{"product_id":"knocking-on-heavens-door-six-minor-leaguers-in-search-of-the-baseball-dream","title":"Knocking on Heaven's Door: Six Minor Leaguers in Search of the Baseball Dream","description":"\u003cbody\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eTitle: \u003c\/b\u003eKnocking on Heaven's Door: Six Minor Leaguers in Search of the Baseball Dream\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor: \u003c\/b\u003eMarty Dobrow\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN: \u003c\/b\u003e9781558498433\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/b\u003eUniversity of Massachusetts Press\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished: \u003c\/b\u003e2010\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding: \u003c\/b\u003ePaperback\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage: \u003c\/b\u003eEnglish\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEdition: \u003c\/b\u003eFirst Edition\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNumber of Pages: \u003c\/b\u003e368\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Note: \u003c\/b\u003eExcellent, unmarked copy with little wear and tight binding. We ship in recyclable American-made mailers. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher Description: \u003c\/b\u003eThe rich slice of Americana found in minor league baseball presents a contradictory culture. On the one hand, the minors are filled with wholesome, family-friendly entertainment-fluffy mascots, kitschy promotions, and earnest young men signing autographs for wide-eyed Little Leaguers. On the other, they comprise a world of cutthroat competition in which a teammate's failure or injury can be the cause of quiet celebration and 90 percent of all players never play a single inning in the major leagues. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eKnocking on Heaven's Door\u003c\/i\u003e, award-winning sportswriter Marty Dobrow examines this double-edged culture by chronicling the lives of six minor leaguers-Brad Baker, Doug Clark, Manny Delcarmen, Randy Ruiz, Matt Torra, and Charlie Zink-all struggling to make their way to \"The Show.\" What links them together, aside from their common goal, is that they are all represented by the same team of agents-Jim and Lisa Masteralexis and their partner Steve McKelvey-whose own aspirations parallel those of the players they represent. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe story begins during spring training in 2005 and ends in the fall of 2008, followed by a brief epilogue that updates each player's fortunes through the 2009 season. Along the way Dobrow offers a revealing, intimate look at life in minor league baseball: the relentless tedium of its itinerant routines and daily rituals; the lure of performance-enhancing drugs as a means of gaining a competitive edge; the role of agents in negotiating each player's failures as well as his successes; and the influence of wives, girlfriends, and family members who have invested in the dream.\u003c\/body\u003e","brand":"University of Massachusetts Press","offers":[{"title":"Knocking on Heaven's Door: Six Minor Leaguers in Search of the Baseball Dream | Marty Dobrow | Paperback | 9781558498433 | Used: Like New | Sports Writing 1712729","offer_id":50838053093634,"sku":"1712729","price":26.72,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0609\/3327\/5906\/files\/81bIVxy2HTL.jpg?v=1792663735","url":"https:\/\/boswellsbooks.com\/products\/knocking-on-heavens-door-six-minor-leaguers-in-search-of-the-baseball-dream","provider":"Boswell's Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}