The Fade-away

by George Jansen

One fog-bound night in 1900, the citizens of Port Newton, California, fish a six-foot tall, half-drowned American Indian dressed in a tuxedo out of San Francisco Bay. He turns out to be washed-up, ex-Big League pitcher Chief Dobbs, a boorish but charismatic hustler. The Chief, as one would expect, begins to lead Port Newton s ragtag town team to victory but only by employing the dirty ball tactics of McGraw, Jennings, and the Orioles of the 1890s. The Fade-away is a comedic yet literary tale of love, greed, and America s plunge into modernity.

Genres: Baseball

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

George Jansen has collaborated on half a dozen technical books concerning computer languages, operating systems and email. His first novel, "The Jesse James Scrapbook" was published by Hilliard & Harris in 2003. His second, “The Fade-Away,” was published by Pocol Press in 2007. Both were republished by Fool Church Media in 2017. His third novel, "Haunts" was published by Fool Church Media in 2018. He currently resides in Pleasanton, California with a ridiculously fat cat. He is also an Honorary Mouseketeer.

Reviews

[Pegboard]

The Fade-Away is an intriguing narrative account of when a Washo Indian is rescued from drowning in the San Francisco Bay in the early 1900s. The town of Port Newton depends on baseball and gossip for entertainment, and this Indian gives them plenty of both. George Jansen relies on numerous citizens and The Port Newton Post to report the account of John Poe Dobbs (Jack) and how he help this town recover their shame in baseball.

George Jansen is an entertaining story teller, making this such a delightful story to read, even if baseball is not your forte. Two of my favorite bits added to this novel which makes it amusing is, first, they place Jack on the bar of Foghorn Murphy's Railway Exchange Saloon, he was out for three day. Second, one of the local ladies gave him a kiss that woke him up. I just found The Fade-Away full of unique twists that made me glad I got this book, and look forward to reading more from this author.

[Julius Blitzy]

I would like to share my impressions about reading the book "The Fade-Away". The book is easy to read, but it so captivates the reader that it is difficult to stop reading. You just start reading the first pages of the book, the history, facts, heroes and their fate will not leave you indifferent, so I enjoyed reading the book on my way to work.
The story of a baseball team that lost its self-confidence due to frequent losses, but which gained motivation thanks to Foghorn Murphy and started all over again, about the relationship, about people as they are, about their characters and preferences. I can say that baseball fans will be especially interested in buying a book, but still baseball is more like a background than the main component, so it will be interesting even to an ordinary person.
What seemed to me unique and ingenious, as the author combined already old views, which were many years ago and modern ones, as a virtuoso he writes, to lure contemporary readers and keep them from being bored. I think this is a difficult technique.

[Jessica]

I’m not a sports fan, but I can appreciate a good mystery, adventure and human drama. Especially one that is centered in a historical setting. When local fishermen pull a baseball player named Chief Dobbs from the waters. The significance of their find is soon clear as the local team has had to endure ridicule and loss after loss against neighboring towns. Dobbs is seen as a life saver in that he can bring valuable insight to the team that will help them win a game once and for all. But Dobbs, who is no longer an active player has issues of his own to overcome. Even though the story is written in context of baseball, the story is really a story about humanity, adventure, love, mystery and the courage to go on against all odds. The book was very well written, and the characters are relatable. The setting of 1900 was also not bad, I think the author really helped us gain a perspective of how everyday life was back then.

[Shanell Meek]

Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down.

The Fade-Away by George Jansen is a hard book to put down once you get started! The story takes place in the nineteen hundreds, and focuses on the rise and fall of a baseball team, their successes and their failures. It goes into relationships and lifestyles of the players and really introduces you to the characters on a deep and personal level. The characters in the book are personable and as you read you start to feel like you actually know them and start pulling for them… or disliking them immensely. No matter what stance you take on some of the characters there’s no doubt that if you like baseball or just looking for a good book full of history and events you won’t be able to put Te Fade-Away down once you get to reading! I’m looking forward to reading more by George Jansen, I feel like he may have a few more exceptional stories up his sleeve.

[David Styles]

I always enjoy when a writer of historical fiction has obviously done their research, and I did get to enjoy that here. Well-written and engaging enough to be of interest even to non-fans of the sport, this book should be appreciated my most readers of this genre.

While I never felt particularly connected to any of the characters, I did nevertheless find myself drawn into the story and invested in its outcome. I see that some other reviewers found the characters highly relatable, so I daresay that’s a matter of reader personality; after all, we’re not all going to find the same characters relatable since we’re not all the same.

In any case, this is certainly a good story well-researched and well-written, and everything from the descriptions to the dialogue draws us in and keeps us there until the end. All in all, I’d not hesitate to recommend this book to fans of historical fiction in general, never mind just to fans of this game in that era.

[Charlie Latham]

Well written and well thought out this is written in such a way that I had to keep reminding myself that it was a fictional novel and didn’t actually happen.

It’s just great, a book that can make you feel the characters and their emotions in such an in-depth and real way.

As a big baseball fan, the theme of the book was right up my street and it did really remind me how far the sport has come and how much the past has shaped and formed the sport to be what it is today.

Filled with humor, there was many a line that got me chuckling away and I’m sure when I get round to reading it again, it’ll get me laughing again.

[Archie]

A treat for baseball fans!
A story about baseball about the times when baseball game was commonly played in smaller towns. The story revolves around the small town Newport, California that is struggling with baseball and looking for a way to survive and win, just then they found nearly-drowned Jack Dobbs one-time professional ball player. The town sees the light of hope, and the sense of victory with the neighboring towns. A great story about baseball, but really with a message of love, sportsmanship, despair, rivalry, survival, envy and above all the desire to win.

[Jimmy Jefferson]

A fun story of baseball , gossip, and rumor

This is a fun easy read of a story about a town suffering from the continued struggles of the baseball team. Each loss drops them further into the abyss until a sign in the discovery of Jack Dobbs. This is a really fun story with a great message and a cast that is relatable and fun to follow along this journey. I found the pace to be perfect and was turning pages to see where things went from the first chapter. I recommend this one to all those looking to try a new story or a new genre. Let me know what you think.

[Angela]

I do not know much about the game of baseball and don't care about it at all. However I had a very hard time putting down George Jansen's book once I started to read it.
It is more than a baseball story, it is more than a San Francisco Bay Area History story, it is a story about America at the beginning of the 20th century: hopes and spirits run high - anything seems to be possible!
Just like he did in his first book, The Jesse James Story, Jansen found a way to skillfully recreate the people of the time and area and I totally loved reading it.