A Whole New Ballgame

by Caryn Rose

Baseball diamonds are a girl’s best friend.A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME is the story of a 20-something woman who finds comfort and solace in baseball as her carefully ordered world starts to unravel.26-year-old Laurie Nicholson thinks she’s beginning to sort things out when it comes to life, work, and love. When a sudden declaration from an on-again, off-again boyfriend inspires her to take a risk, only to meet with crushing heartbreak instead, Laurie finds herself searching for refuge.A chance encounter with Eric Morris and Peter Ellis, two friends spending their summer visiting every ballpark in America, offers Laurie an unexpected way to salve her wounds. Despite growing up in Boston surrounded by Red Sox fans, she wasn’t a fan of the game–until Eric and Peter’s enthusiasm turn that around and she falls in love…with baseball.Life throws Laurie a curveball when she gets laid off from her career-path ad agency job, and then again when her former suitor tries to reclaim her attention. Joining up with Eric and Peter for the remainder of their cross-country baseball odyssey lets her dodge her ex’s efforts as well as look for a new job.Along the way, Laurie and friends encounter Citizens Bank Park and the Philly Phanatic; Fenway Park, the front row of the Green Monster and Wally the Green Monster; the Pirate Parrot and PNC Park; Southpaw and US Cellular Field; the grandstand and bleachers at Wrigley Field; Jacobs Field and that creepy Cleveland Indians mascot; Busch Stadium and Fredbird; Sluggerrr and Kaufmann Stadium; Shea Stadium and the 2006 post-season.But as the season and the journey draws to a close, Laurie realizes that there’s a new set of decisions she’ll need to where she’ll live, who she’s in love with, and what team she’s going to claim allegiance to!If you love baseball and best friends, rock and roll and road trips, heartbreak and happy endings, A Whole New Ballgame is for you.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

326 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 13, 2014

About the author

Caryn Rose is a longtime music journalist whose work has appeared in NPR, Pitchfork, MTV News, Salon, Billboard, the Village Voice, Vulture, and the Guardian. Her essay on Maybelle Carter was included in Woman Walk the Line.

Reviews

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re one of those women who isn’t much into sports or at least not baseball, you might be tempted to skip past this book. I’m not much of a sporty guy myself, so I understand. But in skipping it you’ll miss out on a good story that just happens to have baseball as a backdrop. Plus, you’ll find you have more in common with Laurie, the protagonist, than you think. You might not understand some of the references to specific players, but they aren’t important to the story. (I don’t know who they are either.) Maybe you’ll understand the music and band references better. (Those, I got, but they’re also unimportant.)

At its heart, A Whole New Ballgame is a coming of age story. Although Laurie is an adult, living on her own, established in her career, and much more “grown-up” than many of her peers, the struggles she goes through and the lessons she learns take her through the next level of growth. I found myself struggling with her as she faced some tough decisions, upset, when she was, and even gaining a small appreciation of baseball, even if I’m not planning to run out to the ballpark on opening day.

[April Kyle Nassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh it is hard for me to fully describe this book. In short, I LOVED it. The author does such a great job at telling the story of how an unlikely baseball fan is born, weaving in stories about love and career as well. If you're a baseball fan this book will bring back to you why you love the game and remind you of fun times in the ballpark with close friends. If you're not a baseball fan there is still plenty here for you enjoy! Anyone can identify with the characters.
I read this one quickly as the story has a great pace and really keeps you interested. Great book!

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I've been a baseball fan since I was a child, so it was really neat to read about a character who became a fan later in life. Rose really captured the best things about being a baseball fan--the camaraderie, the history, the way a night at the ballpark can make you forget about all of the things in life that are stressing you out.

[Jorge Castanos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toni Morrison dijo una frase que me gusta mucho; dijo que si quisieras leer un libro que aún no está escrito pues entonces debes escribirlo.

A Whole New Ballgame es un libro que sin duda alguna quisiera haber escrito, más por la experiencia previa que por el acto de la escritura en sí. Pero bien, Caryn Rose se adelantó y nos trae una excelente historia sobre baseball, amistad, amor, rock, viajes, aventuras, decisiones, corazones rotos y finales felices.

A Whole New Ballgame fue publicado en enero 2014 y está disponible en diferentes formatos, al alcance de todos.

Laurie Nicholson no tiene quejas en cuanto a su vida: tiene un buen empleo, un novio atractivo y famoso y, hasta el momento, no puede sentirse más satisfecha. No es hasta cuando su pareja le rompe el corazón y luego la despiden de su trabajo, que Laurie se da cuenta que no sabe qué hará con su vida a continuación.

Ahí es cuando conoce a Peter y Eric, dos jóvenes que andan por todo Estados Unidos visitando cada uno de los estadios de las Grandes Ligas en el curso de una temporada.

Laurie no es muy fanática del deporte y lo entiende muy poco a pesar de haber crecido entre fanáticos de los Medias Rojas de Boston.
El entusiasmo de Peter y Eric motivan a Laurie a refugiar sus penas en los estadios y a enamorarse perdidamente del baseball.

¿Qué fanático del deporte no quisiera sacarse la lotería y viajar por Estados Unidos, disfrutando de cada de los estadios del Circuito Mayor?
¿Ya entienden porqué digo que me hubiese gustado la experiencia previa de escribir este tipo de novela?

Caryn RoseCaryn Rose teje una increíble historia. Amé este libro desde la primera página y casi se me salen las lágrimas en la recta final, cuando me recuerda la post-temporada del 2006 y el histórico colapso de los Mets en el 2007.

La autora es fanática de los Mets -al igual que yo- y si algún seguidor de los Braves, Phillies o Cardinals decide leer este libro, dudo mucho que quieran terminarlo. Entiendo las rivalidades, pero Rose fue un poco fuerte con esos fanáticos y equipos contrarios.

Lo cierto es que no quería que el libro acabara, podía haber tenido 1,000 páginas, igualmente lo habría devorado. Quería leer las aventuras en los 30 estadios (en el texto nos presentan unos 9-10 estadios). Cada destino era como un tour interactivo: desde las mascotas de los equipos, hasta sus tiendas y las comidas típicas de cada lugar, lugares del interés tanto dentro como fuera del estadio y así sucesivamente. Leer A Whole New Ballgame era como sentirme dentro de cada estadio, sentir la afición, oler la grama y escuchar el sonido del bate al golpear la pelota.

La prosa de Rose es sencilla y bastante digerible, nunca pretenciosa y con datos certeros (la obra está ambientada en la temporada del 2006).
Laurie, Peter y Eric están delineados a la perfección, sus diálogos son bastante creíbles y hasta los personajes secundarios (Ryan, Kirk, los padres de Laurie y demás) sobresalen de una manera u otra. Personajes de carne y hueso entre páginas de papel.

El mundo podrá no estar de acuerdo conmigo, pero le daré a A Whole New Ballgame la puntuación máxima. Sé que es un libro que nunca olvidaré y fue un buen amigo por un breve lapso de tiempo. Lo recomiendo enormemente.

[Melanie Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halfway through this book, I found myself buying South Bend Silver Hawks tickets. On the day I finished it, I went out for hot dogs and listening to the Tigers on the game day app. BASEBALL!

Follow along with Caryn's tour, which is making stops at TNBBC, Booked in Chico, Book Puke, Books With Occasional Food, and The Guy Who Reviews Sports Books.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, breezy read. Reminded me what it was like to fall in love with baseball. Now if I could just win the lottery so I could go on a dream tour of all 30 MLB parks.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story of baseball and romance...full review is posted here:

http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...

[Stephanie Sanders-Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the first novel I've read that focuses on baseball. I was scared at first - Do I know enough about baseball? Will I like a female character who does zany things to get over a man or two? Is there enough time in the baseball season for a novel to take place? The answer to all of the above is yes.

I like baseball, but I have to admit, I don't know much about how it works in other cities. I've lived in Northeast Ohio my entire life, so, I suppose I am a Cleveland Indians fan. I've only been to Cleveland Indians games, so it was fun to learn about the traditions and quirks of the various stadiums and towns Laurie visits. I was a little sad, however, that the characters' visit to Cleveland was so lackluster. The stadium was unremarkable, the "drumming guy" (who I have always found sweet in an idiosyncratic way) was annoying, their trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was tainted by an unwanted guest. I'm kidding, of course. I can't blame Laurie - I'd rather be in New York too.

Knowing enough about baseball to watch a game with enthusiasm, I sometimes found Laurie's confusion about the rules of the game monotonous. I didn't need the rules explained to me, so I was frustrated at times, but I can see how these scenes are beneficial to readers who are unfamiliar with baseball. Rose does a nice job of explaining baseball simply. I wish she would write an explanation of the rules of football, because I still do not understand that sport. As the book progresses, Laurie develops a firm grasp on the game and readers are able to enjoy the characters enjoying the game.

I appreciated how Laurie takes what should have been a horrible time in her life and makes it into something remarkable. She never despairs for long, even though she probably should. She loses her job, but it ends up being a great thing. Her boyfriend cheats on her, but she can do better. She is able to pursue her new passion without the constraints of a schedule and, unlike most of us, is aware of her opportunities before they have passed. She is reckless in her self-discovery - it's refreshing.

The characters of Eric, Peter, and Kirk were especially resonant for me. The banter between Eric and Peter
is witty and sweet. Everyone has friends like them - those two that make every outing into a show and, while they're ridiculous and verge on the embarrassing, you can't help but smile. Kirk is the quintessential ex-boyfriend. I feel sorry for him, but I also want to give him a stern talking to. I think I've dated him.

A Whole New Ballgame is a nice late summer read and I recommend it to baseball and non-baseball fans alike.

www.bookpuke.com

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laurie Nicholson doesn't know much about baseball. Her ex-boyfriend is a jerk. And it turns out her quasi-boyfriend musician is also a jerk. Shortly after discovering that he's a jerk, she loses her job and meets 2 'nice guys' who teach her to love baseball, and what it's like to be treated as a real person by the men in your life. Laurie travels to a few different ballparks with her newfound friends, and you get a little glimpse of what life is like for fans in those cities. There isn't really as much road tripping or music talk as I hoped there would be, but there is good baseball.

Sometimes the story felt a little contrived in order to get where it needed to go. Peter can travel around the country because he literally won the lottery. Laurie can go with him because she got laid off and can schedule job interviews in just about any city. One of the 2 nice guys she meets isn't into her at all.

I did enjoy this book. I don't want to penalize it too much since I don't think I was the target audience. (I already love baseball and don't need to develop an appreciation for it.) There's not enough of any one thing, but the pieces fit together well enough that it's still a fun read.

[Kaitlyn Chachko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly liked the book. I've watched or played baseball/softball my whole life and I worked at a minor league park during the summer for several years. I enjoyed Laurie's journey to loving baseball and am jealous of how much she gets to go! The only thing I hated was that every park got some sort of praise except Cleveland. I'm sorry that author had a bad experience that caused her to hate only one park the whole book. I am a Cleveland fan and I was upset that she dissed the park, our drummer, and our mascot. Even in the blurb they don't name the mascot like even other field, but refer to him as 'that creepy mascot.' *Side Rant: I mean, •Slider• is a purple monster and so many other parks had monsters, but Slider was creepy enough that even the 'mascot fanatic' Eric didn't want to go near him, but they were okay with the pedophile in mascot costume copping feels of female fans? Sorry if that aspect just didn't do it for me. But I guess they couldn't step back into racist territory and talk about Chief Wahoo after the Braves and the tomahawk chop. Okay, my Cleveland pride is soothed*
Overall I enjoyed her journey to love and was pleased with the story even if it started to lean toward stalkerish ex-boyfriends territory in the middle.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO. GOOD. I love everything she writes. I didn't think I would relate to a book more than B Sides and Broken Hearts, but A Whole New Ballgame topped it!

[Agatha Donkar Lund · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this twice the first week I got the review copy, I loved it that much.

[Nicki Conroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book not only had me wanting to go to major and minor league ball parks all across the country, it had me wanting to move.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, though not my usual genre. I would have given it four stars, but the Cardinals hate was a turn-off.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read for a baseball fan. Especially one who dreams of visiting ballparks across the country.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, a quick read. A couple parts seemed a little far-fetched but so it goes.