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The Sluggers #5
Blastin' the Blues (5)
After jumping off the train to St. Louis, Griffith, Woody, and Dog find their way back to the Travelin’ Nine. Meanwhile, the rest of the team prepares for the next game—but before they can even get warmed up, the game is cancelled. Still fearing they are being followed and even more worried they have a traitor in their midst, the team travels to New Orleans, where the magic of their ball and the music of the city create one memorable game. But like always, trouble is right around the corner and the hits keep on coming for the Payne family and all of the Travelin’ Nine!
448 pages, Hardcover
First published February 4, 2010
About the author
Loren Long
119 books148 followersI grew up in Lexington, Kentucky in the 1970’s. We had no artists of any kind in the family. We didn’t know any artists. I liked sports, especially baseball. My mother read to me a lot. But I have to admit, my favorite subject in school was gym class. I also liked to draw. My parents encouraged me to keep drawing.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 14, 2011
Jam-packed with action, and much longer than the previous books in this series.
First we're in St. Louis, Missouri, where we encounter Cy Young and the Perfectos wearing, for the first time, the color red (called 'cardinal' by the sportswriters and fans). We hear scary, exciting stories of the past exploits of the Rough Riders and Col. Roosevelt.
Then it's on to New Orleans, where the game is played at the Crescent City Base Ball Park in Mid-City (my old neighborhood!) with music, of course, playing an instrumental ;) part. We meet the player-manager of the Pelicans, Abner Powell, the inventor of Ladies' Day -- an indicator that a woman has an important role in this book though it's set in 1899.
The game is fun, but so detailed that it probably will appeal to only true baseball buffs or to those who want to learn about baseball. Within this game may be the best descriptions of the strategy of employing the changeup (a pitched ball that tricks the batter into thinking it's a fastball) that I've come across.
As in Game 3, the authors amuse themselves (and me) with references to future events: Two of the siblings exclaim some of the words that Jack Buck (the late great TV announcer for the Cardinals) used in two of his celebrated calls of the 1980s.
First we're in St. Louis, Missouri, where we encounter Cy Young and the Perfectos wearing, for the first time, the color red (called 'cardinal' by the sportswriters and fans). We hear scary, exciting stories of the past exploits of the Rough Riders and Col. Roosevelt.
Then it's on to New Orleans, where the game is played at the Crescent City Base Ball Park in Mid-City (my old neighborhood!) with music, of course, playing an instrumental ;) part. We meet the player-manager of the Pelicans, Abner Powell, the inventor of Ladies' Day -- an indicator that a woman has an important role in this book though it's set in 1899.
The game is fun, but so detailed that it probably will appeal to only true baseball buffs or to those who want to learn about baseball. Within this game may be the best descriptions of the strategy of employing the changeup (a pitched ball that tricks the batter into thinking it's a fastball) that I've come across.
As in Game 3, the authors amuse themselves (and me) with references to future events: Two of the siblings exclaim some of the words that Jack Buck (the late great TV announcer for the Cardinals) used in two of his celebrated calls of the 1980s.
July 4, 2017
Loved this series
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews