A Damn Near Perfect Game: Reclaiming America's Pastime

Description

Baseball's most outspoken fireballer brings the high heat--calling out
the hacks, cheats, and ridiculous rules that have tarnished the
game--and pitches a-plus stuff on how to make baseball pure, fun, and
damn near perfect.

Baseball has an image problem. The
chorus of nonbelievers gets louder every year, and the Major Leagues
have made an art of tuning them out. Enter Joe Kelly: a walking,
talking, fast-ball-throwing embodiment of why baseball matters. He and
his All-Star team of athletes and celebrities have some things to say
about what's gone wrong with our once great game and how to fix it.

A Damn Near Perfect Game is the loudest insider's exposé of the laws and culture of Major League Baseball since Jim Bouton's classic Ball Four.
From Kelly's perspective as a two-time World Series champion and
baseball's most memeable player according to ESPN, he takes readers on a
house-cleaning tour of the clubhouse, the field of play, the bullpen,
the front office, the commissioner's office, and a ballplayer's
restricted life off the field. Kelly has something to say about
baseball's rule changes (pitch clocks, limiting defensive shifts, the
designated hitter); hacks (overused analytics, sign-stealing); stale
promotion to new fans; and encouraging players' emotions (let them
fight, bat-flip, and talk sh*t!). Plus, he details how he aired his
complaints in an illuminating meeting with commissioner Rob Manfred.

And
to show what happens when baseball has some piss and vinegar, Kelly
gives the inside scoop on his legendary exploits--starting a
bench-clearing brawl with the Yankees' Tyler Austin, his famous "pouty
face" scene when calling out the notorious sign-stealing Houston Astros,
and wearing a mariachi jacket to visit the White House with his World
Series champion LA Dodgers.

Product Details

Price

$28.99 $26.96

Publisher

Diversion Books

Publish Date

February 28, 2023

Pages

288

Dimensions

6.2 X 9.1 X 1.1 inches | 0.9 pounds

Language

English

Type

Hardcover

EAN/UPC

9781635768893

BISAC Categories:

Baseball - Essays & Writings

Baseball - History

Baseball - Statistics

Sports

Sociology of Sports

Business Aspects

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About the Author

Joe Kelly is a ten-year major league veteran, having won the World Series with both the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He also went to the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, the franchise that selected him in the third round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. He currently plays for the Chicago White Sox. Kelly is a Southern California native who shares three young children with his wife, Ashley.

Rob Bradford has covered the Boston Red Sox for more than twenty years, covering Major League Baseball for the Lowell Sun, Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, Boston Herald, and WEEI. He has written two books: Chasing Steinbrenner: Pursuing the Pennant in Boston and Toronto and Deep Drive: A Long Journey to Finding the Champion Within, the best-selling autobiography of World Series MVP Mike Lowell.

Reviews

"This is the message that baseball fans need now more than ever: Baseball is life, and life is baseball. Joe Kelly gives us the gift of this book to serve as a perfect reminder."--David Ortiz, 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee "This book represents an important message for all who want to understand the greatness of our game, and there is nobody more equipped to deliver it than Joe Kelly. A Damn Near Perfect Game is the ultimate wake-up call for sports fans."--Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers, former Boston Red Sox, Two-time World Series Champion, 2018 American League Most Valuable Player, Six-time All Star "Joe Kelly is a fan favorite wherever he goes. A passionate competitor who rides hard for the uniform he wears, Joe brings the same intensity to this very important book. It's a great look at our great game--America's pastime--from someone who still lives life on the diamond."--Rob Lowe, Golden Globe Award-winning and Emmy Award-nominated actor, diehard baseball fan

"A fun springboard to help us all appreciate baseball that much more. Joe Kelly is one of the great personalities in the game today, and you'll be smiling as you read about Joe and his friends bringing a new vision of our national pastime to life."

--Joe Davis, lead Major League Baseball play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports

Further testimonies by...Andy Cohen (Television Personality)Jon Hamm (Actor)Dennis Eckersley (Hall-of-famer)
Torey Krug (Professional Hockey Player)
Nestor Cortes (All-Star Pitcher)Mark Hoppus (Musician)Rob Friedman ("Pitching Ninja")David Ross (Manager)Bo Bichette (All-Star Shortstop)
Alex Cora (Manager)Adam Wainwright (All-Star Pitcher)Kurt Busch (NASCAR Driver)Dylan Cease (Pitcher)David Price (All-Star Pitcher) Matt Strahm (Pitcher)Julio Rodriguez (All-Star Outfielder)J.D. Martinez (All-Star Designated Hitter)Travis d'Arnaud (All-Star Catcher)Kyle Schwarber (All-Star Designated Hitter)Joe Mantiply (All-Star Pitcher)Corey Seager (All-Star Shortstop)Ken Griffey Jr. (Hall of Famer)Ian Happ (All-Star Outfielder)Liam Hendriks (All-Star Pitcher)Ty France (All-Star First Baseman)Paul Blackburn (All-Star Pitcher)Mookie Betts (All-Star Outfielder)Paul Goldschmidt (All-Star First Baseman)Max Fried (All-Star Pitcher)Austin Riley (All-Star Outfielder)David Bednar (All-Star Pitcher)Shawn Green (Former All-Star Outfielder)CC Sabathia (Former All-Star Outfielder)Anthony Volpe (Top Infield Prospect) Tai Bradley (Top Pitching Prospect) Mike Burrows (Top Pitching Prospect) Terry Francona (Manager)

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