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Smokey O
The WBL. The Women’s Baseball League, but the W also stands for War...
MVP Jill “Mac” MacDonnell has Olympic glory behind her and the first-place Delaware Blue Diamonds are rightly proud of their iconic outfielder. Insult Mac and you insult fiercely protective colleagues, fans and friends.
Young first baseman Smokey O’Neill, the bad girl of the Boston Colonials, has just insulted Mac. The day her quote hits the sports news she’s traded to Delaware and must walk into the rival’s den—and all-out war. Not just with players, not just with the press, not just with Mac herself. As with any war, there are bystanders with agendas. Not everyone is rooting for the Blue Diamonds and Mac to win the title one more time.
Strife and camaraderie, life on the road and off-the-field politics, Celia Cohen’s compelling, romantic story of strong women, baseball and love returns to print with all the players and plays.
MVP Jill “Mac” MacDonnell has Olympic glory behind her and the first-place Delaware Blue Diamonds are rightly proud of their iconic outfielder. Insult Mac and you insult fiercely protective colleagues, fans and friends.
Young first baseman Smokey O’Neill, the bad girl of the Boston Colonials, has just insulted Mac. The day her quote hits the sports news she’s traded to Delaware and must walk into the rival’s den—and all-out war. Not just with players, not just with the press, not just with Mac herself. As with any war, there are bystanders with agendas. Not everyone is rooting for the Blue Diamonds and Mac to win the title one more time.
Strife and camaraderie, life on the road and off-the-field politics, Celia Cohen’s compelling, romantic story of strong women, baseball and love returns to print with all the players and plays.
157 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1994
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About the author
Celia Cohen
7 books3 followersCelia Cohen is a newspaper writer. She lives in Delaware.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 5, 2016
Hmmmm...
Ok at first I thought I was reading the history of women's baseball league. I did like the characters they were funny and seemed real. The storyline was good. I don't normally read a book less then 200 pages, because they always seem to end to fast. I would recommend this book.
Ok at first I thought I was reading the history of women's baseball league. I did like the characters they were funny and seemed real. The storyline was good. I don't normally read a book less then 200 pages, because they always seem to end to fast. I would recommend this book.
January 15, 2015
This is a short, quick read (156 pages) detailing the Women's Baseball League and the tension between Mac, the game's most revered player, and Smokey O, an up and coming first baseman that just doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut. The story starts with Smokey O'Neill being traded from the Boston Colonials to the arch-rival Delaware Blue Diamonds the day after Smokey takes a verbal swipe at Mac in the press. What follows is a tale of teamwork, camaraderie and a young player learning that life is more comfortable when one's foot is not in one's mouth.
If you're a fan of the movie A League of Their Own you will feel many similarities and most likely enjoy this book. One major difference is this story take place now as opposed to WWII era. A women's baseball league is thriving due to the inefficiencies and unpopular politics of Major League Baseball. Also, be prepared for a heavy dose of baseball talk. I am a huge fan of baseball (GO CUBS) and thought the author did a great job of describing the action scenes. Her depictions were accurate and believable. There is a point, though, I felt it went overboard. A whole chapter is devoted to discussing the history of baseball in Delaware, the prominent families involved and the start of the WBL. Some history of how women's baseball came to be in this book would have been nice, but the rest just seemed like too much information and I found myself almost skimming through it.
One other area that seemed a little lacking was in the romance story. Most readers probably won't even know it's happening. I myself was surprised when it happened and wondered how the characters got to that point when there really didn't seem to be a build up. I don't want to go any further into detail for fear of spoiling anything, but it was awkward for me.
Ultimately a good lesbian baseball story with amusing characters that can be read on a lazy afternoon.
If you're a fan of the movie A League of Their Own you will feel many similarities and most likely enjoy this book. One major difference is this story take place now as opposed to WWII era. A women's baseball league is thriving due to the inefficiencies and unpopular politics of Major League Baseball. Also, be prepared for a heavy dose of baseball talk. I am a huge fan of baseball (GO CUBS) and thought the author did a great job of describing the action scenes. Her depictions were accurate and believable. There is a point, though, I felt it went overboard. A whole chapter is devoted to discussing the history of baseball in Delaware, the prominent families involved and the start of the WBL. Some history of how women's baseball came to be in this book would have been nice, but the rest just seemed like too much information and I found myself almost skimming through it.
One other area that seemed a little lacking was in the romance story. Most readers probably won't even know it's happening. I myself was surprised when it happened and wondered how the characters got to that point when there really didn't seem to be a build up. I don't want to go any further into detail for fear of spoiling anything, but it was awkward for me.
Ultimately a good lesbian baseball story with amusing characters that can be read on a lazy afternoon.
October 11, 2018
I LOVED IT. I NEED MORE LIKE THIS!
August 3, 2023
A very quick and fun read! All the baseball lingo was way over my head, but I still really enjoyed this sporty romp. A straightforward rivals to lovers story arc without any big surprises along the way, it's a light and easy read. They spend most of their time as rivals, and the lover aspect is almost an afterthought thrown in at the end. The spice level was relatively low. Even so, the vibes are fun - how can you not love the camaraderie of a seemingly entirely lesbian baseball team fighting for victory and embracing thier feisty new teammate who can't seem to keep herself out of trouble?
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews