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Safe at Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic – An Intelligent and Wry Memoir on America's Game and Sports History
Film and television star Alyssa Milano (Who’s the Boss, Charmed) is one of the most popular bloggers on MLB.com (), and has even done on-field commentary for TBS. In Safe at Home, she writes about her passion for baseball and how her love for the game has helped to shape who she is.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2009
12 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Alyssa Milano
30 books111 followersActress and activist Alyssa Milano has spent almost her entire life in the public eye. A famous child actor, she has continued to work throughout her adulthood in both television and film, most notably starring in the wildly popular television series Who's the Boss? and Charmed.
Alyssa is also a lifelong activist and is passionate about fighting for human rights around the world. In 2003, UNICEF invited Alyssa to become a National Ambassador in recognition of her charitable work on behalf of children. Ever since then, Alyssa has been a champion of children's rights, working closely with UNICEF to raise money and awareness and provide aid to the children who need it most all over the world.
Alyssa also speaks to kids in schools around the country about the importance of voting and teaches them how to fill out a ballot because she believes it's never too early to be civic-minded. Most recently, Alyssa is known for popularizing the #MeToo hashtag on Twitter, sparking the massive viral movement. She was named one of the 2017 Persons of the Year in Time magazine alongside other prestigious activists. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two kids.
(source: Amazon)
Alyssa is also a lifelong activist and is passionate about fighting for human rights around the world. In 2003, UNICEF invited Alyssa to become a National Ambassador in recognition of her charitable work on behalf of children. Ever since then, Alyssa has been a champion of children's rights, working closely with UNICEF to raise money and awareness and provide aid to the children who need it most all over the world.
Alyssa also speaks to kids in schools around the country about the importance of voting and teaches them how to fill out a ballot because she believes it's never too early to be civic-minded. Most recently, Alyssa is known for popularizing the #MeToo hashtag on Twitter, sparking the massive viral movement. She was named one of the 2017 Persons of the Year in Time magazine alongside other prestigious activists. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two kids.
(source: Amazon)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 4, 2019
This is the freshest, most original book on baseball I have ever read. Alyssa Milano writes with passion, knowledge, emotion and humor about the ways baseball has mattered in her life.
If you think baseball writers are all old fuddy-duddies like David Halberstam, if you think baseball is for guys only -- think again! Oh, and I'm putting a link below just because Alyssa Milano is so giving and caring in every possible way, not just about sports.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/s...
If you think baseball writers are all old fuddy-duddies like David Halberstam, if you think baseball is for guys only -- think again! Oh, and I'm putting a link below just because Alyssa Milano is so giving and caring in every possible way, not just about sports.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/s...
July 21, 2024
Once upon a time, Alyssa Milano of Staten Island, New York sat on her father’s lap and watched Yankees games from as young as she could remember. I remember Milano from Who’s the Boss, a television show I watched in the 1980s. Later, she starred on Charmed airing on the WB, a show featuring three women as witches, which aired for nine years. Although I was not as into witchcraft in the days before Harry Potter, I did recognize the actresses portraying the main roles and tuned in from time to time. Milano has been a regular actress from the time she turned seven years old. She has also been a huge baseball fan from the time she could walk, something we have in common. A woman who can keep score and understand the intricacies of baseball with the best of fans would be my best friend in real life. I might have passed up this memoir the first time it appeared on my reading recommendations, but, when I saw it as recommended reading in another quality baseball book that I recently read, I saw this as a sign that I should read this memoir by a fellow baseball fan.
Alyssa Milano comes from a close knit family originally from Brooklyn. Her father came of age in Flatbush when the Dodgers symbolized all that was good about society. He remembered his own childhood as a time of egg creams and stickball and the Dodgers. When Walter O’Malley moved the team to Los Angeles, he, along with an entire borough, was devastated. By the time Alyssa was born in 1972, the family had moved from Brooklyn to the safer environs of Staten Island. Her father still loved baseball but he found a new team to root for- the Yankees. Alyssa was only five when the Bronx Zoo team won their first world championship in fifteen years, but she was hooked as a fan, having cultivated these early memories by sitting on her father’s lap. If these young childhood memories sound familiar to me it is because I also, as an oldest child, learned my love of baseball by sitting on my dad’s lap. When I turned five, my team won a division title for the first time in thirty years. I was hooked as a fan. Alyssa Milano at age seven got cast in Annie and toured the country with her mother. A year later, she got cast in Who’s the Boss, a television show that eventually ran nine years, the rest of her childhood. That is where our paths differ because as a seven and eight year old, I rushed home to watch the Cubs on television, followed by sitcom reruns including Who’s the Boss. Alyssa might be a tad more famous than me, but we are united as female baseball fanatics. I could be reading a book that I had written a chunk of, so I got hooked by the narrative early on and couldn’t help but smile throughout.
When the Milano family learned that Who’s the Boss would be a permanent fixture on television, the extended family moved to Los Angeles and settled into a Studio City apartment complex. In the days long before the internet or streaming services or mlb.tv, the Milanos could not watch their Yankees on a daily basis. They would have to adopt a new team- the Dodgers- the same team that broke Brooklynites hearts in 1957. The transition was seamless so that Alyssa and her younger brother Cory would have a team to root for. Rooting for the Dodgers became a family affair as the Milanos grew to be season ticket holders, attending at least half of the team’s home games each year. They even developed a baseball play list to drive to the ballpark, including hits such as Centerfield and Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit that Ball. Robinson became Alyssa’s all time favorite player (I knew I felt a sisterhood kinship with her) and she paid homage to him before entering the seating bowl before each game. If the Milanos did not attend a game, they hosted game parties complete with a baseball themed menu, door prizes, and keeping score as though they were at the ballpark. For friends and relatives who were not yet fans, Dodger broadcasts played on the tv and radio, assisting those with a limited baseball IQ into becoming full fledged fans. At a time when the Yankees were in between dynasties, the Milanos saw the Dodgers win the 1988 World Series, which to this day is one of Alyssa’s core memories, even with all the fame she has garnered as an actress. To her, as to myself and countless other fans, baseball is just as magic as the role she played on Charmed, the game creating its own stories. That 1988 season cemented her as a fan for life.
Alyssa and I might both be fanatics of our respective teams, but as a celebrity, her path diverges from mine. At one point, she dated three pitchers on the Dodgers; obviously her status helped her in this department. I’m sure most fans of all sports fantasize about dating athletes, but she actually achieved it. Truthfully, she admits that this is a low point in her fandom because dating ball players only sated one half of her personality. She gives advice to twenty somethings throughout the book, including what to do if one’s significant other does not have the same interests as one self, but most specifically if two people do not share the same fandom. I had to laugh at this point because on an early date, I took my husband to Wrigley Field to show him that this is me. I’m not sure if Alyssa wrote this book with me in mind, but she is definitely a woman who gets it. In 2007 she visited the Dodgers team shop and only found pink clothes for women; that would have to change, so she partnered with MLB to develop her own women’s clothing line Touch. No pink, just classy clothes marketed toward female baseball fans. This lead to her blogging for MLB and becoming an on-site reporter. It’s been fifteen years since the publication of this book, but suffice to say, Alyssa is still a huge baseball fan, and she has used her brand to create new fans, specifically women, who might have felt disenfranchised in the past. That is a real fan, one who I can relate to as a female baseball fanatic.
As the baseball season moves toward its latter stages, I can only think of Alyssa Milano cheering on the Dodgers as they battle for yet another division title and pennant. I wonder if she had been born ten years later if she had gone from watching games with her father to playing baseball and softball rather than acting. Then again, if you ask her mother and grandmother, Alyssa was a born actress. As an adult she has used her name to serve others as a UNICEF ambassador and creating a clothing line that serves the female population. I have a feeling I will be looking some of these clothes up to see if they benefit me as a fan. Unlike Milano, however, I am happy with my jerseys and t-shirts. As a celebrity who might not be the best of athletes, Milano is telling other girls that it’s ok to be a sports fan even if you are not an athlete yourself. This is a message I could have used in adolescence as I was teased for memorizing stats and knowing more than the boys. Alyssa Milano and I have a shared sisterhood as baseball superfans. She might not have penned her memoir for me, but I have been one smiley, validated fan reading her book.
4 stars
Alyssa Milano comes from a close knit family originally from Brooklyn. Her father came of age in Flatbush when the Dodgers symbolized all that was good about society. He remembered his own childhood as a time of egg creams and stickball and the Dodgers. When Walter O’Malley moved the team to Los Angeles, he, along with an entire borough, was devastated. By the time Alyssa was born in 1972, the family had moved from Brooklyn to the safer environs of Staten Island. Her father still loved baseball but he found a new team to root for- the Yankees. Alyssa was only five when the Bronx Zoo team won their first world championship in fifteen years, but she was hooked as a fan, having cultivated these early memories by sitting on her father’s lap. If these young childhood memories sound familiar to me it is because I also, as an oldest child, learned my love of baseball by sitting on my dad’s lap. When I turned five, my team won a division title for the first time in thirty years. I was hooked as a fan. Alyssa Milano at age seven got cast in Annie and toured the country with her mother. A year later, she got cast in Who’s the Boss, a television show that eventually ran nine years, the rest of her childhood. That is where our paths differ because as a seven and eight year old, I rushed home to watch the Cubs on television, followed by sitcom reruns including Who’s the Boss. Alyssa might be a tad more famous than me, but we are united as female baseball fanatics. I could be reading a book that I had written a chunk of, so I got hooked by the narrative early on and couldn’t help but smile throughout.
When the Milano family learned that Who’s the Boss would be a permanent fixture on television, the extended family moved to Los Angeles and settled into a Studio City apartment complex. In the days long before the internet or streaming services or mlb.tv, the Milanos could not watch their Yankees on a daily basis. They would have to adopt a new team- the Dodgers- the same team that broke Brooklynites hearts in 1957. The transition was seamless so that Alyssa and her younger brother Cory would have a team to root for. Rooting for the Dodgers became a family affair as the Milanos grew to be season ticket holders, attending at least half of the team’s home games each year. They even developed a baseball play list to drive to the ballpark, including hits such as Centerfield and Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit that Ball. Robinson became Alyssa’s all time favorite player (I knew I felt a sisterhood kinship with her) and she paid homage to him before entering the seating bowl before each game. If the Milanos did not attend a game, they hosted game parties complete with a baseball themed menu, door prizes, and keeping score as though they were at the ballpark. For friends and relatives who were not yet fans, Dodger broadcasts played on the tv and radio, assisting those with a limited baseball IQ into becoming full fledged fans. At a time when the Yankees were in between dynasties, the Milanos saw the Dodgers win the 1988 World Series, which to this day is one of Alyssa’s core memories, even with all the fame she has garnered as an actress. To her, as to myself and countless other fans, baseball is just as magic as the role she played on Charmed, the game creating its own stories. That 1988 season cemented her as a fan for life.
Alyssa and I might both be fanatics of our respective teams, but as a celebrity, her path diverges from mine. At one point, she dated three pitchers on the Dodgers; obviously her status helped her in this department. I’m sure most fans of all sports fantasize about dating athletes, but she actually achieved it. Truthfully, she admits that this is a low point in her fandom because dating ball players only sated one half of her personality. She gives advice to twenty somethings throughout the book, including what to do if one’s significant other does not have the same interests as one self, but most specifically if two people do not share the same fandom. I had to laugh at this point because on an early date, I took my husband to Wrigley Field to show him that this is me. I’m not sure if Alyssa wrote this book with me in mind, but she is definitely a woman who gets it. In 2007 she visited the Dodgers team shop and only found pink clothes for women; that would have to change, so she partnered with MLB to develop her own women’s clothing line Touch. No pink, just classy clothes marketed toward female baseball fans. This lead to her blogging for MLB and becoming an on-site reporter. It’s been fifteen years since the publication of this book, but suffice to say, Alyssa is still a huge baseball fan, and she has used her brand to create new fans, specifically women, who might have felt disenfranchised in the past. That is a real fan, one who I can relate to as a female baseball fanatic.
As the baseball season moves toward its latter stages, I can only think of Alyssa Milano cheering on the Dodgers as they battle for yet another division title and pennant. I wonder if she had been born ten years later if she had gone from watching games with her father to playing baseball and softball rather than acting. Then again, if you ask her mother and grandmother, Alyssa was a born actress. As an adult she has used her name to serve others as a UNICEF ambassador and creating a clothing line that serves the female population. I have a feeling I will be looking some of these clothes up to see if they benefit me as a fan. Unlike Milano, however, I am happy with my jerseys and t-shirts. As a celebrity who might not be the best of athletes, Milano is telling other girls that it’s ok to be a sports fan even if you are not an athlete yourself. This is a message I could have used in adolescence as I was teased for memorizing stats and knowing more than the boys. Alyssa Milano and I have a shared sisterhood as baseball superfans. She might not have penned her memoir for me, but I have been one smiley, validated fan reading her book.
4 stars
April 30, 2009
I would give this book 3.5 stars if I could.
I was intrigued to learn that Alyssa Milano had written a book. I clearly remember watching her every week on Who's the Boss? when I was a kid. (I loved that show!) I also know that she's a huge baseball fan who's also designed a line of clothing specifically for female baseball fans. As a huge baseball fan myself, I was interested to see what she had to say.
The book starts off strong. Within the first couple chapters, she had my eyes tearing up a time or two, and she also made me laugh out loud. Her personal voice comes through in her writing, which is nice for this kind of a book. She has a love for the game of baseball that I can relate to, which is part of the reason that I enjoyed this book. However, she definitely does more than just explain the game. She also brings in her own personal experiences throughout the book, often showing the part that baseball played in her life (and the lives of her family members).
If you're not a fan of baseball, Milano does a good job of explaining what's so fascinating about the sport. For most of the book, she simply explains the various aspects of the game that those of us who are fans already know and love. She also acknowledges some of the not-so-good aspects of the game. There are a couple chapters in the middle of the book that get a little-heavy handed. I love baseball and understand it well, and yet her chapter on the numbers of the game started to be a bit much, even for me. There were also a few places in the book where she seemed to get a bit sidetracked and went off on a tangent for a few pages.
If you already love baseball, you should give this book a try (especially if you're a woman). If you're a good friend or relative of someone who's a big fan of baseball, you should read this book. It might explain a lot about your friend. :) However, if you're only mildly interested in the sport, it's definitely still worth reading; you just might want to consider skimming through the chapters that get heavy on stats and numbers.
I was intrigued to learn that Alyssa Milano had written a book. I clearly remember watching her every week on Who's the Boss? when I was a kid. (I loved that show!) I also know that she's a huge baseball fan who's also designed a line of clothing specifically for female baseball fans. As a huge baseball fan myself, I was interested to see what she had to say.
The book starts off strong. Within the first couple chapters, she had my eyes tearing up a time or two, and she also made me laugh out loud. Her personal voice comes through in her writing, which is nice for this kind of a book. She has a love for the game of baseball that I can relate to, which is part of the reason that I enjoyed this book. However, she definitely does more than just explain the game. She also brings in her own personal experiences throughout the book, often showing the part that baseball played in her life (and the lives of her family members).
If you're not a fan of baseball, Milano does a good job of explaining what's so fascinating about the sport. For most of the book, she simply explains the various aspects of the game that those of us who are fans already know and love. She also acknowledges some of the not-so-good aspects of the game. There are a couple chapters in the middle of the book that get a little-heavy handed. I love baseball and understand it well, and yet her chapter on the numbers of the game started to be a bit much, even for me. There were also a few places in the book where she seemed to get a bit sidetracked and went off on a tangent for a few pages.
If you already love baseball, you should give this book a try (especially if you're a woman). If you're a good friend or relative of someone who's a big fan of baseball, you should read this book. It might explain a lot about your friend. :) However, if you're only mildly interested in the sport, it's definitely still worth reading; you just might want to consider skimming through the chapters that get heavy on stats and numbers.
September 20, 2009
Like Alyssa, I learned about baseball on my fathers knee. His passion for the Red Sox was infectous. I was 7 when Ted Williams hit a home run at his last at bat in the final game of his career. At the time I didn't understand the magnitude of this event. Today I fully understand that this was the only way the Splendid Splinter should leave the game he loved. For me falling in love with the boys from Boston was all about Tony Conigliaro. How could I not be in love, he was young, good looking and could hit the ball out of the park. In '67 when he was hit in the head while at bat, I was devasted. Yes there was still Yaz and the rest of the impossible dream team, but Tony was gone from the line-up. That year TVs where set-up in the high school gym so we could watch the play-off and world series games during our free period. My male friends soon learned why I was the only girl to watch those games.
The hardest part of moving south in '76 was other then spring training, there was no home team. When baseball expanded in 98, my father called to ask me if I was now a Rays fan. I assured him that Boston would always be my home team. While I do love the Rays they are only second to my boys in Red. Like Alyssa and so many fans today I can mark the events in my life with baseball games. I cried when Boston won the world series in 2004. I headed for the phone to call Dad and discuss the game, but instead gave a silent thank you. I know he had a much better view of game and maybe helped with that last out. Like many fans whose fathers had passed before this moment, I took a world series pennant to his grave.
For me this book brought back the moments I shared with my father, family, friends and co-workers discussing the game, razing each others team or counting the days until pitchers and catchers report for spring training. I would recommend this book to any fan of the game. Or to anyone who wants to understand how baseball fans can be so passionate about 9 innings of magic.
The hardest part of moving south in '76 was other then spring training, there was no home team. When baseball expanded in 98, my father called to ask me if I was now a Rays fan. I assured him that Boston would always be my home team. While I do love the Rays they are only second to my boys in Red. Like Alyssa and so many fans today I can mark the events in my life with baseball games. I cried when Boston won the world series in 2004. I headed for the phone to call Dad and discuss the game, but instead gave a silent thank you. I know he had a much better view of game and maybe helped with that last out. Like many fans whose fathers had passed before this moment, I took a world series pennant to his grave.
For me this book brought back the moments I shared with my father, family, friends and co-workers discussing the game, razing each others team or counting the days until pitchers and catchers report for spring training. I would recommend this book to any fan of the game. Or to anyone who wants to understand how baseball fans can be so passionate about 9 innings of magic.
March 15, 2010
Alyssa Milano seems as unaffected as might be possible, given her background, and this book is a love letter to baseball. I did get a kick out of what she does not like about the game - the DH, among other things - but especially beach balls bouncing around, as if the game was not interesting enough on its own. (In my experience, having been to some ten ballparks, although not Chavez Ravine, this is a big problem at Fenway - for all the supposed love the pink hats have for their team you would think they would be more interested in the game.) I did wonder why she did not rail against waves, which always seem to get started when the game is interesting - presumably by people who are not there for the game. Overall I think she probably makes a mistake to have season tickets behind the Dodgers dugout - those tickets are almost all bought by companies as corporate entertainment, so real baseball fans are not in those seats. In my ballpark you have to go to the second deck to find the real fans, keeping score - while not as fashionable, she would probably feel more at home there.
May 12, 2009
This is a good baseball book in that Alyssa Milano is no average chick when it comes to baseball. A passionate fan, she mixes in her knowledge of baseball with fun and interesting stories all while singing the praises of the game itself. In no way a tell-all or memoir, this is just about what baseball means to her and how it has gotten her through some tough times and brought her family closer together. Of course I am envious of the perks she gets in baseball from being a star but she really seems like a down-to-earth person who thinks and acts like a regular fan (not a normal fan). This has made me like her more (aside from just eye candy) and to read her blog on MLB.com. A good book, an easy read and a fun experience.
April 7, 2009
wow...alyssa loves her some sweet, sweet baseball! and as a huge baseball fan...i love this book! it is like a love letter to a game that may very well have kept her sane throughout her tumultuous life as a child-actress turned adult-actress. i have always been a fan of alyssa milano. she just seems to exude some sort of charm in whatever it is that she does. now she writes a book about how baseball was such a huge contributing factor in her life and how it makes her who she is today. if you are a fan of baseball or of alyssa milano (better yet, both) then do yourself a favor and pick this one up...i think you're gonna like it!
June 15, 2010
I'm not a baseball fan (I don't dislike it either, I just don't know much about it) but I do like Alyssa Milano. I guess to be fair, before this book, I should have said that I liked the shows Alyssa Milano was in, I didn't know much about her at all. But after this book I can say that I like her. She is funny and smart and seems incredibly down to earth. I'm not a fan of baseball but she kind of makes me want to be!
July 6, 2009
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did--- I assumed it'd be more dumbed down. Just goes to show you. I don't know that a serious baseball fan would like it as a baseball book, because it's at least as much memoir as baseball book, but it's kind of an offbeat mixture of genres that I found very appealing. Great for a change of pace.
May 18, 2010
I love Alyssa but I just couldn't bring myself to continue reading it.
More of a light read, when you're in a waiting room or on the beach.
I'll finish it at some point.
More of a light read, when you're in a waiting room or on the beach.
I'll finish it at some point.
April 29, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “THE AUTHOR AND I HAVE A MUTUAL LOVE AFFAIR!”
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Alyssa Milano and I share an unbridled love for the Los Angeles Dodgers… Major League Baseball… and our families… and the magical intermingling of the three are resolute… and where one ends… the other begins… and yet there is no beginning or end. In addition… both our families’ origin was in good old Brooklyn, New York. I am about the same age as her Father… and it’s blatantly apparent that we both did our Fatherly duty in passing on to the next generation what is a familial… cultural… and an absolute birthright… in indoctrinating our children with the mystical… magical… and in some ways… religious… what it meant to be part of the Brooklyn Dodger family. And believe me… Alyssa’s Father will verify that to be a Brooklyn fan was to be part of a family with “Dem Bums”… the “Boys Of Summer” in Brooklyn. The author may not believe this… but to this day I get tears in my eyes when I discuss Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers… EXACTLY LIKE HER DAD!
I would not describe this book as a biography… though it tells Alyssa’s life story. What this book is… is a romance story… a love story… so deep and absolute… that it takes over two-hundred-pages… for Alyssa to emote her boundless love of the Dodgers and baseball. I am an old-school baseball fanatic and before I was even one-third of the way through this book… I was beaming with pride for this young ladies love… knowledge… and appreciation… for the game of baseball. And I placed her even higher on my pedestal of baseball appreciation as she aptly described important figures and events from generations of baseball that occurred before she was born. That’s what you have to do to be a true fanatic like Alyssa and me. I can talk about Ty Cobb… Walter Johnson… Babe Ruth… Pete Reiser and countless others before my time… as if I saw them play. And that’s what Alyssa does with Sandy… “Big D”… and of course her good luck charm and pre-game ritual stomach rub with the legendary Jackie Robinson.
Another emotional high point for me was her depiction of her Father and brother at the ball games. Man! They sound like the kind of people I would love to be at the game with. She isn’t afraid to knock players that need to be knocked… leveling such comments as… “Jeff Kent runs like he’s got a piano on his back”… “Mark Prior, the once and never dominant starter he was tabbed to be, is uninjured and “actually” on the mound”... and on the (thank goodness) former Dodger mistake… the overweight Andruw Jones… who her brother and her derisively call “Snacks”.
The only thing I disagree with this baseball lover on is her seemingly dismissive view of the gravity of the steroid, HGH and other performance enhancing drugs. I don’t think she does it justice by comparing it to ballplayers in the past throwing spit-balls and stealing signals. But she wins back my baseball heart when in the very next chapter entitled “IF I WERE COMMISSIONER FOR A DAY (OR THREE)”… when she says: “I’D ABOLISH THE DH.” Amen!
If a potential reader is looking for a book with all types of inside Hollywood gossip… this is not the book for you. If you are looking for the absolute joy and poetic romance of truly loving baseball this is a GRAND-SLAM-HOMERUN! By the time I finished reading this… my biggest hope was to get invited to a Dodger game with her family so she could see her Dad and I talk about Jackie and the Dodgers with tears in our eyes… and still have time to yell out a few “Brooklyn-Raspberries” at some overpaid malingerer wasting a uniform on our “FIELD-OF-DREAMS”.
How much do “we” love baseball… when it’s played the right way? How sweet is this lyric of love from the author’s heart…?
*”WALK-OFF HOME RUNS ARE FAIRY TALES; THEY’RE BASEBALL’S VERSION OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER.”*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alyssa Milano and I share an unbridled love for the Los Angeles Dodgers… Major League Baseball… and our families… and the magical intermingling of the three are resolute… and where one ends… the other begins… and yet there is no beginning or end. In addition… both our families’ origin was in good old Brooklyn, New York. I am about the same age as her Father… and it’s blatantly apparent that we both did our Fatherly duty in passing on to the next generation what is a familial… cultural… and an absolute birthright… in indoctrinating our children with the mystical… magical… and in some ways… religious… what it meant to be part of the Brooklyn Dodger family. And believe me… Alyssa’s Father will verify that to be a Brooklyn fan was to be part of a family with “Dem Bums”… the “Boys Of Summer” in Brooklyn. The author may not believe this… but to this day I get tears in my eyes when I discuss Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers… EXACTLY LIKE HER DAD!
I would not describe this book as a biography… though it tells Alyssa’s life story. What this book is… is a romance story… a love story… so deep and absolute… that it takes over two-hundred-pages… for Alyssa to emote her boundless love of the Dodgers and baseball. I am an old-school baseball fanatic and before I was even one-third of the way through this book… I was beaming with pride for this young ladies love… knowledge… and appreciation… for the game of baseball. And I placed her even higher on my pedestal of baseball appreciation as she aptly described important figures and events from generations of baseball that occurred before she was born. That’s what you have to do to be a true fanatic like Alyssa and me. I can talk about Ty Cobb… Walter Johnson… Babe Ruth… Pete Reiser and countless others before my time… as if I saw them play. And that’s what Alyssa does with Sandy… “Big D”… and of course her good luck charm and pre-game ritual stomach rub with the legendary Jackie Robinson.
Another emotional high point for me was her depiction of her Father and brother at the ball games. Man! They sound like the kind of people I would love to be at the game with. She isn’t afraid to knock players that need to be knocked… leveling such comments as… “Jeff Kent runs like he’s got a piano on his back”… “Mark Prior, the once and never dominant starter he was tabbed to be, is uninjured and “actually” on the mound”... and on the (thank goodness) former Dodger mistake… the overweight Andruw Jones… who her brother and her derisively call “Snacks”.
The only thing I disagree with this baseball lover on is her seemingly dismissive view of the gravity of the steroid, HGH and other performance enhancing drugs. I don’t think she does it justice by comparing it to ballplayers in the past throwing spit-balls and stealing signals. But she wins back my baseball heart when in the very next chapter entitled “IF I WERE COMMISSIONER FOR A DAY (OR THREE)”… when she says: “I’D ABOLISH THE DH.” Amen!
If a potential reader is looking for a book with all types of inside Hollywood gossip… this is not the book for you. If you are looking for the absolute joy and poetic romance of truly loving baseball this is a GRAND-SLAM-HOMERUN! By the time I finished reading this… my biggest hope was to get invited to a Dodger game with her family so she could see her Dad and I talk about Jackie and the Dodgers with tears in our eyes… and still have time to yell out a few “Brooklyn-Raspberries” at some overpaid malingerer wasting a uniform on our “FIELD-OF-DREAMS”.
How much do “we” love baseball… when it’s played the right way? How sweet is this lyric of love from the author’s heart…?
*”WALK-OFF HOME RUNS ARE FAIRY TALES; THEY’RE BASEBALL’S VERSION OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER.”*
November 2, 2016
This is probably the best book ever written about what it means to be a REAL baseball fan.
Alyssa Milano's argues that being a fan - and a baseball fan in particular - is an amazingly rewarding experience. It brings some desperately needed lightness into ours lives; it relaxes and entertains us, year after year, with its unmistakable feeling of familiarity; it connects us with family and friends; and it inspires us to excel in our own endeavors.
She argues that fans are, in some respect, "richer" than non-fans because they have something wonderful to look forward to every season. In the case of baseball, fans are treated to a 6 months worth of entertainment, virtually every day of the week. The games are relaxing - they take the stress out our daily lives. I love Milano's description of baseball as something comforting, that makes her feel "safe at home". She says that baseball is always there for her, every single year, with its rich cast of "heroes and villains", and the compelling stories behind each player and each matchup. It is one, long and engaging soap opera that accompanies her throughout her entire life.
She says: "I love what baseball does for me. It connects me, it relaxes me, and it frees me."
But to the real fan, games are much than simply "relaxing": they are engaging. From the pitcher's facial expression to the batting average of the next in-line... everything potentially holds a meaning and must be interpreted. Whereas the non-fan basically falls asleep during a game, the fan is an active viewer and participates fully, both with his intellect and with his emotions.
Mentally, the more you watch the game, the more you learn about its extremely complex rules and statistics, and the more you appreciate it. You become an active and engaged viewer, with a remarkable capacity to concentrate for over three hours on a field where, apparently, not much is happening. This is what distinguishes real fans from casual ones, which need bells and whistles (such as bouncing beach balls!) to be entertained during the game.
Emotionally, it's a rollercoaster of thrilling victories and heart-breaking losses. I'm convinced, as Alyssa Milano is, that these are emotions well spent, because they are pure memories in the making. Memories that quickly become part of our life story, especially if we have experienced them with someone special. As a fan of the Dodgers, I just went through the disappointing loss to the Cubs in the NLCS (the baseball semi-finals): disappointing because the Dodgers were ahead 2-1 in the series, and then ended up losing three consecutive games. These losses teach us to be humble, to hope without setting expectations too high, and to respect our opponent, no matter how much of an edge we think our team has.
Another great point Alyssa makes about baseball is the connection it creates among fans and, most importantly, among families. Going to the game together or watching it on TV after a Sunday meal is a great bonding experience and, in the case of the author, an experience that has forged her relationship with her dad and with her brother. They went to the ballpark together, as a family, and their relationship was strengthened through baseball. Now don't get me wrong: a relationship needs much more than a common sports cause to function, and baseball alone does not hold families together! However, I would argue that relationships need - they desperately need - some lightness and fun. A father-daughter relationship cannot hinge only on "good parenting": true, the father has to strive to be a role-model and to be there for his daughter when she most needs him; but at the same time, I believe he must be playful, fun, relaxed... he must show her that life is not only about hard work, rules, discipline, homework and innumerable after-school activities. A common passion for a sport is great way to add depth to a relationship, to solidify the bond.
Ultimately, baseball is really about personal growth, because it teaches us about grit, resilience, perseverance, loyalty, discipline, teamwork. The season is won after a marathon of nearly 200 games, with strategy, personal skills, discipline and very, very hard work. It's also about disappointment. Remember, it is a game where the best hitter fails 2 times out of 3, and keeps coming back to bat, searching for that elusive home run in the moment where it most counts.
But the loses, for the real fan, are simply a transition to the next season, in which the story continues, and everyone starts afresh. Real fans, as Alyssa argues - are not scared away by losses, nor are do they become anymore engaged during winning streaks or during the playoffs. They just follow their team no matter what, through the good times and the bad times. It's just like any other real love: it's not conditional, it's an act of faith and commitment.
Baseball is also about making the most of opportunities - such as when you have runners on base - and getting out of trouble when the stakes are extremely high (like striking out a great batter with bases loaded).
Great players are a tremendous inspiration for our own personal growth, and when I watch a pitcher like Clayton Kershaw I somehow feel motivated to excel in my own endeavors, even if they have nothing to do with baseball. Alyssa gives a few touching examples of great baseball players that have been a huge inspiration in her own life, such as Jim Abbott, who was one of the world's best pitchers regardless of the fact that... he was born without a right hand! Or Jackie Robinson, who in 1947 was the first African-American to be allowed to play in the majors since 1889: he endured the worst kind of prejudices, until he won everyone over with his composure, his strength of character and his tremendous dedication to the game, which transcended racial boundaries.
In conclusion, there is something spiritual, almost metaphysical about fandom, that only real fans can entirely comprehend. Alyssa Milano does a fantastic job at trying to depict it, but I'm convinced that the only way to understand what she really means is to "take the vows" and seriously commit to a sport and to a team. The rewards - in terms of fun, relaxation, connection and yes, personal growth - are extraordinarily high.
More at www.synapseburning.com
Alyssa Milano's argues that being a fan - and a baseball fan in particular - is an amazingly rewarding experience. It brings some desperately needed lightness into ours lives; it relaxes and entertains us, year after year, with its unmistakable feeling of familiarity; it connects us with family and friends; and it inspires us to excel in our own endeavors.
She argues that fans are, in some respect, "richer" than non-fans because they have something wonderful to look forward to every season. In the case of baseball, fans are treated to a 6 months worth of entertainment, virtually every day of the week. The games are relaxing - they take the stress out our daily lives. I love Milano's description of baseball as something comforting, that makes her feel "safe at home". She says that baseball is always there for her, every single year, with its rich cast of "heroes and villains", and the compelling stories behind each player and each matchup. It is one, long and engaging soap opera that accompanies her throughout her entire life.
She says: "I love what baseball does for me. It connects me, it relaxes me, and it frees me."
But to the real fan, games are much than simply "relaxing": they are engaging. From the pitcher's facial expression to the batting average of the next in-line... everything potentially holds a meaning and must be interpreted. Whereas the non-fan basically falls asleep during a game, the fan is an active viewer and participates fully, both with his intellect and with his emotions.
Mentally, the more you watch the game, the more you learn about its extremely complex rules and statistics, and the more you appreciate it. You become an active and engaged viewer, with a remarkable capacity to concentrate for over three hours on a field where, apparently, not much is happening. This is what distinguishes real fans from casual ones, which need bells and whistles (such as bouncing beach balls!) to be entertained during the game.
Emotionally, it's a rollercoaster of thrilling victories and heart-breaking losses. I'm convinced, as Alyssa Milano is, that these are emotions well spent, because they are pure memories in the making. Memories that quickly become part of our life story, especially if we have experienced them with someone special. As a fan of the Dodgers, I just went through the disappointing loss to the Cubs in the NLCS (the baseball semi-finals): disappointing because the Dodgers were ahead 2-1 in the series, and then ended up losing three consecutive games. These losses teach us to be humble, to hope without setting expectations too high, and to respect our opponent, no matter how much of an edge we think our team has.
Another great point Alyssa makes about baseball is the connection it creates among fans and, most importantly, among families. Going to the game together or watching it on TV after a Sunday meal is a great bonding experience and, in the case of the author, an experience that has forged her relationship with her dad and with her brother. They went to the ballpark together, as a family, and their relationship was strengthened through baseball. Now don't get me wrong: a relationship needs much more than a common sports cause to function, and baseball alone does not hold families together! However, I would argue that relationships need - they desperately need - some lightness and fun. A father-daughter relationship cannot hinge only on "good parenting": true, the father has to strive to be a role-model and to be there for his daughter when she most needs him; but at the same time, I believe he must be playful, fun, relaxed... he must show her that life is not only about hard work, rules, discipline, homework and innumerable after-school activities. A common passion for a sport is great way to add depth to a relationship, to solidify the bond.
Ultimately, baseball is really about personal growth, because it teaches us about grit, resilience, perseverance, loyalty, discipline, teamwork. The season is won after a marathon of nearly 200 games, with strategy, personal skills, discipline and very, very hard work. It's also about disappointment. Remember, it is a game where the best hitter fails 2 times out of 3, and keeps coming back to bat, searching for that elusive home run in the moment where it most counts.
But the loses, for the real fan, are simply a transition to the next season, in which the story continues, and everyone starts afresh. Real fans, as Alyssa argues - are not scared away by losses, nor are do they become anymore engaged during winning streaks or during the playoffs. They just follow their team no matter what, through the good times and the bad times. It's just like any other real love: it's not conditional, it's an act of faith and commitment.
Baseball is also about making the most of opportunities - such as when you have runners on base - and getting out of trouble when the stakes are extremely high (like striking out a great batter with bases loaded).
Great players are a tremendous inspiration for our own personal growth, and when I watch a pitcher like Clayton Kershaw I somehow feel motivated to excel in my own endeavors, even if they have nothing to do with baseball. Alyssa gives a few touching examples of great baseball players that have been a huge inspiration in her own life, such as Jim Abbott, who was one of the world's best pitchers regardless of the fact that... he was born without a right hand! Or Jackie Robinson, who in 1947 was the first African-American to be allowed to play in the majors since 1889: he endured the worst kind of prejudices, until he won everyone over with his composure, his strength of character and his tremendous dedication to the game, which transcended racial boundaries.
In conclusion, there is something spiritual, almost metaphysical about fandom, that only real fans can entirely comprehend. Alyssa Milano does a fantastic job at trying to depict it, but I'm convinced that the only way to understand what she really means is to "take the vows" and seriously commit to a sport and to a team. The rewards - in terms of fun, relaxation, connection and yes, personal growth - are extraordinarily high.
More at www.synapseburning.com
November 9, 2019
. Baseball is not my favorite sport and there was not enough here to drag me through the baseball metaphor. The twelve page (!) glossary of baseball terms at the end might be useful when I am forced to endure a game on television.
I gave up about halfway through and sent the book back to the library.
I gave up about halfway through and sent the book back to the library.
May 11, 2017
Love it!!!
September 26, 2018
If you love baseball history, you'll love the whole book. For me, the last two chapters about how baseball is a community, a family, and the fun of being a female fan were worth the entire read.
July 23, 2022
The majority of this book was great. I cringed when she started talking about worshiping at the altar of baseball. It was wrong on so many levels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2012
My sister recommended this book and I did find it very enjoyable. I was a Dodger fan as a child back in the late 50's early 60's; although never went to a game back then. Then in 1970 I went to my first game at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego and have been a San Diego Padre fan ever since. Was fun to read a book written by a female fan who really knows her game! In fact Alyssa Milano knows much more about the game then I would ever be able to remember in my lifetime :D
I only gave the book 3 stars as it wasn't quite as well written as
. Safe at Home would be a good book for a new fan; in fact at the end of the book is a glossary of baseball "lingo".
Loved her description of Kirk Gibson in the first chapter and was glad that this book was not a tell all of her relationships with a few pitchers that she was involved with a few years back.
I only gave the book 3 stars as it wasn't quite as well written as
. Safe at Home would be a good book for a new fan; in fact at the end of the book is a glossary of baseball "lingo".Loved her description of Kirk Gibson in the first chapter and was glad that this book was not a tell all of her relationships with a few pitchers that she was involved with a few years back.
March 22, 2012
I didn't know a lot about Alyssa Milano when I picked up her baseball memoirs at a library book sale, but I'm glad it caught my eye. Milano is a true die hard baseball fan, and she is someone I can relate to as a baseball fan myself. Her baseball life is passionate and geniune. I enjoyed reading about her her love of baseball as a way to connect with her father. The passing down of a team and sport from father to child is powerful, and I definitely can draw parallels in my own life. Her appreciation of baseball history and the beauty of the game csme through clearly through Safe at Home. Alyssa taps into a deep understanding that few fans have of the game. The great metaphor the game represents. How so much of life is reflected in baseball, and how important it is to those who reach this understanding. She is a great spokeswoman for this faction of fans. I recommend it to anyone in love with the game on a poetic level.
April 4, 2009
I was looking for a way to describe this book and the only thing I can come up with is fun. It's a fun book. It's not a serious discussion of baseball or even Alyssa Milano's life. It's just about being a fan. How to be one or how to be a better one. It talks about why she's a fan and gets you to think why are you a fan. I really enjoyed it. It's a very quick read and it will definitely get you in the mood for baseball season but it could be for any sport. I would highly recommend this to any female going to be sports fans and recommend it to any other fans as a fun quick read. Great beach book.
May 2, 2011
Let me start by saying that I went into this book unsure frankly not expecting much from it . I am not a big Alyssa Milano fan but decided to read it because of my love of baseball and maybe to help curb the withdrawal symptoms of the off-season . Boy was I surprised when halfway through the book something dawned on me how many times I thought to myself i couldn't have said it better myself. this book was a good read for baseball fans everywhere. Especially girls who love the game and are looking for something to keep them busy during the off-season.
November 17, 2014
Could relate 100% to Alyssa's passion for baseball and read many things I've either said or thought myself. Baseball is life, and she accurately expresses how baseball brings families together and how females have the same passion as males. Only complaint were the times she talks about sitting behind home plate, going to the club before a game, meeting players, etc. I consider myself a true fan but I'll never get that experience. She did a great job explaining how much baseball means but had moments where her stardom came through too much.
June 18, 2011
I couldn't consider myself in her "know nothing about baseball" category, but there was quite a bit of history and statistics even I hadn't heard of before. She brings a different persepective to a sports book; mainly being someone who learned to love it by watching it with family in stadiums and on TV, rather than a former participant. And she didn't make any jokes about the Pittsburgh Pirates woes of recent years!
July 27, 2011
Its taken me awhile to read this book, but all in all this was a very good read.
This is a good book for any baseball fan, male and female, written not from a baseball insider, but a fan who happens to be a TV Star (Alyssa Milano). Its a very refreshing look at a former child star who made good for herself and who also gives us a first hand look at her love of baseball.
Highly recommended for the baseball fan from any team.
This is a good book for any baseball fan, male and female, written not from a baseball insider, but a fan who happens to be a TV Star (Alyssa Milano). Its a very refreshing look at a former child star who made good for herself and who also gives us a first hand look at her love of baseball.
Highly recommended for the baseball fan from any team.
July 18, 2013
The writer offers personal anecdotes about growing up in a family that loves baseball, and she describes why she became a baseball fan. The tone is conversational. She also offers strong opinions about the current state of the game --- drug problems, use of the designated hitter, etiquette for fans at the ballpark, and so forth.
I enjoyed the humorous, yet insightful, perspectives and would recommend this book to any baseball fan.
I enjoyed the humorous, yet insightful, perspectives and would recommend this book to any baseball fan.
May 29, 2015
This book wasn't what I expected... I was thinking more autobiography with a thread of baseball. It was really the reverse, but still a very enjoyable read. I grew up watching baseball with dad, but admittedly as an adult I lost interest. However, as I finished the book tonight I find I'm left with a feeling that I should get back into it. Engaging story-telling here whether you're a major fan or not.
June 8, 2009
If you are a woman and a baseball fan, you really can't go wrong here. While at times I found the book somewhat repetitive (and there were several spelling errors - she needs a better copy editor), her passion for baseball, and especially the Dodgers, is fantastic. As a Dodgers fanatic, I really related to much of this book. Also, it's a really quick read.
June 16, 2009
Wonderful book. Great insights and perspectives for new fans, equally enjoyable for long-time fans. Also some great insight into the life of a celebrity and how they go through the same "stuff" as the rest of us. I also agree with almost everything she says about the Great Game. I say let's push for Alyssa for Commissioner!
November 13, 2011
This book seems to be written for new baseball fans, almost like the "ABC of Baseaball", or "Baseball for Dummies" and I mean it in the nice way.
I like Alyssa but there is really little of her own life and lots on baseball rules and historical references that I wasn't expected to read, however it is not a boring read, so I gave it 2 stars.
Alex
I like Alyssa but there is really little of her own life and lots on baseball rules and historical references that I wasn't expected to read, however it is not a boring read, so I gave it 2 stars.
Alex
January 27, 2010
This books was fun. I liked the history of the game, and I felt that she really captured a lot of the reasons I like baseball (the reasons most "normal people" don't understand). I felt the writing was too wordy at times, and sometimes I felt she took too long to get to her point.
September 3, 2014
Alyssa tells some interesting stories as a baseball fan from a woman's point of view. At a time when she and her father were in Los Angeles trying to get her career as a child actress started, her discovery of baseball and the Dodgers brought she and her father closer together.
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