The Baseball Book Club discussion

We have decided to bring back book discussions - this can be when any two (or more) members decide to read a baseball related book and share thoughts. Our first book for this revival is The Chicken Runs at Midnight: A Daughter’s Message from Heaven That Changed a Father’s Heart and Won a World Series. Here is the synopsis of the book - please feel free to join in.

One of the most inspirational stories of sports and faith ever told, The Chicken Runs at Midnight introduces us to a Major League baseball coach whose dying daughter's words changed his heart for good - and reached him in a surprising way through a World Series sign from heaven.

As a Major League Baseball coach, Rich Donnelly was dedicated, hardworking, and successful. But as a husband and father, he was distant, absent, and a failure. He'd let baseball take over his life, and as a result his family suffered. That is, until one day his daughter called with harrowing news.

"Dad, I have a brain tumor, and I'm sorry." These words from his seventeen-year-old daughter, Amy, turned his world upside-down. Now, more than ever, he was determined to put his family first.

The time they spent together in the months before her death will be treasured and remembered forever, but especially the inside joke that became a catchphrase for the Donnelly family as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates team that played in the National League Championship Series that year: "The chicken runs at midnight."

This book shares the heartwarming story behind the odd catchphrase - and how it still lives on as a symbol for never giving up—and proves that God can work in the life of any person, even through their mistakes and failures.

Weaving baseball history with personal memoir, this book is one that will make you thrill to victory, believe in hope, stand up to cheer for what is good in peoples' lives. It's a powerful story of redemption and faith that reminds us that God can work in our lives even when we think it's too late to change - and sometimes He sends us signs from heaven if we only have eyes to see.

Three chapters in and it certainly will be different. The story so far of Rich Donnelly is certainly NOT the typical one for a player to work his way up. If there’s a definition of “helicopter parent” in the dictionary, Jerome Donnelly has to be part of it.

Halfway through - so far, what a bad family man Rich Donnelly is portrayed as. Not so inspirational yet…

I’m finally starting now.

I finished it last night. I’ll be writing my review later today and post it. Then I’ll hold off on anything else until (or anyone else who ants to join in) on commenting further.

I finished part 1 and I’ll finish either today or tomorrow but tomorrow is offline and I won’t have a review up until Sunday morning. You know I’m not a 5 star all the time person either. I give about 2-3 a year and that’s it.

Only on page 200 and don’t want to start sabbath crying but I’ll probably finish before then. Life is cruel.

Brina wrote: "I finished part 1 and I’ll finish either today or tomorrow but tomorrow is offline and I won’t have a review up until Sunday morning. You know I’m not a 5 star all the time person either. I give ab..."

Yes, I do know. I am much more lenient on my ratings than nearly all others who rate books here and that’s fine. Kinda like whether you prefer a small HOF or big HOF - I prefer the latter so more lenient ratings from me makes sense.

I get it. I am in the middle about the HoF though although the Donnelly family should be there. I finished. Not enough time now to do justice to them with a review so that will come on Sunday morning. …why did I think Counsell was still on Marlins in 2003? Probably because I associate him with that franchise and I’m still ambivalent about Cubs signing him as manager. Still he’s a religious person and good baseball man so those are positives but his batting stance is still the worst one I ever saw.

My review is up here and on my blog.

http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/202...

I like Counsell as a manager - I thought he got more out of the Brewers than their talent level allowed. And I always will remember the picture of him scoring that winning run in ‘97, even before reading this book.

I know he is an excellent manager. But- caveat- I might have been wrong about him being on 2003 Marlins but he was on 2001 Dbacks that beat Yankees, the other team in my house. Plus it’s like when the Cubs signed Daniel Murphy for a few weeks, I wonder if he’s a spy for the enemy. Yeah I know professionalism but I can’t stand the Brewers almost as much as the Cards and I’d rather have Maddon back or Girardi.

Remember I am far from a Brewers fan as well - mainly because of Selig. But I still associate Counsell first with the Marlins and it was pretty neat to have that moment remembered in this book.

In 1997 I was in my first year of college. I don’t remember much about that World Series at all. It ended up being a better than I expected book. Counsel keeps popping up everywhere.

Here’s my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Good review, Brina. I may even read this book, if I can get over my automatic association of the name Donnelly with a certain family in rural Ontario in times past.

Brina wrote: "Here’s my review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..."

Brina; Lovely review! In regards to Counsell: Mom was a die hard Padres fan but also loved the Cubs except when playing Padres. She was also a huge fan of Counsell and if she was still alive she would have been thrilled with his being Cubs manager. So in her memory I hope Cubs do well this upcoming season!

I know he’s a good person and a religious person after reading this but I’m still skeptical just because he was with the Brewers for so long. I know I sabotaged the thread but the book topic was sad although uplifting at the end that I have tried to make light of it.