The Pastime

John Wolff was drafted out of Harvard University in the 47th round of the 2005 draft by the White Sox. After a strong showing in Spring Training and Extended Spring Training, Wolff was assigned to Bristol, in the Appalachian League. After just three games, he was cut. He played the rest of the season in independent ball.

Why is any of that particularly interesting? Here are a few reasons:

• Wolff wrote a book chronicling his experiences — the book I just finished reading: Harvard Boys.
• Wolff’s father also went to Harvard, was drafted, and played a few years in the minors.
• How many books, other than Jim Bouton’s classic Ball Four, give insight into the daily life of a professional baseball player? Especially a minor-leaguer?
• As an epistolary novel, the honesty shown by Wolff is compelling. When he describes the pain of finding his locker emptied, it’s believable. The comments from his father throughout the book add insight and humor to John’s stories of the minors.

Wolff, who also happens to be the grandson of Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Bob Wolff, is a straightforward and likable writer. His Harvard education obviously refined his ability, but he’s an interesting and observant writer. His father pursued a successful career as a book editor after his own minor-league career came to a close, and it’s clear that the younger Wolff has learned a thing or two.

Among the more entertaining stories that Wolff relays to the reader are those of the trials and tribulations of living out of a bus and motel room for a summer. Contrary to popular opinion, unless they’re a high draft pick, minor-leaguers make almost no money. Broken-down cars almost unfit to drive, endless meals of pasta, sharing low-rent apartments with five teammates, and making friends with college girls to use their laundry facilities are all-too-common aspects of the minor-league life.

The most striking theme of the book, though, is the ephemeral employment of most minor-leaguers. Out of nowhere, you’re released, and out of a job. No place to stay, no place to go, and very little in the way of job opportunities. Baseball is a business, after all, and in business tough decisions have to be made. All too often, that means cutting a good kid free, for seemingly little or no reason. This happens to John several times, and while he deals with it easier each time, you can tell that it stings terribly. It’s obvious, however, that he gains a great deal of experience from each bit of trouble that crosses his path, just as his father did 30 years before.

What really makes this book stand out, though, is the structure. It’s not just a diary, as it might seem. John’s emails home are obviously written with the idea in mind of later assembling them into a book, but they’re genuine. After each update, John’s father pens a paragraph of two in response, to give background, tell a tale from his own experience, or just empathize with his son. It’s all very good, and it’s pulled off without the least bit of corniness or sappiness.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Harvard Boys. I was a bit apprehensive when I first picked it up, and put off reading it, but I’m certainly glad I decided to give it a shot. It’s one of the better baseball books I’ve read in the past few years. The insight into the daily life of a minor-leaguer is worth the price of the book alone, but the well-written stories and theme of learning from adversity make it a recommendation.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 at 1:47 pm and is filed under Book Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.