The Grind

Inside Baseball's Endless Season

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Pub Date Jul 07 2015 | Archive Date Oct 13 2016

Description

What's it like to live through sports' longest season, the 162-game Major League Baseball schedule? THE GRIND captures the frustration, impermanence, and glory felt by the players, the staff, and their families from the start of spring training to the final game of the year; classy baseball writing in the Roger Angell or Tom Boswell tradition. 

“There is no sport with an everydayness, a drum-drum-drum beat like baseball,” says Barry Svrluga. Players even have a name for this relentless, unmatchable rhythm: The Grind. Svrluga, a star baseball writer for the Washington Post, wrote a series about the personal toll that baseball takes, with each installment highlighting one cog in the baseball machine.
 
There's The Wife, The Scout, The Starter, and plenty more characters on the field and behind the scenes of baseball. Svrluga's mini-portraits lay bare the constant toil of not just the star players, but a lineup of the supporting cast. This series is THE GRIND, a raw, intimate look at the wear-and-tear nature of baseball. It's a sport like no other, emphasizes Svrluga, and each chapter demonstrates the unique mental, emotional, and physical costs of America's pastime. Built upon material that appeared in the Washington Post, THE GRIND expands on these profiles and includes installments not previously published by the Post.
What's it like to live through sports' longest season, the 162-game Major League Baseball schedule? THE GRIND captures the frustration, impermanence, and glory felt by the players, the staff, and...

Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9780399176289
PRICE $25.95 (USD)

Average rating from 17 members


Featured Reviews

As we get into the heart of baseball season, "The Grind" gives an amazing inside look into the world of baseball from so many of the people directly involved. From the off-season, to Spring Training, the regular season and beyond, the perspective of what is a truly long and grueling process is shown from the inside -out. How does the season affect the scout who is nearly constantly on the road? How about the starting pitcher that only plays once every 5 days but is expected to bring his A game every time he does? This book is a one of a kind view of America's favorite pastime!

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A fantastic and eye opening look at the Washington National team. I loved this book

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A truly insightful book on baseball.

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Good details about what a professional baseball season is like from many different perspectives.

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Warning: if you aren't a baseball fan, this book may entice you to give it a try. If you are, it will only increase your love of the game.

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Review:
Many kids dream of becoming a big league ballplayer. It must be the luxurious life – after all, a player makes a minimum of about half a million dollars while flying all over the country to play a game. Their wives must live in the lap of luxury with all that money, correct? Or how about the general manager who signs these players? He’s got it made too, right?

If someone’s answer to any of the questions is yes, that person is a prime candidate to read this entertaining and well-written book by Barry Svrluga. He writes about the day-to-day lives of not only the players, but also the perspective of a wife (Chelsey Desmond, wife of Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond), a scout, the clubhouse manager of the Nationals, the traveling secretary, and of course players.

The stories are terrific reading as the reader will soon find out that even though the players are paid handsomely, they will have the same routines and same concerns about fatigue and loneliness that anyone else who travels will have. The wives, much like military spouses, have to keep everything on the home front organized and when a move happens due to a trade, promotion or demotion, the wives are the ones who usually do all the work for moving. Their perspective is covered in great detail in that section.

The less glamorous jobs such as scout or clubhouse attendant makes for the best reading and the most insight for a baseball fan. Svrulga captures the life of the scout on the road, down to the minutest detail of what that scout has to pack in his car. The stories of the clubhouse manager and his staff members are the most entertaining, and the reader will be amazed at how well they know the players’ likes and dislikes as the season wears on.

Capturing the true day-to-day routines and aspects of a 162 game season like only a seasoned writer can, Svrulga will make the reader feel like he or she is part of the Nationals’ family in many different ways. This is an excellent read for any baseball fan.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Blue Rider Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Pace of the book:
It is a fast read as each story contains a lot of personal anecdotes by the person interviewed with interesting aspects toward his or her views on the daily routines of the season.
Do I recommend? Anyone who wants to learn what life is like in the baseball world, especially for those involved other than the players, should pick up this book

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