James Bailey's Blog - Posts Tagged "james-bailey"
“It’s a good read” – Bob D’Angelo, Tampa Tribune
The most significant review–in terms of both reach and content–of The Greatest Show on Dirt hit the internet when Bob D’Angelo of the Tampa Tribune introduced Lane Hamilton to readers of his Sports Bookie blog. Bob had a lot of nice things to say about the book. Here are a few excerpts.
Author James Bailey pulls Hamilton and a diverse cast of characters together against the backdrop of historic Durham Athletic Park in his first novel, “The Greatest Show On Dirt,” (Paperback, $12.95, through Amazon.com, $2.99 via Kindle, 244 pages). Even though Bailey worked for the Bulls in Durham from 1990 to 1993, he says this book “is not a thinly disguised memoir.”
“Lane Hamilton is not me,” he writes.
It wouldn’t be a terrible thing if he was.
***
Baseball players (and people who work for baseball organizations), are like anyone else. They make mistakes, have moments of self-doubt and gloom, go to bars and have too much to drink, and have family issues that affect their work. They also have moments of laughter and fun.
Bailey captures all of that in “The Greatest Show on Dirt.” He writes smoothly and introduces the reader to each character through the eyes of Lane Hamilton. And there are some quirky ones, which should be expected from a minor-league baseball franchise.
***
On his website, Bailey writes that he got the idea for a baseball novel when he was coaching Little League baseball in Seattle during the late 1990s. After writing a few chapters, the book remained dormant until 2006, when he resumed working on it.
From what I read, it was worth the wait.
Bob did a lot of homework on this, hitting my web site for background information, picking up tidbits in the acknowledgments, and getting all the details on the characters right. I really appreciate his attention to detail and the review in general.
Author James Bailey pulls Hamilton and a diverse cast of characters together against the backdrop of historic Durham Athletic Park in his first novel, “The Greatest Show On Dirt,” (Paperback, $12.95, through Amazon.com, $2.99 via Kindle, 244 pages). Even though Bailey worked for the Bulls in Durham from 1990 to 1993, he says this book “is not a thinly disguised memoir.”
“Lane Hamilton is not me,” he writes.
It wouldn’t be a terrible thing if he was.
***
Baseball players (and people who work for baseball organizations), are like anyone else. They make mistakes, have moments of self-doubt and gloom, go to bars and have too much to drink, and have family issues that affect their work. They also have moments of laughter and fun.
Bailey captures all of that in “The Greatest Show on Dirt.” He writes smoothly and introduces the reader to each character through the eyes of Lane Hamilton. And there are some quirky ones, which should be expected from a minor-league baseball franchise.
***
On his website, Bailey writes that he got the idea for a baseball novel when he was coaching Little League baseball in Seattle during the late 1990s. After writing a few chapters, the book remained dormant until 2006, when he resumed working on it.
From what I read, it was worth the wait.
Bob did a lot of homework on this, hitting my web site for background information, picking up tidbits in the acknowledgments, and getting all the details on the characters right. I really appreciate his attention to detail and the review in general.
Tampa Tribune: Nine Bucks a Pound ‘bubbles and percolates with action and tension’
The first review of Nine Bucks a Pound is a doozy. Bob D’Angelo of The Tampa Tribune really delves into the issues facing both Del Tanner and his agent Ian Wicker and the consequences of the choices they make. He sums things up by calling the book “a satisfying cocktail of prose.” I like the sound of that.
Here are some excerpts:
He does a nice job of presenting both Del and Wicker and introducing their conflicts, then says:
After going even further into the story (it’s a very thorough review), he concludes with:
Nice hat tip there to Rey Flores, who crafted the bobblehead on the cover, which came out even better than I could have imagined.
Here's a link to the full review: http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/sports/comments/novel-explores-temptations-ramifications-of-steroid-use/
Here are some excerpts:
James Bailey has a writing style that is as smooth as the left-handed swing of Del Tanner, the main character in his second novel. Once again, the Rochester, N.Y., author has written an engaging story with characters readers can relate to — even if the underlying theme is the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
“Nine Bucks a Pound” (Sun Field Press; paperback; $13.95 paperback, $3.99 Kindle; 338 pages) explores steroid use and the decisions struggling minor-league players sometimes must face. Is it better to toil in mediocrity and never realize your dream of making the majors, or is it better to go outside the rules for that extra edge that could land you on a big-league roster?
He does a nice job of presenting both Del and Wicker and introducing their conflicts, then says:
It’s easy to dismiss those players who use performance-enhancing drugs as cheaters who will do anything to get an edge. And Bailey, in “Nine Bucks a Pound,” is not trying to make heroes of those who crossed the line. But it’s hard not to sympathize with Tanner, who makes it to the majors, becomes the American League rookie of the year, and then has to face a firestorm when his denials about steroid use begin to unravel. The decision he makes in the end shows his courageous side.
In other words, a clear conscience is the softest pillow.
After going even further into the story (it’s a very thorough review), he concludes with:
Bailey’s second novel mixes baseball, romantic tension and testosterone into a satisfying cocktail of prose. It bubbles and percolates with action and tension. Even the cover is eye-catching, as it depicts a bobblehead of a baseball player wielding a syringe like he would grip a bat (I collect bobbleheads; this idea by Rey Flores was really cool).
Nice hat tip there to Rey Flores, who crafted the bobblehead on the cover, which came out even better than I could have imagined.
Here's a link to the full review: http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/sports/comments/novel-explores-temptations-ramifications-of-steroid-use/
