This book is such a beautiful potrayal of two brothers growing up during the sixties. It all rings true: the way they speak, their concerns and obsessions, their surroundings and the characters who people their world. This is one of the funniest coming-of age books around, funny in a way that is painfully real.

Even if you are not a Baseball fan, this is a great human intrest story, of a real sounding person and his troubles growing up. If you are a baseball fan or a fan of the late great Nellie Fox it is an absolute most

Just when you think no one can do anything more with how baseball captures the American mind and imagination, you come across a book like this. It's a fun read, light enough that you don't realize you have become caught up in something serious. As I laughed I kept wanting to e-mail Kevin Costner. This book would make a great movie. It's got all the right stuff: an over the hill hero, a rotten kid, a dog, nostalgia. Those of you who grew up in Chicago will love the local color.

This is a wonderful book: funny and touching. The characters are real and the situations they get into are riveting. The dialogue is great; the voices ring so true. An extremely enjoyable read, even for only casual fans of baseball.