What do you think?
Rate this book
Hack: Innings 1-3
Roger “Hack” O’Callahan has a secret. All he wanted to do was to manage the AA Hoplite Magpies of the Northern League, one more year doing what he loved before the cancer could eat him from the inside, everyone blissfully unaware as it happened.
But a funny thing happened on the way to his funeral: he discovered his players have secrets of their own that not only threaten order in his clubhouse, but also their livelihoods, and, potentially, their lives.
Major League-like in its humor but with several dark twists, Hack will push you to consider why we keep secrets, and the true consequences that can arise should those secrets get out.
But a funny thing happened on the way to his funeral: he discovered his players have secrets of their own that not only threaten order in his clubhouse, but also their livelihoods, and, potentially, their lives.
Major League-like in its humor but with several dark twists, Hack will push you to consider why we keep secrets, and the true consequences that can arise should those secrets get out.
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 17, 2013
1 person is currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
D.J. Gelner
14 books33 followersWhere do I start? Born and raised in St. Louis, graduated from Dartmouth in 2005 and the University of Virginia School of Law in 2008. Practiced law until 2011, when I quit to pursue my dream of writing.
I caught on as the St. Louis Rams Reporter for insideSTL.com and did some radio work for 590 AM the Fan KFNS and 1380 AM the Fan 2. As soon as the (very trying for anyone following the Rams) 2011 NFL season ended, I started working on my novels. The insideSTL gig ended in June, and I focused all of my attention on starting up a small publisher (Orion's Comet).
Other interesting stuff about me: I've forgotten how to ride a bike. I once swam so much over the course of a summer that my hair became green. I'm always fighting a three-pronged war between a paleo lifestyle and my love of wine and ice cream. And my dog, Sully, looks like a big shih tzu--he's 33 pounds.
Feel free to contact me via e-mail (djgelbooks@gmail.com) or follow me on twitter (@djgelner). I look forward to discussing many fine books with you!
I caught on as the St. Louis Rams Reporter for insideSTL.com and did some radio work for 590 AM the Fan KFNS and 1380 AM the Fan 2. As soon as the (very trying for anyone following the Rams) 2011 NFL season ended, I started working on my novels. The insideSTL gig ended in June, and I focused all of my attention on starting up a small publisher (Orion's Comet).
Other interesting stuff about me: I've forgotten how to ride a bike. I once swam so much over the course of a summer that my hair became green. I'm always fighting a three-pronged war between a paleo lifestyle and my love of wine and ice cream. And my dog, Sully, looks like a big shih tzu--he's 33 pounds.
Feel free to contact me via e-mail (djgelbooks@gmail.com) or follow me on twitter (@djgelner). I look forward to discussing many fine books with you!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 6, 2013
An excellent read. Gelner's Hack is an anti-hero of sorts that brings the reader in and keeps you going page after page. Even if baseball isn't your love, you'll find this to be a wonderful tale.
April 6, 2013
This is a genre I don't normally read in, so I was a bit apprehensive. This is a book about baseball, I sport I know nothing about. The only time I played baseball was on my Nintendo in the 80s, and even then I didn't understand most of it. So I wasn't sure if I would finish this book.
But I was wrong. While the background of the book is baseball, the book is actually the story about its main character, Hack. And what a character! In the first scene, he insults the doctor, asking him if he is a quack. Later on, he insults a Polish guy and a woman, calling them both dumb. I know some people will hate this character, but I liked him.
Anyways, the story: Retired (& once famous) baseball coach finds he doesn't have long to live. He is a bitter old bastard. In desperation, he bullies the manager of a small time club to take him on as manager. And then he insults almost everyone he meets. But when you meet some of the other characters, pure diva types, you realise that maybe slapping them down is the only way to get work out of them.
Hack is told he must win all the games in the season, or lose his job....
This book is part of a series, such that the story continues in part 2 and 3. Looking ahead to reading the rest of the books...
But I was wrong. While the background of the book is baseball, the book is actually the story about its main character, Hack. And what a character! In the first scene, he insults the doctor, asking him if he is a quack. Later on, he insults a Polish guy and a woman, calling them both dumb. I know some people will hate this character, but I liked him.
Anyways, the story: Retired (& once famous) baseball coach finds he doesn't have long to live. He is a bitter old bastard. In desperation, he bullies the manager of a small time club to take him on as manager. And then he insults almost everyone he meets. But when you meet some of the other characters, pure diva types, you realise that maybe slapping them down is the only way to get work out of them.
Hack is told he must win all the games in the season, or lose his job....
This book is part of a series, such that the story continues in part 2 and 3. Looking ahead to reading the rest of the books...
April 7, 2013
A profane, bad-tempered old man with a vulnerable side he conceals from all (including himself) but the reader. A losing minor league baseball team divided by cultural differences and secrets. Underdogs all, bent on giving the obstacles facing them one heck of a fight. These elements explain my initial interest in the story, along with the convincing rendition of characters so real I could swear they were flesh and blood. But D.J. Gelner has some magic in his writer's fingertips, because beyond the appeal that underdogs hold for me - and in spite of (or because of) Hack's cantankerous tongue - I remained riveted by his story. I devoured Innings 1-3, read Innings 4-6 in one sitting, and now impatiently await the final installment of the serial: Innings 7-9. Don't miss this one. It's good!
April 9, 2013
If you're looking for an entertaining, darkly funny, crash-course of a baseball story, you'll like this!
Hack is an old man. Although he was a celebrated, award-winning sports manager, his life is behind him. I don't like to give away plot, but I will say that (SPOILERS) in the first page, he is diagnosed with a lethal form of cancer. Hack is foul-mouthed and abrasive, insulting and hostile. No one wants him around. But, he's dying. And early on in the book, he 'hits bottom' so to speak, and decides to go back to the place where he had value - baseball - and starts to find himself again.
The section ends with a surprising twist, and it definitely made me want to read the next section!
The writer here is terrific. He is cracker-jack paced and his descriptions are vivid. He doesn't flinch from powerful images. Hack is a disgusting, foul-mouthed old man, at least at the start, and the writer lets you see him in all his glory.
So quick warning: if you're uncomfortable with foul language, this might not be the story for you. But if you like your books gritty and real, and/or are looking for a good sports story, I'd check this one out!
Hack is an old man. Although he was a celebrated, award-winning sports manager, his life is behind him. I don't like to give away plot, but I will say that (SPOILERS) in the first page, he is diagnosed with a lethal form of cancer. Hack is foul-mouthed and abrasive, insulting and hostile. No one wants him around. But, he's dying. And early on in the book, he 'hits bottom' so to speak, and decides to go back to the place where he had value - baseball - and starts to find himself again.
The section ends with a surprising twist, and it definitely made me want to read the next section!
The writer here is terrific. He is cracker-jack paced and his descriptions are vivid. He doesn't flinch from powerful images. Hack is a disgusting, foul-mouthed old man, at least at the start, and the writer lets you see him in all his glory.
So quick warning: if you're uncomfortable with foul language, this might not be the story for you. But if you like your books gritty and real, and/or are looking for a good sports story, I'd check this one out!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews