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Travel Team
The Catch
When Danny makes "the catch," everyone seems interested in him. Girls text him, kids ask for autographs, and his highlight play even makes it on SportsCenter's Top Plays. A sports-gear executive tempts Danny with a big-money offer, and he decides to take advantage of his newfound fame. Danny agrees to wear their gear when he plays. But as his bank account gets bigger, so does his ego. Will Danny be able to keep his head in the game?
- GenresSports
124 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
11 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Rick Jasper
5 books6 followersRick Jasper is a former middle-school teacher and a long-time magazine editor and writer. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 20, 2012
I enjoyed this quick, well written leveled reader.
The Catch is the first in a series of 6 books about a travel baseball team. Each book highlights the experiences of a different player with stories ranging from over zealous parents to performance enhancing drug use.
The Catch highlights Danny, an outfielder that makes a spectacular catch to win the game. His catch is caught on tape and it hits the local news as well as ESPN as a play of the week. Danny is pushed into the spotlight and as he once was a team player, Danny's attitude toward baseball and his teammates begins to change. Danny's journey is a great lesson in remembering what is really important.
The Travel Baseball Series is written for quick and easy chapter reading to build confidence in lower level readers. The content is more mature, so it is not suggested for younger middle grade students.
I'm excited to share this with our older middle grade reading groups, boys especially, but girls may enjoy it too if they love baseball like I do. :)
The Catch is the first in a series of 6 books about a travel baseball team. Each book highlights the experiences of a different player with stories ranging from over zealous parents to performance enhancing drug use.
The Catch highlights Danny, an outfielder that makes a spectacular catch to win the game. His catch is caught on tape and it hits the local news as well as ESPN as a play of the week. Danny is pushed into the spotlight and as he once was a team player, Danny's attitude toward baseball and his teammates begins to change. Danny's journey is a great lesson in remembering what is really important.
The Travel Baseball Series is written for quick and easy chapter reading to build confidence in lower level readers. The content is more mature, so it is not suggested for younger middle grade students.
I'm excited to share this with our older middle grade reading groups, boys especially, but girls may enjoy it too if they love baseball like I do. :)
December 31, 2019
This is another installment of the series of books featuring the Las Vegas Roadrunners traveling team of highly talented teen baseball players. Like the others it has a moral but getting to it requires exposing a very unseemly side of big-time athletics, even at the amateur level.
Danny Manuel is the centerfielder and the story opens with him making a sensational diving catch. It was so great that it goes viral and is replayed several times on ESPN. Danny is immediately raised to the level of star and with his father’s insistence, he quickly becomes a hot endorsement commodity for a sporting goods company. For years, a man called Pop Mancini had supplied the equipment for the Roadrunners in an agreement that was based on little more than a handshake.
This leads to legal conflicts and a swelled head on the part of Danny. He begins doing things on the field with a flair in order to attract the attention of the cameras, but it also leads to the alienation of his teammates. It takes some serious difficulties before he learns how to rise above the pursuit of fame and fortune in order to carry out the task that leads to a Roadrunner victory.
While it is true that money is soiling sports even down to the level of the amateur, it comes across as unseemly that this feature is put in a YA book about sports. There are some exciting moments and a big game at the end but getting there exposes some real self-serving sleaze.
Danny Manuel is the centerfielder and the story opens with him making a sensational diving catch. It was so great that it goes viral and is replayed several times on ESPN. Danny is immediately raised to the level of star and with his father’s insistence, he quickly becomes a hot endorsement commodity for a sporting goods company. For years, a man called Pop Mancini had supplied the equipment for the Roadrunners in an agreement that was based on little more than a handshake.
This leads to legal conflicts and a swelled head on the part of Danny. He begins doing things on the field with a flair in order to attract the attention of the cameras, but it also leads to the alienation of his teammates. It takes some serious difficulties before he learns how to rise above the pursuit of fame and fortune in order to carry out the task that leads to a Roadrunner victory.
While it is true that money is soiling sports even down to the level of the amateur, it comes across as unseemly that this feature is put in a YA book about sports. There are some exciting moments and a big game at the end but getting there exposes some real self-serving sleaze.
December 13, 2019
This story takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Danny had a game in LA and he made a catch that no one could believe. After that catch Danny got famous and many people wanted his autograph. His dad was very impressed by his catch and Danny became the MVP of the team. But Danny was getting over confident at the same time because he was getting a lot of money. His teammates hated him and he couldn’t keep up with his game.
This book is good because it was easy and short. Another reason I like this book because I like making teams and I like these kind of games. When Danny caught the ball, it was amazing. I also like the part when he got a lot of money in his bank. Because I like money and I want money.
One thing I don’t like about this book is that it is a little bit boring. I am not a baseball fan so it was a little bit boring to me. Another thing I dislike about this book is that it is talking about too many details from the games. There is a lot of dialogue in the chapters, and it would be more interesting to get better details through a narrator instead of dialogue.
This book is good because it was easy and short. Another reason I like this book because I like making teams and I like these kind of games. When Danny caught the ball, it was amazing. I also like the part when he got a lot of money in his bank. Because I like money and I want money.
One thing I don’t like about this book is that it is a little bit boring. I am not a baseball fan so it was a little bit boring to me. Another thing I dislike about this book is that it is talking about too many details from the games. There is a lot of dialogue in the chapters, and it would be more interesting to get better details through a narrator instead of dialogue.
September 14, 2017
This was a great book, to any sport lovers. It had suspense throughout the whole book which , makes you want to never stop reading it. I highly recommend this book to anyone, even if you do not like sports.
February 5, 2017
The Catch, By Rick Jasper was a fairly good story. It was about a kid named Danny Manuel, who played for a travel baseball team in Southwestern United States called the Las Vegas Roadrunners. He is recognized by the media after one big game because of "The Catch". Danny had made a leaping dive from the outfield to catch a bullet of a hit from the batter, making a once in a lifetime catch. Not only was this an incredible catch, but it took the Roadrunners to the semi-finals because it was the bottom of the ninth with 2 outs. "The catch" was caught on film and went absolutely viral on YouTube and ESPN. A sportswear company with the name of Ocelot offered to sponsor Danny as well, which really ended up getting to his head. As his team advances in the tournament, he starts getting more and more attention and sponsor money, which results in him being extremely full of himself, which really messes up the team.
This was a very short book overall, but really was good, having one main theme involved that is easily noticed in Danny. Don't change because of money and fame. He was completely fine before, but once he got a sponsor from Ocelot, his bonds with his teammates and coaches depleted. He began being more full of himself too, but after an injury, he was able to realize the mistakes he had made. This wasn't one of those deep, heartwarming books with relationships or anything, but fortunately it never shied away from the main story and kept the reader involved.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has an extra few hours and has the need to read an above average, but not great book, read this one because of how short it was. For the age group I would probably say eleven or twelve to fifteen year old people because of not profanity, but minor suggestive scenes. Another point I would like to note is the detail, there is not much, other than big scenes, like the event involving "The Catch" All in all though, The Catch, involving Danny's journey of becoming a bit of a sellout and losing friend, just to realize his mistakes was worth the time it took to read and It is fairly highly recommended.
This was a very short book overall, but really was good, having one main theme involved that is easily noticed in Danny. Don't change because of money and fame. He was completely fine before, but once he got a sponsor from Ocelot, his bonds with his teammates and coaches depleted. He began being more full of himself too, but after an injury, he was able to realize the mistakes he had made. This wasn't one of those deep, heartwarming books with relationships or anything, but fortunately it never shied away from the main story and kept the reader involved.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has an extra few hours and has the need to read an above average, but not great book, read this one because of how short it was. For the age group I would probably say eleven or twelve to fifteen year old people because of not profanity, but minor suggestive scenes. Another point I would like to note is the detail, there is not much, other than big scenes, like the event involving "The Catch" All in all though, The Catch, involving Danny's journey of becoming a bit of a sellout and losing friend, just to realize his mistakes was worth the time it took to read and It is fairly highly recommended.
February 29, 2012
I'm not entirely sure what drew me to this book as it seems very aimed at young males, which I am not. Not that I'm old but I'm certainly above the reading level of this book. This does not make it a bad book but I can tell that I'm not the intended audience, so keep that in mind as I share my thoughts.
This is a very fast easy read that seems to be part of a series featuring a baseball travel team of young men who face various pressures. In this one, Danny is a center-fielder who makes a spectacular catch and garners a lot of attention. This includes catching the eye of a company who wants to sponsor him, bringing up conflict among the team as Danny acts like he is an all-star. But what happens when injury strikes?
Danny is a very nice kid, which is important to remember as his dad and other adults do influence him. His father is the one encouraging him to go for the endorsement deal and hey if your dad says it's okay, why wouldn't it be? He's still young and needs good guidance in his life. Through the course of this book, he learns about his actions effect the team and how to be a team player for the good of all.
However I must warn you that this book has a lot of baseball with many pages of description. Now I like baseball as much as the next person but these descriptions were a bit much for me. If you hate sports, this might not be the best read for you. But if you have a reluctant reader in your life who loves and/or plays sports, this might be a great suggestion to hand to him or her.
This is a very fast easy read that seems to be part of a series featuring a baseball travel team of young men who face various pressures. In this one, Danny is a center-fielder who makes a spectacular catch and garners a lot of attention. This includes catching the eye of a company who wants to sponsor him, bringing up conflict among the team as Danny acts like he is an all-star. But what happens when injury strikes?
Danny is a very nice kid, which is important to remember as his dad and other adults do influence him. His father is the one encouraging him to go for the endorsement deal and hey if your dad says it's okay, why wouldn't it be? He's still young and needs good guidance in his life. Through the course of this book, he learns about his actions effect the team and how to be a team player for the good of all.
However I must warn you that this book has a lot of baseball with many pages of description. Now I like baseball as much as the next person but these descriptions were a bit much for me. If you hate sports, this might not be the best read for you. But if you have a reluctant reader in your life who loves and/or plays sports, this might be a great suggestion to hand to him or her.
July 23, 2012
This has quite a few baseball terms and limited story. Most of the book describes specific games and tournaments and touches on how fame and fortune can influence attitude. This is for limited audience because of the emphasis on baseball jargon, but a really quick read, clearly a good nomination. A yes for the list.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews