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About the Book

About the Book

Where Nobody Knows Your Name: Life In the Minor Leagues of Baseball

John Feinstein gave readers an unprecedented view of the PGA Tour in A GOOD WALK SPOILED. He opened the door to an NCAA basketball locker room in his explosive bestseller A SEASON ON THE BRINK. Now, turning his eye to our national pastime, sports journalist John Feinstein explores the colorful and mysterious world of minor-league baseball --- a gateway through which all major-league players pass in their careers...hoping never to return.

Baseball’s minor leagues are a paradox. For some players, the minors are a glorious launching pad toward years of fame and fortune; for others, a crash-landing pad when injury or poor play forces a big leaguer back to a life of obscure ballparks and cramped buses instead of Fenway Park and plush charter planes. Focusing exclusively on the Triple-A level, one step beneath Major League Baseball, Feinstein introduces readers to nine unique men: three pitchers, three position players, two managers, and an umpire. Through their compelling stories, Feinstein pulls back the veil on a league that is chock-full of gifted baseball players, managers, and umpires who are all one moment away from getting called up --- or back --- to the majors.

The stories are hard to believe: a first-round draft pick and pitching ace who rocketed to major-league success before finding himself suddenly out of the game, hatching a presumptuous plan to get one more shot at the mound; a home run–hitting former World Series hero who lived the dream, then bounced among six teams before facing the prospects of an unceremonious end to his career; a big-league All-Star who, in the span of five months, went from being completely out of baseball to becoming a star in the ALDS, then signing a $10 million contract; and a well-liked designated hitter who toiled for 18 seasons in the minors --- a record he never wanted to set --- before facing his final, highly emotional chance for a call-up to the big leagues.

From Raleigh to Pawtucket, from Lehigh Valley to Indianapolis and beyond, WHERE NOBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME gives readers an intimate look at a baseball world not normally seen by the fans. John Feinstein gets to the heart of the human stories in a uniquely compelling way, crafting a masterful book that stands alongside his very best works.

Where Nobody Knows Your Name: Life In the Minor Leagues of Baseball
by John Feinstein

  • Publication Date: March 17, 2015
  • Genres: Nonfiction, Sports
  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Anchor
  • ISBN-10: 0307949583
  • ISBN-13: 9780307949585