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The Ticket Out: Darryl Strawberry and the Boys of Crenshaw
Micahel Sokolove presents an unforgettable tale of families grasping for opportunities, of athletes praying for one chance to make it big, of all of us hoping that the will to succeed can triumph over the demons haunting our city streets.
The year was 1979 and the fifteen teenagers on the Crenshaw High Cougars were the most talented team in the history of high school baseball. They were pure ballplayers, sluggers and sweet fielders who played with unbridled joy and breathtaking skill.
The national press converged on Crenshaw. So many scouts gravitated to their games that they took up most of the seats in the bleachers. Even the Crenshaw ballfield was a sight to behold -- groomed by the players themselves, picked clean of every pebble, it was the finest diamond in all of inner-city Los Angeles. On the outfield fences, the gates to the outside stayed locked against the danger and distraction of the streets. Baseball, for these boys, was hope itself. They had grown up with the notion that it could somehow set things right -- a vague, unexpressed, but persistent hope that even if life was rigged, baseball might be fair.
And for a while it seemed they were right. Incredibly, most of of this team -- even several of the boys who sat on the bench -- were drafted into professional baseball. Two of them, Darryl Strawberry and Chris Brown, would reunite as teammates on a National League All-Star roster. But Michael Sokolove's The Ticket Out is more a story of promise denied than of dreams fulfilled. Because in Sokolove's brilliantly reported poignant and powerful tale, the lives of these gifted athletes intersect with the realities of being poor, urban, and black in America. What happened to these young men is a harsh reminder of the ways inspiration turns to frustration when the bats and balls are stowed and the crowd's applause dies down.
The year was 1979 and the fifteen teenagers on the Crenshaw High Cougars were the most talented team in the history of high school baseball. They were pure ballplayers, sluggers and sweet fielders who played with unbridled joy and breathtaking skill.
The national press converged on Crenshaw. So many scouts gravitated to their games that they took up most of the seats in the bleachers. Even the Crenshaw ballfield was a sight to behold -- groomed by the players themselves, picked clean of every pebble, it was the finest diamond in all of inner-city Los Angeles. On the outfield fences, the gates to the outside stayed locked against the danger and distraction of the streets. Baseball, for these boys, was hope itself. They had grown up with the notion that it could somehow set things right -- a vague, unexpressed, but persistent hope that even if life was rigged, baseball might be fair.
And for a while it seemed they were right. Incredibly, most of of this team -- even several of the boys who sat on the bench -- were drafted into professional baseball. Two of them, Darryl Strawberry and Chris Brown, would reunite as teammates on a National League All-Star roster. But Michael Sokolove's The Ticket Out is more a story of promise denied than of dreams fulfilled. Because in Sokolove's brilliantly reported poignant and powerful tale, the lives of these gifted athletes intersect with the realities of being poor, urban, and black in America. What happened to these young men is a harsh reminder of the ways inspiration turns to frustration when the bats and balls are stowed and the crowd's applause dies down.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 10, 2009
The Ticket Out is the heartbreaking story the 1979 Crenshaw (Los Angeles, CA) high school baseball team. Arguably the best high school baseball team ever assembled, it included two future Major League All Stars (Darryl Strawberry and Chris Brown). Darryl's life is well-chronicled, but the stories of the rest of the starting nine (with one or two exceptions) are as equally tragic.
The story's focal point is Darryl Strawberry, for obvious reasons. He had the most ability and the most dramatic fall from grace. During high school, scouts called him the most natural hitter they've ever seen and "the black Ted Williams". When you think about all he had between the talent, the All Star appearances, and bringing a World Series championship to the Mets, he had the city of New York in the palm of his hand. To think that he just threw it all the way is truly sad.
This is a story about unfulfilled promise and dreams denied. Whether these boys succumbed to their own inner demons (as was Darryl's case) or outside forces, they never achieved their full potential (in baseball, anyway). The title of the book refers to using baseball as a means to escape inner-city Los Angeles. And one of the aspects of the book I found most interesting is that it hearkens back to an era when baseball was still the sport of choice for African American males (as opposed to football and basketball today).
The story's focal point is Darryl Strawberry, for obvious reasons. He had the most ability and the most dramatic fall from grace. During high school, scouts called him the most natural hitter they've ever seen and "the black Ted Williams". When you think about all he had between the talent, the All Star appearances, and bringing a World Series championship to the Mets, he had the city of New York in the palm of his hand. To think that he just threw it all the way is truly sad.
This is a story about unfulfilled promise and dreams denied. Whether these boys succumbed to their own inner demons (as was Darryl's case) or outside forces, they never achieved their full potential (in baseball, anyway). The title of the book refers to using baseball as a means to escape inner-city Los Angeles. And one of the aspects of the book I found most interesting is that it hearkens back to an era when baseball was still the sport of choice for African American males (as opposed to football and basketball today).
July 26, 2008
I learned a lot about L.A., because the beginning of the book is a history of the city itself and I was sucked in from the get-go. I actually was reading three other books at the time and this one took over because of the interest I have in baseball and human interest pieces. The book is fairly evenly written in terms of coverage of the stories (Strawberry gets a little more than the others and is the comparison point but he does not dominate the story as I expected him to). In fact, the author mentions near the end that his kids were really interested in the other stories I think this observation sums up my opinion of the book really well. I, personally, was drawn to the successful stories, the tales of getting out. The book itself was kind of depressing, when you look at the bigger picture but totally worth a read, especially if you like baseball.
March 3, 2008
Great read for those who love baseball. Part "Moneyball" and part "Friday Night Lights." The book is as much about Darryl Strawberry and the Boys of Crenshaw as it is about Los Angeles and California -- symbols of fresh starts, a fruit tree in every back yard and hope.
August 14, 2009
Loved this book - A solid analysis of the development of Los Angeles' Black community and the dreams and racial barriers to the greatest high school baseball team that graduated from Crenshaw inner city high school,
April 28, 2023
I love sports, and I really enjoy reading about the formative years of great athletes and how they reached the highest level of their sport. This book involves baseball, but it is more of a story of growing up in the inner-city with all of the pitfalls there and how sports can be a vehicle to great success or great disappointment. Most American sports fans don't associate Black athletes all that much with baseball, as the big money and opportunity generally lies in the NFL or the NBA. But, the 1979 Crenshaw High School baseball team in inner-city Los Angeles is arguably the most talented high school baseball team every assembled. Just about every starter on the team had the potential to play in the major leagues, but only two made it, the most well-known being Darryl Strawberry, who was drafted number one by the NY Mets where he became the toast of New York. But, despite his unlimited potential and opportunity, he fell prey to drugs, alcohol, and women almost immediately upon his arrival on the big stage. This is really not his biography though, as the author follows each player on the team from their youth days up to the present time. It is a terrific sociological study, and you will decide who really was the most successful in life on the team after you hear everyone's story.
The author has an easy flowing writing style, and he provides good background on how the Black community developed in Los Angeles as a starting point for this saga. You will enjoy reading about the coach, Brooks Hurst, a white former baseball player who was briefly in the pros, but couldn't handle the politics of working up through the minor league. He is essentially a real-life version of the "White Shadow," as he invests his entire being into developing this team. He truly loved these young men, and he was the last person who provided players like Strawberry with real discipline and called them out when necessary. He also got the pro scouts to come to Crenshaw, with so many coming to watch this extraordinary team that extra bleachers had to be erected. Once Strawberry got in the majors, he got a free pass for so many egregious actions until it all caught up with him down the road. All of the players dreamed of baseball in their future, but life had other plans for most of them. There is still a lot about baseball in this book, even though the stories of the individual players was my favorite part of the book. You will be surprised to learn that this amazing team lost in their chance to win the Los Angeles High School championship in a game at Dodger Stadium to a team from Granada Hills led by John Elway, the future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback.
I can highly recommend this poignant study of young men chasing their dreams, and the cautionary tale of what can happen when you aren't prepared for instant fame and lucrative benefits and everyone around you wants a piece of the pie.
The author has an easy flowing writing style, and he provides good background on how the Black community developed in Los Angeles as a starting point for this saga. You will enjoy reading about the coach, Brooks Hurst, a white former baseball player who was briefly in the pros, but couldn't handle the politics of working up through the minor league. He is essentially a real-life version of the "White Shadow," as he invests his entire being into developing this team. He truly loved these young men, and he was the last person who provided players like Strawberry with real discipline and called them out when necessary. He also got the pro scouts to come to Crenshaw, with so many coming to watch this extraordinary team that extra bleachers had to be erected. Once Strawberry got in the majors, he got a free pass for so many egregious actions until it all caught up with him down the road. All of the players dreamed of baseball in their future, but life had other plans for most of them. There is still a lot about baseball in this book, even though the stories of the individual players was my favorite part of the book. You will be surprised to learn that this amazing team lost in their chance to win the Los Angeles High School championship in a game at Dodger Stadium to a team from Granada Hills led by John Elway, the future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback.
I can highly recommend this poignant study of young men chasing their dreams, and the cautionary tale of what can happen when you aren't prepared for instant fame and lucrative benefits and everyone around you wants a piece of the pie.
January 6, 2021
This is a book about a group of high school baseball players from Crenshaw High School, Los Angeles, California in 1979. They might have been the greatest collection of baseball players ever assembled including future Major League All-Stars Darryl Strawberry and Chris Brown. These were African-American young men who dealt with many issues including economic issues, gang issues, cultural issues, and other hurdles. Yet this collection of stars lost in the city championship at Dodger Stadium to a team led by John Elway.
Sokolove follows each player from growing up in Los Angeles through their baseball careers and ultimately to their lives outside of baseball. Some succeed and some do not. It shows that where you come from does not control your success.
I am a big baseball fan and followed both Daryl Strawberry and Chris Brown since I am a San Francisco Giants fan. They both played briefly for the Giants. Strawberry and Brown both had so much going for them athletically and both tasted different amounts of successs as ballplayers. They also achived different levels of success outside of baseball. Who is more successful might suprise you.
Sokolove follows each player from growing up in Los Angeles through their baseball careers and ultimately to their lives outside of baseball. Some succeed and some do not. It shows that where you come from does not control your success.
I am a big baseball fan and followed both Daryl Strawberry and Chris Brown since I am a San Francisco Giants fan. They both played briefly for the Giants. Strawberry and Brown both had so much going for them athletically and both tasted different amounts of successs as ballplayers. They also achived different levels of success outside of baseball. Who is more successful might suprise you.
February 8, 2025
I was pretty fascinated by this story. First, it is a fitting tribute to Roger Kahn’s The Boys of Summer, though I was surprised Sokolove didn’t more explicitly give credit to Kahn for creating the template for this type of two-part story (other than the title).
The book takes a close look at the 1979 Crenshaw baseball team, which was stacked with talented players who would go on to play in college and professionally. It then revisits where they are at the time this was published in the early 2000’s.
I think I found it because I’ve always been fascinated by Chris Brown, who was a great talent for my favorite team when I was 10 years old and then seemed to fizzle out and be villainized at the same time. I knew there was more to his story, and I really appreciated the way Sokolove rounded out his character. Brown tragically died not long after the book was published.
I’d love to read an update from Sokolove on Strawberry now. It seems like he finally found stability, but not until after the book came out. Would also be interested to hear about the rest of the team.
The book takes a close look at the 1979 Crenshaw baseball team, which was stacked with talented players who would go on to play in college and professionally. It then revisits where they are at the time this was published in the early 2000’s.
I think I found it because I’ve always been fascinated by Chris Brown, who was a great talent for my favorite team when I was 10 years old and then seemed to fizzle out and be villainized at the same time. I knew there was more to his story, and I really appreciated the way Sokolove rounded out his character. Brown tragically died not long after the book was published.
I’d love to read an update from Sokolove on Strawberry now. It seems like he finally found stability, but not until after the book came out. Would also be interested to hear about the rest of the team.
August 21, 2022
I read this book because someone I work with said it was one of his favorites and illustrated just how far you could go with sheer talent.
I actually thought it illustrated how much luck and schmoozing were responsible for baseball careers. It seemed like several of the guys who played baseball with Darryl Strawberry in high school were just as (or close to just as) talented as Strawberry, but didn't make it because they made one mistake or their managers didn't like them or they weren't nurtured and forgiven for errors the way Strawberry was.
This book is sort of elegy to baseball, too, because none of the guys featured in it have sons who are interested in baseball - they're interested in basketball and martial arts, etc. More action sports.
I actually thought it illustrated how much luck and schmoozing were responsible for baseball careers. It seemed like several of the guys who played baseball with Darryl Strawberry in high school were just as (or close to just as) talented as Strawberry, but didn't make it because they made one mistake or their managers didn't like them or they weren't nurtured and forgiven for errors the way Strawberry was.
This book is sort of elegy to baseball, too, because none of the guys featured in it have sons who are interested in baseball - they're interested in basketball and martial arts, etc. More action sports.
December 6, 2018
A story that has a background that I can relate to as a baseball player, The Ticket Out: Darryl Strawberry and the Boys of Crenshaw is an extremely passionate and heartbreaking novel with a hint of sympathy as well about just how enjoyable baseball can be as a child just to grow up and figure out that Major League Baseball is a business with no heart. From rising superstar to star of reports of struggling with drugs, Darryl Strawberry does a great job of depicting his life in a way that any baseball player would be automatically drawn towards the book.
December 13, 2025
So boring. The whole thing felt like it was building up to something, but the only thing it was building up to was an I’ll placed rant about the three strikes law that had almost nothing to do with the rest of the book. It felt like the author wanted to write a baseball book and find some way to make it an anti three strikes moral.
April 20, 2021
One of the better baseball books I’ve read but not entirely about baseball per se. Only problem was I don’t think the case was made that this was the best high school baseball team of all time. Didn’t even when a league championship let alone anything else.
March 13, 2018
Loved it! I lived a much different baseball life and yet very much the same.
June 8, 2023
Crenshaw ‘79
May 23, 2012
This was the story of the Crenshaw (LA) high school baseball team of 1979. The star of the team was Darryl Strawberry, though a couple other players did get drafted, and one, Chris Brown spent some time in the Majors.
However, it was really more the story of growing up in the inner-city and how sports can either be savior or a destroyer. Strawberry's story has been oft told - his potential, his drug abuse, his cancer, his repeated drug abuse, his resurrection by the Yankees, and more drugs, etc. I found some of the other players' lives more interesting and there was a mix of some successes and some failures. The writer did a really good job of trying understand how their baseball playing days and formative years in LA may have led to the choices they made - both wise and not so much.
My one critique is that at times the author waded too deeply in the sociological aspects of broken homes, race, inner-city politices and it came across as superficial and not that well researched. And at times the research he presented was so one-sided that it came across more like an editorial and less like a work of reportage.
In the end, this was a fascinating book, well-written, and a great baseball book.
However, it was really more the story of growing up in the inner-city and how sports can either be savior or a destroyer. Strawberry's story has been oft told - his potential, his drug abuse, his cancer, his repeated drug abuse, his resurrection by the Yankees, and more drugs, etc. I found some of the other players' lives more interesting and there was a mix of some successes and some failures. The writer did a really good job of trying understand how their baseball playing days and formative years in LA may have led to the choices they made - both wise and not so much.
My one critique is that at times the author waded too deeply in the sociological aspects of broken homes, race, inner-city politices and it came across as superficial and not that well researched. And at times the research he presented was so one-sided that it came across more like an editorial and less like a work of reportage.
In the end, this was a fascinating book, well-written, and a great baseball book.
May 8, 2009
The 1978 Crenshaw High School men's baseball team was possibly the best high school baseball team ever. Crenshaw High is in South Central Los Angeles, the crossroads of some of the most violent gang activity and the requisit poverty in the U.S. Three of the players went on to play in the majors; a half dozen others played in the minors. Many of them--including Daryl Strawberry, who could have been one of baeball's greatest hitters--spent many years in prison, drug rehabilitation, and on other fringes. Very few of them became successful, if success is defined as having a stable career and family. Sokolove does a remarkable job discovering researching some very dark corners where most of these men wound up. He does so humanely, and presents the case very well that in spite of the overabundance of athletic talent these young men had, escaping a place like South Central means stepping up to the plate with two strikes against yo.
June 24, 2008
This is a powerful account of what happens to the kid all-stars on a 1979 inner-city LA baseball team. While Darryl Strawberry is obviously the one who makes it big, Sokolove does an admirable job detailing the equally-interesting trajectories of many of the other ballplayers as well. The group portrait that emerges is a frustrating one of talent left unfulfilled (even for Darryl) that results from many interrelated factors that go beyond ability on the diamond, including: personality, race, money, drugs, crime, family life and sometimes just poor choices and have disproportionally worse consequences. A fascinating, poignant read.
May 27, 2009
Starts out with Darryl Strawberry (Crenshaw) facing John Elway (Granada Hills) at Dodger Stadium in the 1979 City Section baseball championship and follows the lives of nine team members to the present day. The 79 Crenshaw team was, arguably, the greatest high school baseball team ever assembled. But, this is an excellent book to read if you are at all interested in the lives of youth and families in South LA.
August 23, 2016
I grew up knowing Darryl Strawberry as a super talented, aging baseball player who struggled with drugs. I had never known anything about his formative years and it was interesting to learn about the 1979 Crenshaw High Baseball team. The majority of this book takes place in Los Angeles, where I have lived for the last 3 years, so I really enjoyed the backstory and history of Los Angeles that was intertwined throughout the book.
February 5, 2009
You dont have to be a baseball lover to like this book although it would probably help. I really liked it because I remember Darryl Strawberry from his Dodgers days. It was also very interested to learn a little bit of the history of Southern California and LA. I would recommend this book to St. Vincent PCVs as a lot of the issues addressed can be applied to here.
August 5, 2011
brilliant - fascinating study of black life in LA, the popularity of baseball for blacks in the South (who later moved to LA); the road for black male athletes from the black community to a larger white baseball world; the various paths taken by the enormously talented athletes from Crenshaw High, and insights into the lives of Darryl Strawberry and Chris Brown.
March 16, 2007
This book was based on an article he wrote for the New York Times Magazine. The article alone probably does the content justice, but the book was an interesting mix of sports, ghetto education, and "where are they now" moments.
May 8, 2008
Very fine investigative reporting into the lives of the Boys of Crenshaw. Strawberry's the draw, but it's his teammates who make the tale worth telling. Sokolov is workmanlike at best; it's the individuals who draw you in.
July 16, 2013
Heartbreaking to say the least. Well written with the perfect combination of journalism and storytelling. Sokolove does his research and not just about the boys but about everything else surrounding them. Interesting, informative, and all the highs and lows one would expect for a true baseball fan.
January 30, 2011
Depressing, well written book about Darryl Strawberry's high school team. Also a socio-economic writing about LA.
February 24, 2011
This was one of the 2005 RUSA Notable Books winners. For the complete list, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rus...
September 16, 2011
Starts strong, a little weaker for me towards the end, but I'm not a sports fan at all.
February 17, 2012
Just made me weep for Straw...the guy was such a great hitter,Sox killer in 86...Too see how far he'd come plus the other guys...Tragic.Still,great burgers in Hollis,NY if you ever get a chance!
August 27, 2013
Couldn't be better. I enjoyed this story of the amazing high school baseball team that included Darryl Strawberry. It gives a picture of the power of the dream of sports stardom in our society.
January 7, 2015
Good, solid book. Sokolove is a good writer. Maybe a bit more description and background of the exploits of this great HS baseball team would help highlight how they were so great.
March 25, 2025
Not Friday Night Lights.... But if you love baseball and are fascinated by the environment/genetics
debate, this is a good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews