The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John Ritter
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Jan.15, 2012, under Environment, Sam's Reviews, Sports
Who would like this book? People 8 and up who like stories about baseball and who like to root for the underdog.
Why? Doc Altenheimer, 87, owns a huge tract of land in the rural town of Dillontown. The town’s baseball field happens to be part of this land, and developers have their eye on it. Doc is torn between helping the town grow and keeping the field for baseball. Young Tom Gallagher is surprised and very nervous when Doc decides to have the decision made by a baseball game: if the local team, the Wildcats, beats the hotshot neighboring team, the field is theirs. This wager sets Tom and his fellow players on a mad race to increase their skills and get a fighting chance at winning. Their chances increase when a mysterious boy, Cruz de la Cruz, arrives with the “secret of hitting” and a plan to get the retired, reclusive baseball legend, Dante Del Gato, to be their coach. If you’re looking for a funny, optimistic story about underdogs, look no further!
The details: 216 pp. 2003 Review by Samrarian
