Books and Baseball

Safe at Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic

by Alyssa Milano

Yes, most of you know that I am a hardcore baseball fan. But it's hard to find women who not only share that same passion for the game but understand the game as well. I'm talking about terminology (I never thought I'd hear of another woman who understood the significance of the Mendoza line), numbers, history, baseball as a metaphor for life, all that good stuff. So when a friend suggested this book to me, I hesitated, figuring it would be a book with a little baseball and whole lot of a celebrity with tell-all tales that I have no interest in. Not true. It's about baseball! Baseball and how it connects us, how it soothes us, how it grounds us.

This book brought home so many special memories for me, of lounging in the living room of my childhood home with my father, listening on the radio to Vin Scully call Dodger games. Those were special times I spent with my father, debating the beauty of the 6-4-3 double play, so vividly called by "Vinny," and learning the difference between a hit-and-run and a run-and-hit. I remember endless trips to the public library, scouring the stacks for baseball books while my mom earnestly tried to steer me to books more "appropriate for a young lady." She failed.

While reading this book, I was able to relive those special moments so ingrained into my consciousness. From Lou Gehrig's final speech to Roberto Clemente's fateful last plane trip to Kirk Gibson's heroic home run, the heroes of my youth came roaring back, vividly reminding me just what it is about this game that I love so much.

Baseball has also helped me connect to one of the things that matters most to me, teaching and reaching kids. When the students of my fifth and sixth grade class had no place to play baseball, I decided to manage a team in the local league. Here I was, amidst all those male coaches in their skin-tight polyester coaching shorts (ewwwwwwww!), not only helping the kids discover the joy of the game I love so much, but winning. Yes, we were the champions that year, mostly in part to some great players, but I'd like to think that having a manager and coaches who put the kids first and just had fun helped as well.

One of the players I coached that year, Danny Haren, now pitches for the Arizona Diamondbacks. When he first broke into the majors, he was a member of the Saint Louis Cardinals. They were playing the Dodgers on TV, and he came in to relief pitch. It came as a total surprise to me, and, as I saw Danny boy taking the field, I started crying. Yeah, I know I'm not a big crier, but I was sobbing. This kid made his dreams come true, and baseball was the vehicle in which he was able to do so. A couple of years later, when he was on the A's, he started the All-Star game for the American League. Let me tell you, it couldn't have happened to a better kid.

Baseball gives us a commonality that reaches across many barriers; gender, race, age, socio-economic status. Not only does it entertain us, it gives us a vehicle in which to bond with one another. I love many sports, but baseball has had the longest-lasting influence in my life.

OK, back to the book. If you like baseball, read it. I don't care if you are male, female, young, old, this book will connect you to the game you love. But only read it if you want to read about baseball. It's sure as hell no celebrity tell-all, thank God.

Buy it here: Safe At Home: Confessions of A Baseball Fanatic