false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171805651m/119747.jpg 119747 4 Every summer, in ten small towns across Cape Cod, the finest college baseball players in the country gather in hopes of making it to"The Show." The hopes are justifiably high: The Cape Cod Baseball League is the best amateur league in the world, producing one out of every six major league players, from Nomar Garciaparra and Frank Thomas to Jeff Bagwell and Barry Zito. Jim Collins chronicles a season in the life of one team-the Chatham A's, perhaps the most celebrated team in the league. Set against the backdrop of a resort town on the bend of the outer Cape, the story charts the changing fortunes of a handful ?of players battling slumps and self-doubt in their effort to make the league playoffs and, more importantly, impress the major league scouts. We learn about everything from the physics of wooden bats and the physiology of elbows to the psychology of slumps and the lure of drugs. In the course of a single dramatic season, with euphoric wins and devastating losses, we come to know the intricacies of the major league scouting network and the rapidly changing profile of major league baseball.<P> In the tradition of <I>The Boys of Summer, The Last Best League</I> is about dreams fulfilled and dreams denied, about Cape Cod and the rites of summer, and about the way one small town grows to love a group of young men coming of age in America.<P> 1583515 2004 The Last Best League: One Summer, One Season, One Dream total:105|5:27|4:45|3:31|2:2|1:0| 105 412 148 23 5 1 false false Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed May 23 19:56:29 -0700 2007 Wed Mar 12 06:18:42 -0700 2008
While the it would never be ...more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Dec 28 08:49:14 -0800 2007 Fri Dec 28 08:49:37 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Aug 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 28 14:22:17 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 28 14:24:27 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Oct 21 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 01 14:36:50 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 22 09:15:34 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Sat Jul 28 10:41:36 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 28 11:17:49 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Feb 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 07 11:19:04 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 20:17:51 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Jan 08 15:09:16 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 15:13:39 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sat Apr 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 10:56:49 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 10:59:46 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Mar 08 21:26:07 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 08 21:27:02 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Mon Feb 02 18:13:44 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 18:15:25 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 13 08:28:16 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 13 11:51:46 -0700 2007 how the best college players make it (or don't) in the major leagues. Collins writes with a great sense of both place and baseball, an...more...]]> 4 0 true false Fri Feb 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 29 08:33:17 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 29 08:40:09 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Sat Sep 08 19:31:34 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 09 04:49:03 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Fri Feb 08 10:33:12 -0800 2008 Fri Feb 08 10:35:01 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 24 11:12:00 -0700 2008 Tue May 13 14:02:26 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 09 19:32:29 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 09 19:36:54 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Mon Jul 23 12:07:11 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 23 12:08:51 -0700 2007 5 0 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Mar 21 12:21:07 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 21 12:23:42 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Mon Jun 30 12:03:54 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 30 12:05:54 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Oct 30 14:14:52 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 30 14:15:24 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=119747