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The Road to the Majors
The Road to the Majors is a baseball book about Jimmy Hanks, a kid who struggles on his road to the Major Leagues. I can take more punches than you can, is Jimmy s motto. The story spans a ten-year period in his life. The baseball action moves through high school disappointments, college highs, the transition into the Minor Leagues, and finally the Majors. Jimmy narrates his exciting journey.
159 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2001
About the author
Scott Blumenthal
12 books1 followerScott Blumenthal and Brett Hodus met on September 14th, 1999, the day that the two of them boarded the SS Universe Explorer for a 100-day voyage around the world. The two of them, one from California and the other from New York, immediately became the closest of friends. One night, Scott and Brett became inspired. They spoke about their love for sports and their belief that they both could make a difference in this world. In the early hours of the morning, a dream was born. Scobre Press Corporation was to be the means by which Scott and Brett could apply their writing abilities and love of sports to the real world. They decided to start a publishing company that would bring children into the minds and hearts of their sports heroes. In the days and months since their voyage, Scott and Brett have made this dream a reality and Scobre Press Corporation has evolved. Scobre Press is the culmination of a dream. A book with a Scobre Press logo on it dares readers to dream, as well!
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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January 3, 2013The story was about Jimmy Hanks wanting to become a Major League Baseball
player. The main characters were Jimmy Hanks, and also other people that wanted to
be in the Major Leagues being Nick Erickson and Doug Bird. The coach who helped
them out was a coach named Coach Jessup who wanted to help Jimmy Hanks be a
Major League player. In his desire to become successful, he ran into many failures and
successes. One of his low points that he faced when trying to succeed was when he
was told that he was cut from the team. He said, “Why did he cut me?” His mom said
that she didn’t know because “Sometimes things just don’t work out, and that you will
grow from this.” Another quote that seemed important was, “Failure is the mother of all
great success.”
The author did a good job on certain chapters, and not so good on other chapters.
I was very disappointed in this book because I thought it would have had more lessons
to be learned about sports. The reason why I said that I was disappointed in this book
was because I did not get any valuable information from the story. I chose this book
because I like sports, and also play sports. I also thought I would get more information on
the importance of sports in my life. I would not recommend this book because I did not
learn much when reading it. In the last chapter Jimmy says, “There are no days off when
you love something so much.” I guess that is true if you are passionate about
something.
I would give this book a rating of 2 out of 5 because some of the chapters were
interesting, but for the most part I found this book to be boring. The author put more
emphasis on Jimmy Hanks than anybody else in this book, so I didn’t quite know how the
characters fit into the main plot. For these reasons, I would not recommend this book to
anyone. I could not find anything throughout the book that was meaningful.
player. The main characters were Jimmy Hanks, and also other people that wanted to
be in the Major Leagues being Nick Erickson and Doug Bird. The coach who helped
them out was a coach named Coach Jessup who wanted to help Jimmy Hanks be a
Major League player. In his desire to become successful, he ran into many failures and
successes. One of his low points that he faced when trying to succeed was when he
was told that he was cut from the team. He said, “Why did he cut me?” His mom said
that she didn’t know because “Sometimes things just don’t work out, and that you will
grow from this.” Another quote that seemed important was, “Failure is the mother of all
great success.”
The author did a good job on certain chapters, and not so good on other chapters.
I was very disappointed in this book because I thought it would have had more lessons
to be learned about sports. The reason why I said that I was disappointed in this book
was because I did not get any valuable information from the story. I chose this book
because I like sports, and also play sports. I also thought I would get more information on
the importance of sports in my life. I would not recommend this book because I did not
learn much when reading it. In the last chapter Jimmy says, “There are no days off when
you love something so much.” I guess that is true if you are passionate about
something.
I would give this book a rating of 2 out of 5 because some of the chapters were
interesting, but for the most part I found this book to be boring. The author put more
emphasis on Jimmy Hanks than anybody else in this book, so I didn’t quite know how the
characters fit into the main plot. For these reasons, I would not recommend this book to
anyone. I could not find anything throughout the book that was meaningful.
July 25, 2011
I read this book a while back when I was a lot younger, and picked it up and read it again recently. If you love baseball, then this is definitely a book for you. It's all about overcoming adversity to achieve the ultimate dream of any baseball player, to one day play in the big leagues.
August 14, 2018
This book has the feel of a rendition of actual events. The main character is Jimmy Hanks and when it opens he is in the spring training camp of the organization that he plays for. He played at the Single-A level last year and it is assignment day for the minor league players, when they learn where they will be sent for the upcoming season. While it is not an absolute, if his assignment is not to a higher-level team in the organization, it is in essence a kiss of professional death. The story closes with the manager of the major league team telling him to grab a bat and prepare to go to the plate for the first time as a major leaguer.
The action bounces back and forth between Hanks’ experiences in sports and in a single incident when he and a couple of teammates are robbed at gunpoint, tied up and threatened with execution. Events from his youth where he excelled at soccer, through high school, college and his early years in the minor leagues are described.
This is not a book where Hanks is always the hero, there are teammates that make the winning plays and he does not always hit .300 or above. That is what gives this book its’ realistic feel. He struggles at times when he has moved up and is facing better pitching. There is also not a big game at the end, the reader is left to ponder how he does in that first big league at bat. Hanks may only get that one at-bat in the majors, but the big event at the end is that he did make it and fulfill his dream.
The action bounces back and forth between Hanks’ experiences in sports and in a single incident when he and a couple of teammates are robbed at gunpoint, tied up and threatened with execution. Events from his youth where he excelled at soccer, through high school, college and his early years in the minor leagues are described.
This is not a book where Hanks is always the hero, there are teammates that make the winning plays and he does not always hit .300 or above. That is what gives this book its’ realistic feel. He struggles at times when he has moved up and is facing better pitching. There is also not a big game at the end, the reader is left to ponder how he does in that first big league at bat. Hanks may only get that one at-bat in the majors, but the big event at the end is that he did make it and fulfill his dream.
October 12, 2015
The story Road to the Majors by Scott Blumenthal and Brett Hodus, is an exhilarating novel about a man who is trying to make it to the major leagues, but gets sidetracked by obstacles. This book kept me turning the page with the anticipation of what was to come next.
This book conveyed the theme of hard work pays off, also to never give up on your dreams. Something that caught my attention of this book was the author’s use of foreshadowing throughout the whole book. I enjoyed the style of writing they used, because it was easy to follow and always had a feel of suspense. The authors use great description of the setting and give your mind a great visual of what’s going on. It gave me the feel of being in the story. In the story, I really enjoyed the main character Jimmy Hanks. The authors described his hard work ethic vividly, showing all the failures he has faced and been able to overcome. This makes Jimmy really likeable, and make you want to root for him throughout the story. The authors gave a great description of the story, providing very well crafted details that made you believe you were in the setting. The story covers Jimmys life over a 10 year span, from playing high school ball, to the university of the pacific to the pros. Although the main portion of the plot takes place after jimmy and his teammates come home from tryouts with the Dallas Lonestars. After they order the pizza they are surprised when the pizza gets there so fast, but when they open the door two men barge in with shotguns pointed at their faces. The robbers hold the boys hostage, but then the doorbell rings, and it’s the pizza man.... Find out what happens and read this book!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all my friends. It has an action packed plot that will make you keep turning the page! Anyone who is looking for a new novel to read check this book out.
This book conveyed the theme of hard work pays off, also to never give up on your dreams. Something that caught my attention of this book was the author’s use of foreshadowing throughout the whole book. I enjoyed the style of writing they used, because it was easy to follow and always had a feel of suspense. The authors use great description of the setting and give your mind a great visual of what’s going on. It gave me the feel of being in the story. In the story, I really enjoyed the main character Jimmy Hanks. The authors described his hard work ethic vividly, showing all the failures he has faced and been able to overcome. This makes Jimmy really likeable, and make you want to root for him throughout the story. The authors gave a great description of the story, providing very well crafted details that made you believe you were in the setting. The story covers Jimmys life over a 10 year span, from playing high school ball, to the university of the pacific to the pros. Although the main portion of the plot takes place after jimmy and his teammates come home from tryouts with the Dallas Lonestars. After they order the pizza they are surprised when the pizza gets there so fast, but when they open the door two men barge in with shotguns pointed at their faces. The robbers hold the boys hostage, but then the doorbell rings, and it’s the pizza man.... Find out what happens and read this book!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all my friends. It has an action packed plot that will make you keep turning the page! Anyone who is looking for a new novel to read check this book out.
July 7, 2014
p.2 The game had taught me how to overcome failure.
In some important ways, the structure of this sports story is a breath of fresh air. I was expecting a run of the mill sports story, I was wrong. There are two stories which are running concurrently: a robbery in progress and the personal history of our main character, Jimmy. The structure of the story is laid by a foundation of flashbacks which draw out the drama of the robbery scene throughout the story. A series of day dream flashbacks and random associations allow the reader to learn about the path of Jimmy and what led him up to today. Flashbacks proceed in an orderly time sequence, delivering all of the ups and downs; gradually revealing the full sports history of the main character.
Rather than the story of a major league hero, the MC is minor leaguer. Within the story there is a specific focus upon improvement through practice and more practice. Jimmy is a tireless working who continues to push, all the while presenting nuggets of athletic wisdom from the journey.
In some important ways, the structure of this sports story is a breath of fresh air. I was expecting a run of the mill sports story, I was wrong. There are two stories which are running concurrently: a robbery in progress and the personal history of our main character, Jimmy. The structure of the story is laid by a foundation of flashbacks which draw out the drama of the robbery scene throughout the story. A series of day dream flashbacks and random associations allow the reader to learn about the path of Jimmy and what led him up to today. Flashbacks proceed in an orderly time sequence, delivering all of the ups and downs; gradually revealing the full sports history of the main character.
Rather than the story of a major league hero, the MC is minor leaguer. Within the story there is a specific focus upon improvement through practice and more practice. Jimmy is a tireless working who continues to push, all the while presenting nuggets of athletic wisdom from the journey.
October 10, 2013
This story is about this kid named jimmy Hanks. He has a dram of being in the major league when me was a kid because he likes baseball.He had assignment day in Kissimmee. It was at lone star Park in Dallas.
the genre is realistic fiction.I liked the part that he got to the major league.I did int like the par that he did't star at a young age.My favorite part is that he made it to the major league.Id recommend this book to people who like baseball.
the genre is realistic fiction.I liked the part that he got to the major league.I did int like the par that he did't star at a young age.My favorite part is that he made it to the major league.Id recommend this book to people who like baseball.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews