"amusing look at baseball"
Though he was one of the reasons the Mets won a hundred
games and played in the post season, young fans either
never heard of Showtime Charlie Stoddard or think of him as
a phenom footnote. However, Charlie, who believed in two
things, baseball and partying, hurt his arm in the '88
playoffs and never came back- that is until now, years
later,
at the age of forty. After years of boozing, womanizing, and gambling, Charlie
meets therapist Chang who provides his aching arm with
relief that feels so good the former pitcher makes a
comeback with the Red Sox, who as usual are hurting in
their run against the Yankees. As he returns to the mound,
Charlie also tries to reconcile with his former wife who
believes a continent may not be enough landmass between
them. Charlie also makes an effort to reconcile with his
son who loathes him. While laboring over straightening out
his personal life, Charlie works hard on helping the Red
Sox overcome the Killer B's (the curse of the Babe and
Buckner's Dent) that haunt New England. Though the story line is evident from almost the start,
sports fans will enjoy this amusing look at baseball,
especially in light of the recent settlement. Charlie's
injury will remind the boomers of the Bird, but his
reaction is so different from Fidrych's contented return to
his farm. Mike Lupica provides an entertaining tale that
is a walk off home run winner except this reviewer from the
Bronx points out that only in fiction could this ending
occur. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted September 3, 2002
|
