Verdict: An excellent read for both the kid who is more than just a little embarrassed or annoyed by their parent’s behavior at their sports games, and the parent who just wants to reaffirm that they, in fact, don’t belong in asylum.
Ah baseball, the great American past time; a sport so deeply ingrained into our culture that one would be hard pressed to find a citizen that doesn’t understand its basic rules or know of a recent happening in the game. Yet there is something about baseball that many people, myself included, may not have ever quite understood: the obsession with the game, even at the youth league level, that drives many parents (read: fathers) into a berserk fanaticism. Harold Jacobs’ Ball Crazy: Confessions of a Dad Coach, delves into this alien sensation and makes it easily relatable for the unfamiliar reader, highlighting the emotional highs and lows of watching and playing the game through both his own experiences playing sandlot baseball growing up in Florida and those of watching his son play in competitive, organized youth leagues. An excellent read for both the kid who is more than just a little embarrassed or annoyed by their parent’s behavior at their sports games, and the parent who just wants to reaffirm that they, in fact, don’t belong in asylum. After all, displays of erratic behavior while watching your kids’ game are as time-honored a tradition as baseball itself. (IndyReader.com, Reviewed by Sam Dillard, Feb. 9, 2011)
Alternating between a season on the road with his 12-year-old son's travelling baseball team and the improvised pick-up games of his own Florida childhood, first-time author Jacobs distills the experience of youth baseball into a handful of slim chapters as supple and expansive as good short stories. A long-time journalist, Jacobs deploys a reporter's efficiency and eye for detail in the service of a wide range of ideas--baseball as home and healer, punishment and addiction, mistress and terrorist cell--but resists the temptation to follow any one metaphor down the rabbit hole. Instead, he sticks to the action, following the 2004 Decatur Hills Bulls through the PONY league tournament, parsing the nuances of joint pain, and negotiating outside obligations (his son's and his own); intriguing vignettes from the author's childhood give the proceedings heft and purpose: "How did youth baseball evolve from sandlot games to weekend tournaments that require the logistics of a Special Forces operation?" A chronicle sure to resonate with any parent involved in youth sports, and illuminate its joys and frustrations for any parent who isn't, Jacobs's narrative takes hold in the mind much like the game itself. (Starred review, Publisher's Weekly, Aug. 2010)
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Countless writers have waxed romantic about baseball, but Hal Jacobs of Decatur brings something special to the subject, crafting a sweet memoir of one season spent obsessing over his son Henry’s youth baseball team. (Teresa Weaver, Atlanta Magazine, June 2010)
Just a real fine, thoughtful piece of writing. I thought some of the strongest passages were the actual descriptions of the games and the emotions and especially about that strange place which we dads inhabit with our child athletes that's both at once intimate and very distant. (Bill Banks, Writer/Journalist)
Tonight I read Ball Crazy as I listened to an eclectic collection of music on Pandora and enjoyed a light scotch in my basement. The book...I laughed, I cried (starting on page 2)...seriously. A wonderful combination of childhood baseball memories... fast-forwarded and applied to hockey coaching experiences with our sons, so many of which we shared. I enjoyed every page. A thoughtful gift. (Anon.)
I read Ball Crazy on my flight back to Salt Lake City and enjoyed it thoroughly! In my own case, it was basketball that involved me heavily with my son and my daughter who both were varsity BB players for their high school. But I found myself looking back on those times fondly once again as I read the book. My children and I were not involved much with baseball, but I do feel that there is something special about baseball that is not replicated in other sports. Something about the ambience of the ballpark and the pace and strategy of the game. You surely captured that special feeling in the book as well as the close relationship you have with Henry. (Richard L. Jenson, ATK Thiokol Professor of Accounting, Utah State University)
I wanted to tell you that I really, really enjoyed the book and as the father of three ballplayers I could relate to all of what you talked about. I really think that there is a whole army of baseball dads out there that would really enjoy this book. And I can tell you that even though your focus was on Henry's 12 year old season, some of those same perspective and emotions have stayed mostly bottled up within me even as the kids go through high school and college. Henry's 12 year old season was a great age to focus on. Many things do begin to change after that, at least for me. Thanks so much for writing all of it down and sharing it with us. I enjoyed it immensely. (Bill Coble, Baseball Dad)
The benefits of baseball: Author Hal Jacobs, puts game in perspective for kids and as a coach (by Charlie Patton, Florida Times-Union, April 11, 2010)
Local Author Explores His Relationship with Baseball and His Son (by Geoff Koski, Decatur News Online, April 2, 2010)
As a dad who also coaches a ton of baseball, Hal Jacobs' book struck so many chords I began to feel like he was telling my story. With touching humor, he deftly examines the good and the bad that lies in between in our youth baseball crazy culture. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I want my wife to read it. Maybe then she'll understand. (Glen Owen, Director/Writer)
Ball Crazy captures a very personal story
AND the essence of why baseball is soul food for
so many. It perfectly describes the tender and the
tough in the game and in the young players. If you've
been wondering what is going on out there on the
field -- this book provides a thoughtful insight. (Rebekah Hudgins, Anthropologist)
Ball Crazy: Confessions of a Dad-Coach is about young arms and sore arms, the dreaded hidden-ball trick, rain delays and mud play, winning and losing. Ball Crazy recounts the joys and sorrows of a summer filled with youth baseball, a season that lives up to the true measure of our National Pastime: a season of learning, teaching, and sharing. Nice sport, nice book. (Dana F. White, Goodrich C. White Professor of the Liberal Arts, Emory University)
To me, what made the book so powerful were the moments during those ball seasons that the author spent time making connections to his own childhood, really reflecting on what his obsession could teach him. He reveals a lot, but I still wondered about layers and connections that were not discussed, which left my imagination churning long after I put the book down. I think the fact that the book is named "Ball Crazy shows the author's self-awareness, but the fact that he takes us through each experience without going too deep into self-analysis captures the "reality" of the moment--being lost in the moment. That is what makes the book so real. I like that readers can come to their own conclusions about why he did what he did.... Human behavior is an interesting thing. Because there are no single explanations, every theory has something to offer while leaving something unanswered. The structure and style of the book left me both with my own theories and unanswered questions, not to mention eager to read the next book.... (Sarah Vitorino, Ph.D. Candidate, Emory University)
This is an outstanding story that could have been written by every baseball mom or dad. A quick read, the author captures the highs and lows of emotion that we have all experienced on and off the field. A good lesson for those whose child is just beginning sports and a great memory for those who are done. (E.D., from Amazon.com)
My confession is that I'm not much of a baseball fan and spend more time at the concession stand than watching the action on the field when I do go to games. But I thoroughly enjoyed this book any way. It gives great insight into why some men are obsessed with the game of baseball, and the sports passages were presented in a way that even non-fans like myself could understand and relate to the game. Most importantly, the book explores the bond between a father and a son and is a great memoir of Jacobs' own childhood. I highly recommend it! (S.S., from Amazon.com)
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