The Only Way Is the Steady Way

by Andrew Forbes

Essays about baseball’s past, present, and future—and the wisdom of Ichiro Suzuki.

The Only Way Is the Steady Way is a baseball memoir in scorecards and baseball cards, a recollection of the game’s biggest stars and outlandish personalities, and introspective letters to a legendary player. These essays examine the meaning of baseball across international borders and at all levels of the game—from Little League diamonds to big league ballparks. Parents learn unexpected lessons at t-ball, cheap souvenirs reveal their hidden significance, and baseball’s beating heart is exposed through sharply beautiful observations about the history of the game. Forbes locates peace, reassurance, and a way to measure the passage of time with home run bonanzas, old games on YouTube, and especially in the unique career of beloved outfielder Ichiro Suzuki.

Just as he did in The Utility of Boredom, Forbes shows us how a summertime distraction might help us to make sense of the world, and how a certain enigmatic Japanese superstar offers a surprising ethos for living.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2021

About the author

Andrew Forbes is the author of the short story collections Lands and Forests (Invisible Publishing, 2019) and What You Need (2015), the latter of which was shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, and named a finalist for the Trillium Book Prize. He is also the author of The Utility of Boredom: Baseball Essays (2016), and The Only Way is the Steady Way: Essays on Baseball, Ichiro, and How We Watch the Game, (2021). Forbes lives in Peterborough, Ontario.

Reviews

[Ian Wills · Rating 5 out of 5]

The baseball essay book made me cry

[Jean-Michel Berthiaume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Malgré la grande proportion d'importants livres qui ont utilisé le baseball comme toile de fond pour décrire l'humain dans tout ce qu'il a de beau et de faillible, j'ai jamais lu un livre qui réuissi de manière aussi étonnante de reproduire le sentiment d'être asssis près d'un véritable fanatique de baseball lors d'une partie de jeu. Tout au long de la Constance d'Ichiro j'étais sous le charme d'Andrew comme si on était seuls dans un stade vide à regarder deux équipes joueur la parite de leur vie.

[Christopher Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

danggg another one!!!
on a streak lately! the romanticism of baseball in my life will never end, and as the playoffs approach I find myself teary eyed at home much it has given me- both in its silence and reliability.

sometimes you need a book to remind you just how much you love something.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually when I read a book of essays or short stories, the final result ends up being a mixed bag – some good, some not so good and some in between those two areas. This one doesn't fall into that category as I was enjoying every single word of this collection of mostly baseball essays by Andrew Forbes.

I say "mostly" because not every part of every essay is about baseball. There are some very personal and moving sections about Forbes' family life, a little social commentary and other personal observations. They are all related to baseball by the end of the essay, but they do give a snapshot into not only Forbes' personal life but also how much the game of baseball plays into his life.

Residing in Ontario, Forbes is a Toronto Blue Jays fan and some of the writing deals with them – the Jose Bautista bat flip in the 2015 postseason is one of the better topics when he writes about his team. But he saves his best work for his writing about Ichiro Suzuki and how his success in Major League baseball after an excellent career in the Japanese leagues shows how much that one player affected him.

This is not to say Forbes writes only about Ichiro in glowing terms, although he mostly does so. This is also not to say that this book is ONLY about Ichiro, although he is the subject of many of the essays. Instead, the book is best viewed as a tribute to baseball and a reminder of how important it is in the lives of those who play the game, watch the game or otherwise enjoy the game. Ichiro is the main illustrator of how this is done, and Forbes does a great job of conveying that message in short sections that will be enjoyed by anyone who fits the above categories.

I wish to thank Invisible Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...

[Fe · Rating 5 out of 5]

À fin, le gars meurt pas, mais j'ai braillé pareil.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

As ever this review can also be found on my blog at: https://livemanylives.wordpress.com/

I am increasingly a fan of the essay form. It allows for a wide range of topics to be covered, united by a common thread, but drawing in a wide range of inspirations. This latest collection from Andrew Forbes has the Japanese baseball player Ichiro Suzuki running through it, but it is really the author’s devotion to the game that shines here.

There is lots of history within these pages, lots of statistics as there always is with this game, but also an essential personal touch as Forbes connects the turning seasons with the progress of his own life. That’s what sport does for fans, it grounds us and places us in a timeline of events, a particular game that recalls a big life change, a player that represents our youthful hopes and aspirations. Just as music fans have a soundtrack to their life, sports fans have a fixture list.

Obviously, this is a baseball book but it is wonderfully written and passionately observed, such that if you have loved anything you can enjoy and relate to this author’s love for baseball. I associate this to my own love of football in England, and perhaps Forbes captures it best when he says:

“…it’s the same flutter that baseball sometimes gives me, a recognition of lineage, and time passing, and things being handed along. How our entertainments and distractions can take on the dignity of labour if invested with enough care and love.”

Whether it is baseball or football, I have this same affinity to the game, this sense of being a part of something bigger than my own experience of it. Maybe this is just a case of middle-aged men wanting to justify the amount of time and energy they devote to something that on the surface can appear so frivolous, but when captured in this way, it feels not.

The main attraction to baseball for me, three thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean from the major leagues, was this romance and mythology that imbued the game. The writing and the films that captured this essence were more important than the games themselves and with no deeply partisan affiliation I was able to absorb and enjoy all of this history.

I love that baseball fans still talk so passionately about the heroes of the past, that lineage that Forbes mentions is central to the experience and passed on through the generations with reverence. It has always felt to me that this is something that is lacking in football, despite the history, the characters, the glories and the scandals being just as rich.

Forbes is an accomplished narrator of the game and The Only Way Is the Steady Way is a pleasure that I fully expect to return to whenever I feel a need for a top up. Whether you have grown up surrounded by baseball or been drawn to it from afar, there is much to enjoy.

[Guillaume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pour les amateur.es des éditoriaux de ESPN sur tous les sujets touchant au baseball des ligues majeures (et principalement Ichiro, le GOAT), ce livre-là est probablement la plus belle incarnation de cette forme de texte. On y en dénombre plusieurs dizaines, de tailles variables, dans un style et une forme aboutis qui ne sont possibles que par la publication d'un ouvrage complet (vs les articles épars sur les sites de sports), et ayant en commun le point de vue de l'auteur (et je dirais même son existence) comme encrage fondamental de la rédaction de chaque nouvelle. Ça et la manière d'écrire de Forbes, qui est très chaleureuse, réconfortante... bref son livre nous apporte le même effet que celui que lui procurent les matchs de balle, qu'il décrit ici.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A niche-interest collection of baseball essays.

Forbes writes thoughtfully and lyrically, and his love of baseball comes through in each and every piece in the collection.

I can see how many of these individual stories would be enjoyable to read as an independently published column or essay. Unfortunately when gathered into one volume, Forbes’ content becomes pretty repetitive.

There is a LOT of Ichiro in here. And it’s pretty tough to get sick of reading about Ichiro for most baseball fans, myself included. But many of the talking points are the same from one piece to the next.

The same issue shows up when the author starts talking about his family. A little of you, the author in a collection like this is ok, even welcome at times, but there’s entirely too much of that sort of content here.

We all think our personal lives are interesting, our baseball experiences as a family unique, but for a stranger reading this, it provokes a “yeah yeah, can we get back to baseball?” feeling. Again, I suspect when read as standalone content, this wouldn’t be an issue for the individual essays, but when grouped together it becomes tiresome.

This collection also has a pretty strong regional bent. Understandable that the author, being Canadian, would likely zero in on Canada-adjacent teams like the Mariners and Tigers (oddly, I could actually have done with more Blue Jays content), but it really limits the potential audience. It’s pretty tough to find anyone outside the Detroit fanbase who wants to read multiple essays about the Tigers.

While both of these franchises certainly have some interesting stories to tell (and I personally am very fond of any and all Mariners-related material), it’s not exactly tailored for mass appeal to the average baseball fan. Which I suppose is ok, as long as it’s presented as such rather than with the generic “baseball essays” descriptor that is currently being used.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Ichiro, and I love baseball. I was still a little skeptical since I've always found essay collections to be hit and miss. This one definitely was, but it was more hit than miss. Forbes covers a wide range of topics, roughly following the course of Ichiro's career with some historical detours along the way. He also mixes in the progression of his own life, from wandering apartment dweller to surprise homesteader to homeowning family man. There's also a strong focus on what makes Ichiro different, meaningful, and great.

For me the best essays in this genre mix baseball and personal stories together, and Forbes does this well. Some of the digressions into baseball history were a little less successful, but the best parts of the book still raise the level high enough to warrant 5 stars.

I'm going to throw a spoiler tag on this just because it's one of the best paragraphs I've ever read, and I don't want to deprive you of the gift of reading it yourself without consideration. But if you want a taste of what this book can be at its best, go ahead and read it.


The games are long but the seasons short. In the slipstream of lived experience they crawl by and then recede at an alarming rate. This is acutely sensed when milestones are hit, as when your kid graduates from grade eight and prepares to enter high school. That can’t be right, you think, because just yesterday I was packing a little bag of Goldfish crackers and her sippy cup and then taking her to the park by the river and piggybacking her over to the swings, and Ichiro was the only player she could identify on TV.

[Mike Goldstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrew Forbes is obviously a talented writer. His easy way of recounting old ball games is a simple pleasure, and this collection of essays contains some moments of beauty and insight. Forbes shows us how a life can be measured out in minutiae, how something as reliable and steady as baseball can help us measure our own growth and reconnect with who we used to be.

With all that said, though, I think as a collection of essays "The Only Way Is the Steady Way" is a bit lacking. Some of the essays raise interesting questions but don't get around to truly exploring them. Some don't even get to those questions. And some border on a Ken Burns-esque revelry in the "perfection of the game" or whatever, which may have been novel at some point but is certainly trite by now. Even the exploration of Ichiro isn't fully satisfying, as despite 4 or 5 essays devoted to the topic we hardly learn anything new or challenging about him.

Forbes mentioned early on that this book was a bit of encore, and it feels that way. After reading 160 pages of his writing I'm thoroughly convinced of his skill, but there's not enough here to make this book especially worthwhile.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Forbes is a special kind of baseball enthusiast and writer. As seen in his previous collection, The Only Way Is The Steady Way is as much about baseball as it is about life; the way time and memory intertwine in our consciousness to create nostalgia for moments both experienced and heard about. This collection focuses more than the previous on a single player, Ichiro Suzuki. Forbes hones in on Ichiro's unique presence in an ever evolving game to pinpoint the way in which baseball connects to our individual experience through a universally tangible world. No matter where he begins, Forbes always takes us on a journey of introspection and exteriority, allowing us to understand life a little better by recognizing the beauty of baseball. The Only Way Is The Steady Way is both a beautiful final quote from Ichiro and a fitting encapsulation of the sport; with 162 games, baseball mimics the rhythms of life, through the mundane and the constant. And the only way to move forward is the steady way.

[Ray Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forbes’ love for the game is the source of power of these essays. Articulate, thoughtful, homey and humble, he shows how time spent on baseball can teach as much as entertain, but only by taking time, attending with a critical eye and knowing that joys and lessons don’t come easily. As one of Forbes’ favorite players, Ichiro Suzuki, is quoted herein, “One can only [improve] in small increments, but that is the way to improve yourself. If you try to change in leaps and bounds, that gap between where you are [and your target] becomes too large and I think unsustainable, so the only way is the steady way.” This book captures so well this fascinating, frustrating, endlessly conservative sport.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent fan-perspective essays about baseball focusing largely on Ichiro, the Mariners and Blue Jays. Sophisticated, but easy to read. A worthy contemporary successor to Angell and Hano.

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

Narcissistic ramblings of a typical leftist anti-American Canadian so-called baseball writer. Quite frankly, the most boring baseball book that I have ever read. Too woke to even say Atlanta Braves.

[Kevin Bunker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book. -1 star for writing about the 2016 Wild Card game.😢

[Chris McCormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, amazing book. Forbes takes the most simple baseball play and turns it into a beautiful metaphor about life. Great short stories about the game. A must read for any baseball fan.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is simply phenomenal. I’d read it again and again. Maybe 100 times.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not much for writing reviews, but this book is outstanding. I loved every sentence of it. If you’re a baseball fan, this is a must-read.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written, heartfelt essays about life and baseball. Steeped in melancholy and nostalgia. The essays feature various eras in the history of the game, though most are set post-2000.

[Deryck Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love baseball, you'll love this book.

[Brian Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book with very interesting take on baseball. How we play it, watch it and count on it.

[José Pedraza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost fell into the trap of comparing this book with Andrew's other baseball book. Luckily I didn't. If you see this book as a baseball game, you will discover great things that arrive when they do without rushing.