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Blockade Billy
Even the most die-hard baseball fans don't know the true story of William “Blockade Billy” Blakely. He may have been the greatest player the game has ever seen, but today no one remembers his name. He was the first--and only--player to have his existence completely removed from the record books. Even his team is long forgotten, barely a footnote in the game's history.
Every effort was made to erase any evidence that William Blakely played professional baseball, and with good reason. Blockade Billy had a secret darker than any pill or injection that might cause a scandal in sports today. His secret was much, much worse... and only Stephen King, the most gifted storyteller of our age, can reveal the truth to the world, once and for all.
Every effort was made to erase any evidence that William Blakely played professional baseball, and with good reason. Blockade Billy had a secret darker than any pill or injection that might cause a scandal in sports today. His secret was much, much worse... and only Stephen King, the most gifted storyteller of our age, can reveal the truth to the world, once and for all.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
309 people are currently reading
13945 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,614 books886k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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June 12, 2023
“Blockade Billy” by Stephen King is an interesting story where baseball meets horror. I’ve never read a sports book that was in the horror genre before so this was a first for me on top of having yet to read this by my all-time favorite author. Right off the bat, I knew what was awaiting me was going to be great, and sure enough, it delivered and then some.
I grew up loving and watching baseball, especially since I live in the city that never sleeps. Being born and raised in Queens, NY (also the home of everyone’s favorite Spider-Man), I was mostly a New York Mets fan. I still root for them to this very day but as I got older, I started to love all New York teams. I’ve gone to a ton of Mets and Yankees games, even traveled to different ballparks from Fenway to Oriole Park at Camden Yards just to enjoy a good old game of baseball.
Naturally, this captured the magic of baseball and horror perfectly. I know King is a huge Boston Red Sox fan so to see him write about America’s Pastime and make it still send a chill down my spine once again proves why he’s simply the best.
I loved this story and even more so since it didn’t have chapters but used graphic illustrations to break things up based on what was going on added a nice touch. It reminded me of when I was a teenager and all the classic horror paperbacks I used to read did images before the start of a chapter. I also loved the unique way to tell a story like an athlete or manager would to a reporter, except the reporter is called Mr. King which I thought was hilarious.
“Blockade Billy” was a genuine page-turner and I could not put this book down at all. I read pretty quickly and even I was surprised at how fast I devoured this book. I didn’t even care that it was late or anything because it just flowed so naturally. Now, please keep in mind that if you’re not all that into baseball or don’t know much about the terminology behind it, this might be a hard book to keep up with all the references and in-game scenarios you’ll find here.
Aside from that, I loved how King captured the intensity and well, drama of baseball with a look at the interesting dynamic between pitchers and catchers. Don’t worry, I will not spoil anything for you but my goodness, the incredible and insane plot twist here completely blew me away. I loved the creepiness of this book that lead up to it and yeah, my jaw was legitimately on the floor. That ending was so good that I re-read it a few times because it was that crazy.
This was such a chilling read that it’s an underrated short story gem by King. If you’re a huge baseball fan that just so happens to also love horror, I would throw this in the “must-read” category faster than a New York minute. It’s just 132 pages and I flew right through it because it was that fantastic.
I give “Blockade Billy” by Stephen King a perfect 5/5 as this was an awesome book. I loved the character-building and just that quick look into the world of baseball with a nice horror twist. The images while reading added a nice immersion to this story and overall, it’s a book I’d highly recommend to baseball enthusiasts that don’t mind getting freaked the hell out when the horror hits.
I grew up loving and watching baseball, especially since I live in the city that never sleeps. Being born and raised in Queens, NY (also the home of everyone’s favorite Spider-Man), I was mostly a New York Mets fan. I still root for them to this very day but as I got older, I started to love all New York teams. I’ve gone to a ton of Mets and Yankees games, even traveled to different ballparks from Fenway to Oriole Park at Camden Yards just to enjoy a good old game of baseball.
Naturally, this captured the magic of baseball and horror perfectly. I know King is a huge Boston Red Sox fan so to see him write about America’s Pastime and make it still send a chill down my spine once again proves why he’s simply the best.
I loved this story and even more so since it didn’t have chapters but used graphic illustrations to break things up based on what was going on added a nice touch. It reminded me of when I was a teenager and all the classic horror paperbacks I used to read did images before the start of a chapter. I also loved the unique way to tell a story like an athlete or manager would to a reporter, except the reporter is called Mr. King which I thought was hilarious.
“Blockade Billy” was a genuine page-turner and I could not put this book down at all. I read pretty quickly and even I was surprised at how fast I devoured this book. I didn’t even care that it was late or anything because it just flowed so naturally. Now, please keep in mind that if you’re not all that into baseball or don’t know much about the terminology behind it, this might be a hard book to keep up with all the references and in-game scenarios you’ll find here.
Aside from that, I loved how King captured the intensity and well, drama of baseball with a look at the interesting dynamic between pitchers and catchers. Don’t worry, I will not spoil anything for you but my goodness, the incredible and insane plot twist here completely blew me away. I loved the creepiness of this book that lead up to it and yeah, my jaw was legitimately on the floor. That ending was so good that I re-read it a few times because it was that crazy.
This was such a chilling read that it’s an underrated short story gem by King. If you’re a huge baseball fan that just so happens to also love horror, I would throw this in the “must-read” category faster than a New York minute. It’s just 132 pages and I flew right through it because it was that fantastic.
I give “Blockade Billy” by Stephen King a perfect 5/5 as this was an awesome book. I loved the character-building and just that quick look into the world of baseball with a nice horror twist. The images while reading added a nice immersion to this story and overall, it’s a book I’d highly recommend to baseball enthusiasts that don’t mind getting freaked the hell out when the horror hits.
August 18, 2016
Blockade Billy by Stephen King is King's novella which first appeared in Bazaar of Bad Dreams. It is King's story of Blockade Billy Blakely who played a month for the fictional Newark Titans in 1957. While I am a baseball fanatic, I am not usually a fan of King's psychological thrillers due to my runaway imagination. Yet, even I could not resist this novella numbering less than one hundred pages in length.
The story is told in reminiscing by third base coach George "Granny" Grantham to King in an old age/psychiatric home fifty years later. The Newark Titans lost their two catchers in spring training and needed a replacement. Manager Joe DiPunno found Blakely in their farm system and called him up in time to start the season. Billy seemed to have nerves of ice water, but Granny sensed something was amiss when he spotted a bandaid splint on Billy's second finger. In true King style, he focuses on the bandaid enough to get readers captivated by it and then shifts his focus to another aspect of the story. Needless to say I was intrigued to find out about Billy's bandaids.
Billy immediately gained rapport with star pitcher Danny "Doo" Dusen and started off with a nineteen game hitting streak. The baseball fan in me enjoyed King's use of actual baseball players from the era, Yogi Berra and Ted Williams included. Billy easily saved Titans runs by flawlessly blockading the plate, and rose to the top of the American League rookie ranks. Yet, all was not what it appeared, and only Grantham seemed to take notice.
The last thirty pages are appropriate for a camp fire telling ghost stories or a spooky sleepover. Granny enjoys telling the horror story to King and admits that the rest of the season was horrible but thinking about the game brings back fond memories for him. It is evident to me during the last conversation that King is a true fan of the game, prompting him to tell this story to all of us.
What did happen to Blockade Billy? The story ends in true King fashion, and those curious enough to find out will have to read it for themselves. A psychological thriller and not for the faint of heart, I recommend Blockade Billy to all King and some strong hearted baseball fans.
The story is told in reminiscing by third base coach George "Granny" Grantham to King in an old age/psychiatric home fifty years later. The Newark Titans lost their two catchers in spring training and needed a replacement. Manager Joe DiPunno found Blakely in their farm system and called him up in time to start the season. Billy seemed to have nerves of ice water, but Granny sensed something was amiss when he spotted a bandaid splint on Billy's second finger. In true King style, he focuses on the bandaid enough to get readers captivated by it and then shifts his focus to another aspect of the story. Needless to say I was intrigued to find out about Billy's bandaids.
Billy immediately gained rapport with star pitcher Danny "Doo" Dusen and started off with a nineteen game hitting streak. The baseball fan in me enjoyed King's use of actual baseball players from the era, Yogi Berra and Ted Williams included. Billy easily saved Titans runs by flawlessly blockading the plate, and rose to the top of the American League rookie ranks. Yet, all was not what it appeared, and only Grantham seemed to take notice.
The last thirty pages are appropriate for a camp fire telling ghost stories or a spooky sleepover. Granny enjoys telling the horror story to King and admits that the rest of the season was horrible but thinking about the game brings back fond memories for him. It is evident to me during the last conversation that King is a true fan of the game, prompting him to tell this story to all of us.
What did happen to Blockade Billy? The story ends in true King fashion, and those curious enough to find out will have to read it for themselves. A psychological thriller and not for the faint of heart, I recommend Blockade Billy to all King and some strong hearted baseball fans.
April 21, 2022
Things I know about baseball:
1. It's a sport.
2. I don't like sports.
Oh, and a third is that the Dewey decimal for non-fiction books about baseball is 796.357.
I'm not exactly the target audience for a story about a ball player. I think Stephen King, Jeanette Winterson, and Haruki Murakami are the only authors I love enough to read everything they write, even if it's about sports. And I've decided to read all of King's novels, so I had to read this novella as well.
Even the Master of Fiction couldn't make the game interesting for me. The first two-thirds of this was so boring that I kept checking to see how many pages were left, sometimes multiple times on the same page.
Ninety pages to go.... [reads one paragraph]: Ugh, still ninety pages to go....
The book is just some old dude talking to Stephen King about the good ol' days (or were they??!), specifically about a player known as Billy Blockade and a couple games he starred in.
Boring.
Thankfully the last third is much more interesting when it takes a sinister turn.
I wish that part had been longer - there was so much that could have been added, so many details that would have brought the story to life.
That is some genius, getting even me to wish a book about a baseball player was longer.
My knowledge of the sport remains the same..... except now I can add #4: If a player is wearing a Band-Aid, RUN!
1. It's a sport.
2. I don't like sports.
Oh, and a third is that the Dewey decimal for non-fiction books about baseball is 796.357.
I'm not exactly the target audience for a story about a ball player. I think Stephen King, Jeanette Winterson, and Haruki Murakami are the only authors I love enough to read everything they write, even if it's about sports. And I've decided to read all of King's novels, so I had to read this novella as well.
Even the Master of Fiction couldn't make the game interesting for me. The first two-thirds of this was so boring that I kept checking to see how many pages were left, sometimes multiple times on the same page.
Ninety pages to go.... [reads one paragraph]: Ugh, still ninety pages to go....
The book is just some old dude talking to Stephen King about the good ol' days (or were they??!), specifically about a player known as Billy Blockade and a couple games he starred in.
Boring.
Thankfully the last third is much more interesting when it takes a sinister turn.
I wish that part had been longer - there was so much that could have been added, so many details that would have brought the story to life.
That is some genius, getting even me to wish a book about a baseball player was longer.
My knowledge of the sport remains the same..... except now I can add #4: If a player is wearing a Band-Aid, RUN!
October 4, 2023
Wow! Fantastic novella by the master of horror. Blockade Billy 'pitches' a baseball story so skillfully that you often find yourself questioning where reality stops and fiction starts. This short story reminded me of the Kierkegaardian concept of The Knights of Infinite Resignation taken to the most extreme ends. All the more terrifying because it could really have happened!
December 12, 2022
I can see why Blockade Billy would be polarizing. The narrator is very entertaining, and the story is interesting. But the resolution of the mystery surrounding Blockade Billy was a bit of a letdown. The audiobook for Blockade Billy came with a second novella, Morality, which had the opposite problem. The premise is a stretch, but the story is executed well and has a strong ending.
Mr. King seems to be at his best lately in his longer works. Still, even his weak stories are better than most others’ best work.
Note: both of these stories are now included in The Bazaar of Bad Dreams.
Mr. King seems to be at his best lately in his longer works. Still, even his weak stories are better than most others’ best work.
Note: both of these stories are now included in The Bazaar of Bad Dreams.
June 24, 2015
Blockade Billy - 5 Stars
Huge baseball fan + Huge Stephen King fan = A killer of a baseball catcher and a horror of a story. Loved it!
Morality - 3 Stars
What would you do for $200,000 tax free? Check out what happens when Nora and Chad decide to fulfill an old man's evil last wish that turns their world upside down. Ok Bonus Story with an ending that left me unfulfilled.
(my 5 Star rating for the main event....Blockade Billy!)
September 21, 2022
Blockade Billy
Relato que creo que se disfrutará más siendo fan del baseball. Puede resultar algo lioso si no se sabe cómo se juega a ese deporte, o al menos las reglas básicas.
La historia es bastante simple, muy del montón. Casi que se veía venir el giro argumental.
Nos cuenta como este hombre, William Blakely, pasa a ser el mejor jugador de la historia del baseball en Estados Unidos, pero al que nadie recuerda.
El relato tiene personajes nada memorables, cosa rara en King.
Moralidad
Este relato es bastante simple también.
Nos cuenta como una mujer llega a un acuerdo con su jefe, un reverendo, por una cantidad impresionante de dinero. Después de tomar una decisión, su vida -y la de su marido- no será la misma.
No me ha gustado demasiado, porque no he entendido el por qué de lo que ocurre entre la pareja.
Los personajes no me han gustado demasiado.
---------------------------
Le pongo 3 estrellas porque se lee muy bien, es muy ágil, y porque supongo que los relatos no son tan malos. Y además tengo cierta debilidad por King.
Relato que creo que se disfrutará más siendo fan del baseball. Puede resultar algo lioso si no se sabe cómo se juega a ese deporte, o al menos las reglas básicas.
La historia es bastante simple, muy del montón. Casi que se veía venir el giro argumental.
Nos cuenta como este hombre, William Blakely, pasa a ser el mejor jugador de la historia del baseball en Estados Unidos, pero al que nadie recuerda.
El relato tiene personajes nada memorables, cosa rara en King.
Moralidad
Este relato es bastante simple también.
Nos cuenta como una mujer llega a un acuerdo con su jefe, un reverendo, por una cantidad impresionante de dinero. Después de tomar una decisión, su vida -y la de su marido- no será la misma.
No me ha gustado demasiado, porque no he entendido el por qué de lo que ocurre entre la pareja.
Los personajes no me han gustado demasiado.
---------------------------
Le pongo 3 estrellas porque se lee muy bien, es muy ágil, y porque supongo que los relatos no son tan malos. Y además tengo cierta debilidad por King.
April 28, 2016
I have many pleasures in life, but two that really make me smile are Stephen King and baseball. Now I’m not going to write this review in hopes of changing your mind about Stephen King—he is what he is. You may like him. You may not. For my own two cents, I think he is a wonderful storyteller. Sure, one could peruse his body of work and find numerous examples where he stunk up the place; but, and I am saying this not only as a King fan but also as a fan of literature, one could also find numerous examples of where his storytelling shined. BLOCKADE BILLY and the short story “Morality” provide a welcome place that illuminates both of these instances.
In the title story, King takes the ever American topic of baseball and adds his own dark elements. Essentially, King uses this story to take a few jabs at how baseball has become corrupted today without writing a full-blown essay about steroids or outlandish salaries or how the game really may not be America’s pastime anymore. Billy is a rookie catcher who is called up after the Titans lose both of their catchers in a span of 48 hours. He is never intended to be a fixture in the organization. But Billy surprises the team with his work ethic, Midwest-golly-jeez-charm, and his bat. Before long, Billy is helping the Titans climb from the cellar, begin to compete. This part of the story was fun for me; I love a good baseball story, and if the story is about worst-to-first, all the better. But somewhere in the narrative, I began to think that this story was going to end badly. I had read approximately two-thirds of it, yet, that looming sense of darkness had yet to reveal itself. Dammit, King! I knew this was going to be this type of story! I kept reading. And, much to my unsurprised Reader inside me, the true nature of Blockade Billy came out. (I apologize for being vague, but you must read the story to really understand my disappointment.) The ending was terrible. A let down of epic proportions. And then my mind switched gears. Why didn’t King flesh this bad-boy out? I really enjoy it when he puts three or four novellas together as a book. And this story could have been really good had he done just that. As is, all I can really say is: King does a great job of describing the nostalgia of baseball, but, alas, never fully executes a satisfying ending to the story.
Then I read “Morality.” Again, King does a great job setting the scene. This time we have a young couple under the thumb of personal financial woes. They scrap a living by working as a nurse, and as a substitute teacher in what I guess is New York City. When the wife is let go from her nursing job, she becomes a personal nurse for a retired pastor. Throughout all this, I had no idea where the story was going. When the time came for the story to take shape: The retired pastor wants to experience sin so he asks the woman to commit an act of sin for $200,000 clams; the first thought that came to my mind was RIP OFF!! Hadn’t we already seen this with The Box? I know King is a Richard Matheson fan so the connection between the two wasn’t very surprising. But what was surprising was what the woman had to do to get the $200,000 dollars. After she does what was needed, King takes a bit of time (7 or so pages) and describes what happens to the couple. There aren’t many surprises, but the story was amazing. Of course there were some bizarre situations that I felt were needless (the violence of the latter sex scenes being some), I liked that King didn’t go overboard and bombard the reader with a “moral” lesson.
In the end, at 144 pages, BLOCKADE BILLY and “Morality” are quick, fun reads for all fans of Stephen King. I just hope that his new one, 11/22/63: A Novel, slated for release this November, is vintage King.
RECOMMENDED
In the title story, King takes the ever American topic of baseball and adds his own dark elements. Essentially, King uses this story to take a few jabs at how baseball has become corrupted today without writing a full-blown essay about steroids or outlandish salaries or how the game really may not be America’s pastime anymore. Billy is a rookie catcher who is called up after the Titans lose both of their catchers in a span of 48 hours. He is never intended to be a fixture in the organization. But Billy surprises the team with his work ethic, Midwest-golly-jeez-charm, and his bat. Before long, Billy is helping the Titans climb from the cellar, begin to compete. This part of the story was fun for me; I love a good baseball story, and if the story is about worst-to-first, all the better. But somewhere in the narrative, I began to think that this story was going to end badly. I had read approximately two-thirds of it, yet, that looming sense of darkness had yet to reveal itself. Dammit, King! I knew this was going to be this type of story! I kept reading. And, much to my unsurprised Reader inside me, the true nature of Blockade Billy came out. (I apologize for being vague, but you must read the story to really understand my disappointment.) The ending was terrible. A let down of epic proportions. And then my mind switched gears. Why didn’t King flesh this bad-boy out? I really enjoy it when he puts three or four novellas together as a book. And this story could have been really good had he done just that. As is, all I can really say is: King does a great job of describing the nostalgia of baseball, but, alas, never fully executes a satisfying ending to the story.
Then I read “Morality.” Again, King does a great job setting the scene. This time we have a young couple under the thumb of personal financial woes. They scrap a living by working as a nurse, and as a substitute teacher in what I guess is New York City. When the wife is let go from her nursing job, she becomes a personal nurse for a retired pastor. Throughout all this, I had no idea where the story was going. When the time came for the story to take shape: The retired pastor wants to experience sin so he asks the woman to commit an act of sin for $200,000 clams; the first thought that came to my mind was RIP OFF!! Hadn’t we already seen this with The Box? I know King is a Richard Matheson fan so the connection between the two wasn’t very surprising. But what was surprising was what the woman had to do to get the $200,000 dollars. After she does what was needed, King takes a bit of time (7 or so pages) and describes what happens to the couple. There aren’t many surprises, but the story was amazing. Of course there were some bizarre situations that I felt were needless (the violence of the latter sex scenes being some), I liked that King didn’t go overboard and bombard the reader with a “moral” lesson.
In the end, at 144 pages, BLOCKADE BILLY and “Morality” are quick, fun reads for all fans of Stephen King. I just hope that his new one, 11/22/63: A Novel, slated for release this November, is vintage King.
RECOMMENDED
November 20, 2017
I’ll concede that most readers may not like this as much as I did – I think you have to be a baseball fan AND a Stephen King fan – of which I am both. More than that really, one of the many reasons I like King is that I know that he is also a baseball fan.
Baseball has a rich history of good writing. Guys like George Will, Roger Kahn, Roger Angell, and Michael L. Lewis to name a few have contributed to building the game’s mythos. King also has contributed to baseball literature, especially his collaboration with Stewart O’Nan Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season captured not only the nuances of the game, but illustrated its almost mystical hold on the dedicated.
Blockade Billy, a 2010 novelette (longer than a short story but shorter than a novella) is told from the perspective of a retired baseball man describing events from the late 50s to Stephen King. Because it is about baseball King describes in loving detail the progression of a season, told in minute detail by a student and scholar of the game. And because it is Stephen King, it also centers around a horrific element that eventually takes over.
For fans.
Baseball has a rich history of good writing. Guys like George Will, Roger Kahn, Roger Angell, and Michael L. Lewis to name a few have contributed to building the game’s mythos. King also has contributed to baseball literature, especially his collaboration with Stewart O’Nan Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season captured not only the nuances of the game, but illustrated its almost mystical hold on the dedicated.
Blockade Billy, a 2010 novelette (longer than a short story but shorter than a novella) is told from the perspective of a retired baseball man describing events from the late 50s to Stephen King. Because it is about baseball King describes in loving detail the progression of a season, told in minute detail by a student and scholar of the game. And because it is Stephen King, it also centers around a horrific element that eventually takes over.
For fans.
July 26, 2019
Baseball. This is a baseball novella, so it helps to enjoy baseball to enjoy this story. There are a lot of baseball terms in here and I'm not familiar with them. I'm not even a baseball fan. I think baseball is just a little more exciting than golf. It would be much more fun if the pitcher tried to throw it to give the batters a hit and see what the outfielders could do. Anyway.
Despite not being fond of the subject, this is a Stephen King story and I found the telling of the old baseball team interesting. It was part of the 50s culture for certain and it's interesting to see how much this sport means and meant to people. I have never understood the appeal. I guess most people don't get the appeal of opera either. Anyway.
There is also another short story in this book called Morality. A dying man pays a woman to hit a little child in the face so he can know what it feels like to sin. It's a strange little play. The meat of the story is what happens after the event between her and people in her life.
I still read Stephen King and these were not my favorite, but they weren't horrible like the Richard Bachmann stuff. You can always tell when Richard Bachmann wrote something because it's usually terrible. Anyway
Not by favorite, but pretty good for the subject being told.
Despite not being fond of the subject, this is a Stephen King story and I found the telling of the old baseball team interesting. It was part of the 50s culture for certain and it's interesting to see how much this sport means and meant to people. I have never understood the appeal. I guess most people don't get the appeal of opera either. Anyway.
There is also another short story in this book called Morality. A dying man pays a woman to hit a little child in the face so he can know what it feels like to sin. It's a strange little play. The meat of the story is what happens after the event between her and people in her life.
I still read Stephen King and these were not my favorite, but they weren't horrible like the Richard Bachmann stuff. You can always tell when Richard Bachmann wrote something because it's usually terrible. Anyway
Not by favorite, but pretty good for the subject being told.
January 30, 2016
I can understand the reason for the mixed reviews of this King novella. There is definitely a huge amount of baseball jargon associated with this story, so I can understand that if you are not a baseball fan, this may not be entertaining to you.
There is not the usual horror element we usually find in King's work, at least not in the supernatural sense. But we do have our blood, don't we?
I actually thought the story was superb. It was a quick, fun read, told from the perspective of a retired coach. Our main character, Blockade Billy, is a low key country boy who likes to repeat everything he hears, plays and works hard and is a fantastic mystery that Stephen King uses masterfully to keep the reader anticipating the catch. Like a kid sneaking under the Christmas Tree to shake his present but still having no clue what it could be, you will be following, and rooting for, Blockade Billy during his games but at the same time knowing that there is some deep dark secret that is going to be revealed.
I'm one of the lucky ones; I love Mr. King, and I love baseball, so this story was a nice ride for me. The ending was a touch anticlimactic for me, otherwise I would have given this 5 stars. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. I know Stephen is a baseball fan and it really shows in his writing of this book.. His favorites team is the Red Sox. (as for me, I share Jack and Danny Torrence's love for the Angels!)
April 21, 2019
So the "Master of Horror" does one of his occasional detours into regular dramatic fiction, offering this double-barreled novella which is relatively tame on the graphic terror aspect. The book has two short stories -- the baseball-themed title offering and a 'bonus' tale, which could've been called 'The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil' (though that lacks a certain grace) with little loss of accuracy.
Blockade Billy -- a perpetually second-rate New Jersey pro-baseball team in the late 50's - naturally in the shadow of the Big Apple's Yankees / Giants / Dodgers MLB triumvirate - suddenly finds itself with a hot prospect of a player. A seemingly always-agreeable though oddly personality-less young Midwestern man called William Blakely signs on as a replacement catcher, and soon the ball club becomes a contender for big things. But what is Billy's real story? King's pens a sinister explanation / finale to this one that was somewhat reminiscent of acclaimed short-story author Richard Matheson.
Morality -- a content thirtysomething married couple - she's an assisted care nurse, he's a substitute teacher / unpublished author - live paycheck-to-paycheck (but not quite struggling) in New York City. Unexpectedly, the wife is given the opportunity earn a tax-free, seemingly no-strings-attached $200,000, which would immediately alleviate their current financial concerns. Jumping at the offer, things go swimmingly . . . at first. Of course, the couple then proceed into a dark tailspin which briefly brought to mind a twisted variation on the old punchline "Your money or your life?"
Blockade Billy -- a perpetually second-rate New Jersey pro-baseball team in the late 50's - naturally in the shadow of the Big Apple's Yankees / Giants / Dodgers MLB triumvirate - suddenly finds itself with a hot prospect of a player. A seemingly always-agreeable though oddly personality-less young Midwestern man called William Blakely signs on as a replacement catcher, and soon the ball club becomes a contender for big things. But what is Billy's real story? King's pens a sinister explanation / finale to this one that was somewhat reminiscent of acclaimed short-story author Richard Matheson.
Morality -- a content thirtysomething married couple - she's an assisted care nurse, he's a substitute teacher / unpublished author - live paycheck-to-paycheck (but not quite struggling) in New York City. Unexpectedly, the wife is given the opportunity earn a tax-free, seemingly no-strings-attached $200,000, which would immediately alleviate their current financial concerns. Jumping at the offer, things go swimmingly . . . at first. Of course, the couple then proceed into a dark tailspin which briefly brought to mind a twisted variation on the old punchline "Your money or your life?"
August 28, 2020
I'm not much of a baseball fan, however I am a huge fan of Stephen King, with that being said this was still a great short read! Blockade Billy was well told, and Morality was a hard hitting look into how one decision can drastically alter our lives.
May 5, 2018
Too much of Baseball..Too little of mystery. Read it only if you are a 50's baseball fan.
January 15, 2015
I'm a softball fan more than a baseball fan, I wanted to get that out there first. I liked this book. I really liked the Granny character. Such a hoot!! A different kind of King book for sure.
July 7, 2022
Story 3.5 stars**
Audio 3.75 stars**
Narrator Graig Wesson
Audio 3.75 stars**
Narrator Graig Wesson
August 28, 2011
It's no secret that I'm a Stephen King fan. After all, I have a copy of every book he's ever written--more than one format for some--and absolutely love the way he spins a tale. But I've fallen behind on my challenge to read 6 King Books this year. lol.
So, when hubby suggested I try this book, I shrugged and got started. I read the first 30 pages in one sitting, and was totally intrigued. Then, I found out there was another story included as well, which made me happier.
BLOCKADE BILLY: Tells the story of why Blockade Billy was wiped away from all the history books. It's told by Granny, now an old man and wanting to share his story with King, himself.
I'll start out by saying that I'm not a baseball fan at all, and in spite of the constant talk about the game, I still got wrapped up in the story of this young man who took the baseball world by storm but was hiding a bizarre secret...
In typical King fashion, I enjoyed finding out how it all turned out. Man, he tells an awesome story!
MORALITY: Wow, this story was excellent! What starts out as a story between two, happily married people having a hard time making ends meet, turns into a depraved story of violence.
Nora is a nurse and takes care of Reverend George Winston after he suffered a stroke. Chad works as a sub teacher and is also writing a book that may (or may not) sell. When the Reverend makes Nora an insane offer of getting a one-off payment that will help give them some financial freedom, they find themselves in a dilemma. Because what he wants her to do in order to get this money is totally immoral, and challenges them until they make a final decision.
And like every indecent proposal, no matter how much they say they'll stick together and will make it through, their simple lives are thrown into instant chaos--with some very violent consequences.
Man, this story kept me hooked right until the very end. Loved it!
So, when hubby suggested I try this book, I shrugged and got started. I read the first 30 pages in one sitting, and was totally intrigued. Then, I found out there was another story included as well, which made me happier.
BLOCKADE BILLY: Tells the story of why Blockade Billy was wiped away from all the history books. It's told by Granny, now an old man and wanting to share his story with King, himself.
I'll start out by saying that I'm not a baseball fan at all, and in spite of the constant talk about the game, I still got wrapped up in the story of this young man who took the baseball world by storm but was hiding a bizarre secret...
In typical King fashion, I enjoyed finding out how it all turned out. Man, he tells an awesome story!
MORALITY: Wow, this story was excellent! What starts out as a story between two, happily married people having a hard time making ends meet, turns into a depraved story of violence.
Nora is a nurse and takes care of Reverend George Winston after he suffered a stroke. Chad works as a sub teacher and is also writing a book that may (or may not) sell. When the Reverend makes Nora an insane offer of getting a one-off payment that will help give them some financial freedom, they find themselves in a dilemma. Because what he wants her to do in order to get this money is totally immoral, and challenges them until they make a final decision.
And like every indecent proposal, no matter how much they say they'll stick together and will make it through, their simple lives are thrown into instant chaos--with some very violent consequences.
Man, this story kept me hooked right until the very end. Loved it!
April 19, 2024
Este libro contiene 2 relatos. Si tuviera que puntuarlos por separado el primero sería 3/5 y el segundo 5/5.
El primero, que lleva el título del libro, es sobre beisbol y debo decir que me hace asombrarme por la capacidad del autor ya que desconozco por completo ese deporte (no pude visualizar lo que narraba) pero a pesar de ello no me resultó denso y pude disfrutar de la historia de los personajes. Este primer relato me resultó un poco predecible, anticipatorio en algún punto.
El segundo de ellos, Moralidad, me tomó bastante por sorpresa y lo disfrute mucho más. Me quedó resonando la historia luego de terminar de leerla, pensando en todo lo que implicó esa petición extraña.
Les dejo un video sobre el decálogo de King (por si les interesa): https://bit.ly/48YnNaa
El primero, que lleva el título del libro, es sobre beisbol y debo decir que me hace asombrarme por la capacidad del autor ya que desconozco por completo ese deporte (no pude visualizar lo que narraba) pero a pesar de ello no me resultó denso y pude disfrutar de la historia de los personajes. Este primer relato me resultó un poco predecible, anticipatorio en algún punto.
El segundo de ellos, Moralidad, me tomó bastante por sorpresa y lo disfrute mucho más. Me quedó resonando la historia luego de terminar de leerla, pensando en todo lo que implicó esa petición extraña.
Les dejo un video sobre el decálogo de King (por si les interesa): https://bit.ly/48YnNaa
September 17, 2016
I'm glad I listened to this book instead of reading it for myself because I think the narrator's voice did an excellent job bringing me into this book. I was totally engaged, as if I was sitting at a bar listening to some old timer tell a story from his glory days. The story itself isn't my favorite subject, in fact, I have managed to avoid most books about sports up to this point! But being that this is King and I want to "read them all", I gave this one my ears. I'm glad I did!
April 19, 2012
Blockade Billy is a very solid and entertaining novella that fans of baseball and non-fans alike should enjoy. There is simply not much good baseball fiction available and this offering from King manages to fill a void that I simply didn't realize was there until I read it. Overall, the story gave me feelings of some of my favorite baseball movies such as Bull Durham and The Natural.
For those who aren't baseball fans though, this book still contains enough of King's wonderful characters and dialog and a dark subplot that you don't have to have a passion for the game in order to enjoy it.
I hadn't really thought about it much before, but since I've watched The Natural recently to celebrate the start of this year's baseball season, this story does closely resemble that film in tone and the feel of it. So, if you liked that film I think that you'll really like this novella and conversely if you enjoy Blockade Billy, you might want to give The Natural a shot if you haven't seen it.
The version that I have also includes a bonus short story titled "Morality" about a young couple who is struggling to get by financially. When her boss, a reverend, offers her a deal to commit a "sin by proxy" for him for which he will pay her $200,000. This wasn't a bad story, but overall not a really memorable one either. I thought that it was nice that it was included with Blockade Billy though and some of the moral issues presented within it do relate well to some of the feel and tone of the previous story, so it was a decent addition.
For those who aren't baseball fans though, this book still contains enough of King's wonderful characters and dialog and a dark subplot that you don't have to have a passion for the game in order to enjoy it.
I hadn't really thought about it much before, but since I've watched The Natural recently to celebrate the start of this year's baseball season, this story does closely resemble that film in tone and the feel of it. So, if you liked that film I think that you'll really like this novella and conversely if you enjoy Blockade Billy, you might want to give The Natural a shot if you haven't seen it.
The version that I have also includes a bonus short story titled "Morality" about a young couple who is struggling to get by financially. When her boss, a reverend, offers her a deal to commit a "sin by proxy" for him for which he will pay her $200,000. This wasn't a bad story, but overall not a really memorable one either. I thought that it was nice that it was included with Blockade Billy though and some of the moral issues presented within it do relate well to some of the feel and tone of the previous story, so it was a decent addition.
August 13, 2016
BASEBALL WITH BARBARISM
I have finally found a kind of baseball I can get into!
I seriously did NOT think I was going to like this story on baseball--let alone give it a justly deserved 5*. I mean baseball bores the heck out of me.
I basically picked it up because the cover on this adorable tiny little hardcover is so perfectly retro and nostalgic. It's beyond cute enough to leave out on my beloved made-to-order coffee table; a place screaming for a book just like this, next to a plate of chocolate chip cookies, a large glass of milk with a bendy straw, and a bouquet of wildflowers in an antique pitcher. (Okay--it's visually appealing--get it?) And the black and white artwork inside is so beautiful I just want to run my fingers across each picture and just look at it for a while....ahhhh.
Oh--the story--right. Wickedly good. (By the way--my book had the 112 pages, was published in 2010 by Cemetery Dance Publications, and did NOT include the short story Morality. I don't care because I can read that one in Bazaar of Bad Dreams. But I am so glad that is not where I read about Blockade Billy, which would have been seriously lacking without the illustrations...still I wonder what's up with that.)
There were only two or three things about baseball that I had to google; otherwise everything was super easy to understand. There is no reason anyone who wishes to read this like, or even know that much about the game, though I'm sure it would probably be an even better read for baseball fans. As it was, I couldn't put it down. And as usual with King, the characters were all fully fleshed out. That's part of what kept those pages turning. There was also something very wrong with the main character,Blockade Billy, and I needed to find out what the heck it was. He was definitely a very strange young man.
I also really enjoyed how the story was told by Granny, coach and equipment manager of the long defunct New Jersey Titans, to Mr. King. Granny (George Grantham) was amusing throughout. This is one of those King characters I hated to say goodbye to; and I really wished there were just a few more innings with him.
Though there was not a story titled Morality in my book, there was a certain lack of it in Billy's life, and a word to the wise who are loving enough to take in foster children;
One final question: does anyone know how to remove the library's stickers without marring a perfectly beautiful cover?
I have finally found a kind of baseball I can get into!
I seriously did NOT think I was going to like this story on baseball--let alone give it a justly deserved 5*. I mean baseball bores the heck out of me.
I basically picked it up because the cover on this adorable tiny little hardcover is so perfectly retro and nostalgic. It's beyond cute enough to leave out on my beloved made-to-order coffee table; a place screaming for a book just like this, next to a plate of chocolate chip cookies, a large glass of milk with a bendy straw, and a bouquet of wildflowers in an antique pitcher. (Okay--it's visually appealing--get it?) And the black and white artwork inside is so beautiful I just want to run my fingers across each picture and just look at it for a while....ahhhh.
Oh--the story--right. Wickedly good. (By the way--my book had the 112 pages, was published in 2010 by Cemetery Dance Publications, and did NOT include the short story Morality. I don't care because I can read that one in Bazaar of Bad Dreams. But I am so glad that is not where I read about Blockade Billy, which would have been seriously lacking without the illustrations...still I wonder what's up with that.)
There were only two or three things about baseball that I had to google; otherwise everything was super easy to understand. There is no reason anyone who wishes to read this like, or even know that much about the game, though I'm sure it would probably be an even better read for baseball fans. As it was, I couldn't put it down. And as usual with King, the characters were all fully fleshed out. That's part of what kept those pages turning. There was also something very wrong with the main character,Blockade Billy, and I needed to find out what the heck it was. He was definitely a very strange young man.
I also really enjoyed how the story was told by Granny, coach and equipment manager of the long defunct New Jersey Titans, to Mr. King. Granny (George Grantham) was amusing throughout. This is one of those King characters I hated to say goodbye to; and I really wished there were just a few more innings with him.
Though there was not a story titled Morality in my book, there was a certain lack of it in Billy's life, and a word to the wise who are loving enough to take in foster children;
One final question: does anyone know how to remove the library's stickers without marring a perfectly beautiful cover?
September 8, 2021
No me ha terminado de convencer este libro de relatos, en el se incluyen 2 relatos, Blockade Billy y Moralidad.
Blockade Billy: En este relato nos cuentan la historia de Billy Blakely, un jugador de beisbol, en mi opinión King se excede en relatar demasiados lances de juego que han hecho que el relato se me hiciese lento y aburrido hasta casi el final, que es lo que me ha parecido más interesante.
Moralidad: En este relato se nos cuenta la historia de Nora, una enfermera que cuida a un anciano reverendo, el cual le hace una propuesta que solucionara los problemas de dinero que tienen ella y su marido Chad, a cambio le pide realizar un pecado a través de ella que es su mayor deseo...Veremos que deciden Nora y su marido y las consecuencias de la decisión que tomen. Este relato me gustó como empezó pero esperaba algo más de su final.
Blockade Billy: En este relato nos cuentan la historia de Billy Blakely, un jugador de beisbol, en mi opinión King se excede en relatar demasiados lances de juego que han hecho que el relato se me hiciese lento y aburrido hasta casi el final, que es lo que me ha parecido más interesante.
Moralidad: En este relato se nos cuenta la historia de Nora, una enfermera que cuida a un anciano reverendo, el cual le hace una propuesta que solucionara los problemas de dinero que tienen ella y su marido Chad, a cambio le pide realizar un pecado a través de ella que es su mayor deseo...Veremos que deciden Nora y su marido y las consecuencias de la decisión que tomen. Este relato me gustó como empezó pero esperaba algo más de su final.
July 29, 2016
So, if you read the back of this book, you get a pretty good sense of what you’re getting into. This is a collection of two long short stories, one the story of Blockade Billy, a catcher for a baseball team that has been OMG ERASED FROM HISTORY because he did an OMG HORRIBLE THING, which was so bad that even he was OMG ERASED FROM HISTORY. Not literally, so much as the history books just didn’t mention him, but dang if you don’t get this sense of dread reading the story, waiting to see what this OMG HORRIBLE THING is going to be.
So, if you didn’t catch it from my comments up there, let’s just say that the payout doesn’t really live up to the expectations. I mean, the guy did a bad thing, but it certainly wasn’t an OMG HORRIBLE THING that would justify erasing his history — as well as the existence of an entire Major League Baseball team — from the record. I was expecting some Cthulhu-ian sort of thing, or some other sort of association that was just too disturbing or otherwise unbelievable to put in the history books.
Stephen King is known for creating a great setup, and then being unable to pull it off in the end (It), but in this case, it wasn’t really his fault. The buildup in the story itself justifies the end, though it still doesn’t make the story interesting enough to justify it being published by itself; it was the publisher blurb that raised the expectations too high. Interestingly, the other story in this book — “Morality” — was much more satisfying, possibly because the publisher didn’t make it some sort of OMG HORRIBLE THING story. Though the events described in that story are pretty horrible, more so than in the title story.
Like any Stephen King story, it will pull you along and keep you reading. Unfortunately, a lot of the stories King has written lately, the stories themselves just aren’t all that interesting to read. Check this one out from the library if you absolutely must read it, but don’t expect too much out of it. Maybe it will be a better experience that way.
So, if you didn’t catch it from my comments up there, let’s just say that the payout doesn’t really live up to the expectations. I mean, the guy did a bad thing, but it certainly wasn’t an OMG HORRIBLE THING that would justify erasing his history — as well as the existence of an entire Major League Baseball team — from the record. I was expecting some Cthulhu-ian sort of thing, or some other sort of association that was just too disturbing or otherwise unbelievable to put in the history books.
Stephen King is known for creating a great setup, and then being unable to pull it off in the end (It), but in this case, it wasn’t really his fault. The buildup in the story itself justifies the end, though it still doesn’t make the story interesting enough to justify it being published by itself; it was the publisher blurb that raised the expectations too high. Interestingly, the other story in this book — “Morality” — was much more satisfying, possibly because the publisher didn’t make it some sort of OMG HORRIBLE THING story. Though the events described in that story are pretty horrible, more so than in the title story.
Like any Stephen King story, it will pull you along and keep you reading. Unfortunately, a lot of the stories King has written lately, the stories themselves just aren’t all that interesting to read. Check this one out from the library if you absolutely must read it, but don’t expect too much out of it. Maybe it will be a better experience that way.
July 8, 2015
No le tenía muy buenas expectativas a este libro, pero me terminó sorprendiendo.
Blockade Billy es un relato que lo podría haber disfrutado mucho más si me gustara el Baseball, sin embargo, me resultó entretenido y me cautivó con ese final. Me encantó la narrativa en primera persona, también.
Luego tenemos al segundo cuento, Moralidad. Es una buena historia, te atrapa desde el inicio. Me pareció un poco inverosímil, ya que, en mi opinión, es muy exagerado; no obstante, es muy interesante por ser tan psicológico, y la forma de narración del autor es un punto más a favor. Me gustó.
Buen libro de mi querido King. Tiene relatos mejores, pero se deja leer. Entretenido.
Blockade Billy es un relato que lo podría haber disfrutado mucho más si me gustara el Baseball, sin embargo, me resultó entretenido y me cautivó con ese final. Me encantó la narrativa en primera persona, también.
Luego tenemos al segundo cuento, Moralidad. Es una buena historia, te atrapa desde el inicio. Me pareció un poco inverosímil, ya que, en mi opinión, es muy exagerado; no obstante, es muy interesante por ser tan psicológico, y la forma de narración del autor es un punto más a favor. Me gustó.
Buen libro de mi querido King. Tiene relatos mejores, pero se deja leer. Entretenido.
April 28, 2020
A Good little horror short story, maybe if I understood baseball I would of appreciated it a little more. I liked the style of how it was written and it really did feel like a close one on one deep conversation of a past, dark tale gone by. I felt I kept getting confused a little between the characters and who did what's, but that could just be me, I have a track record for easily getting confused. Either way, it roped me in and kept me held.
June 11, 2023
** The Stephen King Goodreads Discussion Group is doing a re-read of his works from the beginning to the end. It’s been a long time since I have really immersed myself in Uncle Stevie’s world, but a rate of a book a month, I am all in. My goal is to read and review each one with as much honesty and reflection that I can give. **
Background – “Blockade Billy”, a novella, originally in April, 2010 as a trade hardcover, by Cemetery Dance, and timed to coincide with the opening of the 2010 Major League Baseball season.
This was followed by a trade hardcover edition published by Scribner in May 2010, which also included a bonus short story titled "Morality."
My Kindle and paperback list the length of the combined novellas as 132 pages.
The two Novella’s include:
“Blockade Billy” – this is the story of William “Blockade Billy” Blakely, maybe one of the best players to ever play in Major League Baseball, and not a familiar name to fans today. Unfortunately, his name has purposely been removed from history and the record books. This story tells of the blossoming start to Billy’s career and the reason behind the mystery of the need to remove his very existence from the game he loved…
“Morality” – this is the story of Chad and Nora; he a school teacher, mostly working as a substitute; and her as personal nurse to a retired minister. They are struggling to make ends meet while Chad spends his spare time writing a nonfiction book about his experiences as a substitute teacher in the big city public schools. Then an unusual offer comes their way. One that comes with a great deal of money if they will help someone commit a sin, provide proof of it, and not get caught. The question is, if they say yes, will their lives ever be the same…
Thoughts and Reflections – Let’s start with “Blockade Billy” first. This is a diehard old-school baseball story that baseball fans will enjoy much more than casual fans or non-sports fans. That is not meant as a judgment at all. It’s just that nuance, terms used, details, and historical references will better understand by knowledgeable fans of the sport. To me, the ambiance and storytelling style was similar to that of the classic movie “Bull Durham” with Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins. However, there were no love interests, so remove Susan Sarandon’s character.
For me, this was an enjoyable, fairly fast, and mostly entertaining novella. For me, it was not his best work, but not his worst either. Somewhere in the middle, or a little bit higher on the enjoyment scale, but worth the read.
Depending on your view of length requirement, the other short story or novella – “Morality” - was a throw in to have enough pages to support publishing them together in a small hardcover version. At least, that’s my thoughts on the matter. What’s interesting to me is that I actually enjoyed this one more than I did the first one. It might be me, but there was more tension and drama in this Shakespearian tragedy.
“Morality” was also similar in several ways to the 1993 movie “indecent Proposal” with Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, and Robert Redford. Although Chad and Nora don’t have to sleep with anyone, their act of sin turns into a similar study of human behavior and moralistic ethics. More importantly, it explores how they deal with the resulting guilt and impact of their actions. For me, this made the second story much more interesting and an interesting contrast to the first one.
Other Notes – The “Blockade Billy” novella took King two weeks to write, which reflected his love for old school baseball and the way people who spent a lifetime in the game talked about it.
Overall – These two novellas were easy and enjoyable reads. They were also easy for me to score. “Blockade Billy” gets 3-stars out of 5 and “Morality” gets 3.5 stars out of 5.
Background – “Blockade Billy”, a novella, originally in April, 2010 as a trade hardcover, by Cemetery Dance, and timed to coincide with the opening of the 2010 Major League Baseball season.
This was followed by a trade hardcover edition published by Scribner in May 2010, which also included a bonus short story titled "Morality."
My Kindle and paperback list the length of the combined novellas as 132 pages.
The two Novella’s include:
“Blockade Billy” – this is the story of William “Blockade Billy” Blakely, maybe one of the best players to ever play in Major League Baseball, and not a familiar name to fans today. Unfortunately, his name has purposely been removed from history and the record books. This story tells of the blossoming start to Billy’s career and the reason behind the mystery of the need to remove his very existence from the game he loved…
“Morality” – this is the story of Chad and Nora; he a school teacher, mostly working as a substitute; and her as personal nurse to a retired minister. They are struggling to make ends meet while Chad spends his spare time writing a nonfiction book about his experiences as a substitute teacher in the big city public schools. Then an unusual offer comes their way. One that comes with a great deal of money if they will help someone commit a sin, provide proof of it, and not get caught. The question is, if they say yes, will their lives ever be the same…
Thoughts and Reflections – Let’s start with “Blockade Billy” first. This is a diehard old-school baseball story that baseball fans will enjoy much more than casual fans or non-sports fans. That is not meant as a judgment at all. It’s just that nuance, terms used, details, and historical references will better understand by knowledgeable fans of the sport. To me, the ambiance and storytelling style was similar to that of the classic movie “Bull Durham” with Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins. However, there were no love interests, so remove Susan Sarandon’s character.
For me, this was an enjoyable, fairly fast, and mostly entertaining novella. For me, it was not his best work, but not his worst either. Somewhere in the middle, or a little bit higher on the enjoyment scale, but worth the read.
Depending on your view of length requirement, the other short story or novella – “Morality” - was a throw in to have enough pages to support publishing them together in a small hardcover version. At least, that’s my thoughts on the matter. What’s interesting to me is that I actually enjoyed this one more than I did the first one. It might be me, but there was more tension and drama in this Shakespearian tragedy.
“Morality” was also similar in several ways to the 1993 movie “indecent Proposal” with Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, and Robert Redford. Although Chad and Nora don’t have to sleep with anyone, their act of sin turns into a similar study of human behavior and moralistic ethics. More importantly, it explores how they deal with the resulting guilt and impact of their actions. For me, this made the second story much more interesting and an interesting contrast to the first one.
Other Notes – The “Blockade Billy” novella took King two weeks to write, which reflected his love for old school baseball and the way people who spent a lifetime in the game talked about it.
Overall – These two novellas were easy and enjoyable reads. They were also easy for me to score. “Blockade Billy” gets 3-stars out of 5 and “Morality” gets 3.5 stars out of 5.
Read
August 31, 2018A baseball story, probably meant for baseball fans. I did not understand more than half of it, but still got a slight basic premise of what was happening. Although by the end of it, I felt I had wasted my time on this. But, since it was an SK story, I had to read it at least once! Having not understood much of it, due to my lack of knowledge in baseball, I do not think my rating would be justified correctly. But yet if I have to, in my present condition I will give it 2-stars.
The story is told through a framing device, by a man who is in an old-age retirement home, a former baseball coach, to Stephen King.
One simple quote that I really enjoyed reading was:
The story is told through a framing device, by a man who is in an old-age retirement home, a former baseball coach, to Stephen King.
One simple quote that I really enjoyed reading was:
"I wish I could tell you how it felt to see him taking that walk Mr King, but words are your thing, not mine.":D
July 29, 2021
This is a novella by Stephen King about William “Blockade Billy” Blakely, a fictional baseball player who played for the New Jersey Titans during the 1957 season. I have very little knowledge of baseball or any wish to learn about it so probably not the best choice of book for me personally. I decided to read it as part of my intentions to read all Stephen King’s novels. I am sure it will appeal to some but sorry not me.
Well written as per usual but far too focused on baseball for me to ever get any enjoyment from it. I would suggest this book is very much an acquired taste.
Well written as per usual but far too focused on baseball for me to ever get any enjoyment from it. I would suggest this book is very much an acquired taste.
July 6, 2025
Stephen King tells a baseball tale in a Stephen King way. Nostalgic with a touch of violence.
December 16, 2015
I like baseball. Watching it. I don't follow or understand stats or anything, and I'm not "down with the lingo". I understand the basic concept of the game and am pretty good with the rules, but that's about the extent of it: I enjoy watching baseball games.
I know now that I do not like reading about baseball. I am familiar with the game, but even I had a hard time following all of the lingo and action. To Stephen King's credit, the parts I did understand were vivid and easy to see, as usual, but it's one thing to see something described, and another to listen to someone describe something in terms you're unfamiliar with. And there are a lot of terms that I think would be unfamiliar to people who are not baseball fans. Some that I only guessed at figuring out by context, like "We won the next game, lost a squeaker on getaway day". Umm... OK. I'll take your word for it.
This book reads like exactly what it is supposed to read like: An old baseball man talking to a real baseball fan about a crazy season back in the day. Which is fine, but it'll work best for real baseball fans who know what RBIs are and what a good batting average is and where the foul line is, and how many balls to a walk, etc.
The baseball stuff was OK for me and that's a big, big part of the book. It's almost a character itself. The other characters were OK as well, none as fleshed out as I'd like, but none really cardboard cutouts either. I just wanted a bit more.
I know now that I do not like reading about baseball. I am familiar with the game, but even I had a hard time following all of the lingo and action. To Stephen King's credit, the parts I did understand were vivid and easy to see, as usual, but it's one thing to see something described, and another to listen to someone describe something in terms you're unfamiliar with. And there are a lot of terms that I think would be unfamiliar to people who are not baseball fans. Some that I only guessed at figuring out by context, like "We won the next game, lost a squeaker on getaway day". Umm... OK. I'll take your word for it.
This book reads like exactly what it is supposed to read like: An old baseball man talking to a real baseball fan about a crazy season back in the day. Which is fine, but it'll work best for real baseball fans who know what RBIs are and what a good batting average is and where the foul line is, and how many balls to a walk, etc.
The baseball stuff was OK for me and that's a big, big part of the book. It's almost a character itself. The other characters were OK as well, none as fleshed out as I'd like, but none really cardboard cutouts either. I just wanted a bit more.
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