dagwood Bumstead (drawn by Chic Young), "Baseball, my son, is the cornerstone of civilization." Perhaps Hall of Fame catcher Roy Campanella expressed it best, "You gotta be a man to play baseball for a living but you gotta have a lot of little boy in you."

True enough. Baseball is a game for those who have the enthusiasm and faith of little boys - - who know everything is possible. It's why only Americans have walked on the moon, it's why the US is what it is today.

Kinsella, like Tocqueville, understands the spirit of baseball. It makes this book eminently worth buying. Beg, buy or borrow it, read it, think about it and remember the best of its quotes for a perceptive insight into America and her game.

As for the title of this review, it was originally said by sports writer Red Smith. It's like America itself, as expressed by pitcher Satchel Paige, "Ain't no man can avoid being born average, but there ain't no man got to be common."

Now . . . . . as an afterthought - - - why doesn't some public spirited American do the same for Canada and hockey ?

a great book for everyone that loves the game of baseball........1998-04-06

when I started to read this book I read the whole thing in one sitting.

John Grisham Collection: Set Of 18 Novels, Legal Suspense and Fiction (A Time to Kill, The Firm, Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, Runaway Jury, The Partner, Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, Bleachers, King of Torts, Last Juror, The Broker)

Average customer rating:

John Grisham Collection: Set Of 18 Novels, Legal Suspense and Fiction (A Time to Kill, The Firm, Pelican Brief, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, Runaway Jury, The Partner, Street Lawyer, The Testament, The Brethren, Painted House, Skipping Christmas, The Summons, Bleachers, King of Torts, Last Juror, The Broker)
John Grisham
Manufacturer: Island Books/Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000MS6OUU

Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season with the Bleacher Creatures of Yankee Stadium

Average customer rating:

From the View of a hardcore Yankee fan...
easy reading
Good book about a bunch of losers
A good-natured, and eye-level look at true-hearted fans
enjoyable fare

Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season with the Bleacher Creatures of Yankee Stadium
Filip Bondy
Manufacturer: Sports Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baseball | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1582617694

Book Description

Bleeding Pinstripes is a unique, anthropological view of this most dedicated tribe of rooters?their rituals, their personal tribulations, their uncanny commitment to the Bronx ball clu . and to each other. You will meet an assortment of Bleacher Creatures, characters of a very different sort: Tina Lewis, the self-proclaimed Queen of the Bleachers, a spirited cancer survivor, and the chief lobbyist for Section 39; Donald Simpson, a 9/11 victim and the bleachers? only known millionaire; Milton Ousland, the only bleacher fan authorized to bang the cowbell during Yankee games; Bald Vinny, the ultimate T-shirt entrepreneur and a good-natured hustler who has made a living off his passion; and Luis Castillo, the Yankee clubhouse attendant and the insider who started out as just another Creature in the bleachers.

Customer Reviews:

From the View of a hardcore Yankee fan..........2007-01-12

I must admit, I only made it through about half of the book. However, that was more than enough for me. As a hardcore Yankee fan, I found the fans in this book pretty sad. According to them, any fan who has a life and does not attend every game is not really a fan at all. Well folks, I'm terribly sorry that many fans, no matter how hardcore or casual, have JOBS and FAMILIES! They seem to think that if you are not willing to sacrifice the rest of your life to go to a Thursday afternoon game vs. Kansas City, then you are not a real fan. Also, if you sit anywhere besides the bleachers, then you are a frontrunner. These people make me sick. These are the people who give Yankee fans a bad reputation as a bunch of drunk, boisterous jerks. Most Yankee fans are knowldegable, respectful fans of the game. I have taken in a few Yankee games from the bleachers at the Stadium. I'll probably never go back to the bleachers again just to avoid being associated with these losers.

easy reading.......2006-08-29

what to say? very easy flowing book, and didnt want to put it down. i give the author credit for sitting out there in the bleachers with these so called creatures. ive been to yankee games, but have never sat out with the bleecher creatures... thank heavens! i would think i was back in junior H.S. id rather read about sec 39, than to have to pay to sit out there with animal house. which is why i enjoyed the book... all the drama, n nonsense between yankee fanatics, from the safety of my living room. great book! much credit to the author! and of course... go yankees!!!

Good book about a bunch of losers.......2005-07-06

Filip Bondy is a great sports writer and the Bleacher Creatures are a group of sick men who have nothing in life except the Yankees and the need to get drunk and curse.

I feel sorry for these losers. I am a big Yankee fan since before Jeter. But the Bleacher Creachers make me ashamed of that.

This is a good book, about wierdos.

A good-natured, and eye-level look at true-hearted fans.......2005-05-13

Bleeding Pinstripes: A Season With The Bleacher Creatures At Yankee Stadium by Filip Bondy (an award-winning sports columnist for the New York Daily News) is a virtually anthropological look at the men and women who come to Yankee Stadium to watch baseball games in New York. Their dedication to the Bronx ball club and each other fills the pages of Bleeding Pinstripes, which are marked with such vignettes as the 9/11 survivor who is the bleachers' only known millionaire; the high-spirited cancer survivor who proclaims herself "queen of the bleachers"; and the fan whose passion for the game runs so deep she claims "they'll never get rid of me. I bleed pinstripes". An entertaining, good-natured, and eye-level look at true-hearted fans.

enjoyable fare.......2005-03-09

A funny book. With a cast of characters you will long remember after you close the finished book for the first time. These are fans who like to have fun, have a special bond with one another, and as the title says, simply "bleed pinstripes."

From pregame barbecues to inter-sectional squabbles in the bleacher seats themselves, you can hear the chants in your head and taste the beer in your gullet as you read through which is an amusing walk through the 2004 season as seen through the sometimes clouded eyes of "The Bleacher Creatures" and their faitful scribe, Filip Bondy.

Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Football mad

Bleachers
Grisham John
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000JPJGL0

Customer Reviews:

Football mad.......2007-08-24

If you have ever remembered the agonies and ecstasies of adolescence this book is for you. How much of what seemed so important back then was really of value?

In this book the people of the little town of Messina live and breath football and the Spartans, the high school team, are like demigods in their eyes. Eddie Rake was the talented coach who took the Spartans on a great winning streak, but he has been 'retired' for fifteen years. Now Rake is dieing. Neely Crenshaw, previous Spartan All-American quarterback, like many other previous residents of Messina, has returned home to pay his last respects to the coach. But does Neely love or hate the coach who tortured him into shape?

Of course real life rarely has simple and easy answers and this book's most interesting feature is its' ambiguity. Messina is the plucky little town that produced legendary players, but it is also the small minded gossipy town slavering over the next scandal as much as the next victory. Rake is a talented motivator, but is also an arrogant and aggressive bully. Neely is a football legend, but is also a university drop out, has a small-time carrier and a failed marriage. So in all this complexity where will the story go? Read it and find out. The book, while laconically paced, is certainly interesting and easy read even if you don't like football. At 163 pages it is a short undertaking.

The Best of In the Bleachers: A Classic Collection of Mental Errors

Average customer rating:

Subtle and over the top humor...

The Best of In the Bleachers: A Classic Collection of Mental Errors
Steve Moore
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0446679348

Book Description

Steve Moore has done it again. In the spirit of cartoonistsB. Kliban, Gary Larson, Charles Addams, and Gahan Wilson, the nation's leading sports cartoonist tackles, well, everything! Football, baseball, basketball, skiing, hunting, fishing, jogging, golf-even chess. No sport is spared from Moore's wickedly clever gags, drawn from the viewpoints of players, fans, and couch potatoes everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

Subtle and over the top humor..........2003-05-10

Arguably the most consistently funny panel since "The Far Side." A great collection. Viva en la bleachers!

Beyond the Bleachers : The Art of Parenting Today's Athletes

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Beyond the Bleachers : The Art of Parenting Today's Athletes
George A. Selleck , and David Canning Epperson
Manufacturer: Alliance Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0967285410

Book Description

In today's world, parents must look long and hard to find positive influences for their children. Sports provide parents with the ideal laboratory for teaching life's lessons and making a real difference in their children's lives. Beyond the Bleachers tackles 52 hard-hitting issues, including how to

* Use sports to reinforce family values
* Teach children to cope with frustration
* Teach children to make good choices about tobacco, drugs, and alcohol
* Build character
* Teach children to respect themselves and others
* Communicate effectively with the coach

Designed as either a stand-alone or as a companion to the insightful, successful first book, From the Bleachers with Love: Advice to Parents with Kids in Sports, Beyond the Bleachers provides enough activities and ideas to try something new and valuable every week for a full year!

Average customer rating:
Bleachers

Manufacturer: ARROW (RAND)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GSMVKI

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