Baseball Dads

An enjoyable baseball read for anyone, but especially relatable to any parent who's ever coached, watched, cheered or jeered a baseball team. You'll root for the main character as you wonder just how far out of the park he'll go.

This was a dark fun read that will having you laughing one minute and questioning the next. Couldn't put it down!!

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via NETGALLEY

Very funny. Kept laughing throughout.

Carnage, Mayhem and Black Comedy on the Ball Field

If you set the movie "Fargo" in a wealthy, exclusive West Dallas suburb, you might get something like this.

Our four heroes have become reluctant "friends" because of the one and only thing they have in common - they all live in the same upscale neighborhood and they all detest their sons' neighborhood baseball coach. He plays the boys rarely and then only in crummy fielding positions because the dads won't kiss up to him. The four hit on a plan to blackmail the violent druggie con who umpires the baseball games and to get him to frighten the coach into giving their kids more playing time. As you might imagine the plan goes off the rails and the result is mayhem, murder, random violence and insanity.

The guilty appeal of the book lies mostly in the remarkably inappropriate, funny, and scatalogical conversations among the four friends. The author has chosen them wisely. Tommy, a surgeon, is literally the only black man in the entire neighborhood and offers deadpan commentary on the action. Russ is a coked out, wealthy, horny businessman with absolutely no social graces who provides the insane energy behind the plan. Steve is a trust fund softy who dithers at all the wrong times. Our hero, if there can be such an animal, is Dwayne, a hard working landscape service owner who occasionally has moments of clarity and decency, but feels driven to the dark (comedy) side, vigilante style.

As these four whine, and then scheme, and then try to fix the rapidly deteriorating situation we get to enjoy the antic madness and the four dads' increasing unhinged behavior.

Apart from what's required by and related to this broad plot there are lots of sub-plots and side stories, and a lot of funny, edgy, profane and irreverent cross-talk about just about every aspect of living in and surviving in a community as unnatural, artificial and weird as a white, Texas wealthy enclave. The author has a good deal of fun skewering everyone and everything. Indeed, if the book has a weakness it may be that there is not one character in the book with any redeeming qualities.

This is scorched earth stuff. It's violent. It's sexist. It's misogynistic. But, it is well written in that it isn't just filled with rants or lines that exist only for their shock value. The book is more imaginative and clever than that. Even when it veers over the line there's usually a method to the madness.

So, if you want to indulge in some ranting, funny, incorrect verbal and physical mayhem and carnage, this could be the book for you. (Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

First off let me say that I grew up enjoying baseball, playing it with my two brothers and going to A's games. Now as a mother of three teenage sons, taking them to the Rangers games has been a joy. I live here in Fort Worth and knowing the author was from here,made it worth reading to be able to help him promote his book.

The title intrigued me, and once receiving the book I then noticed the tiny print that described what the whole book would be about. This disappointed me some. I had hoped to read more about the boys playing...but then as I got into the book, I realized it was a like reading a humorous murder mystery, without the mystery. The story line was well written and it kept me on my toes. Hiley definitely, captured the characters lifestyles and actions wonderfully. His depiction of the "wealthy" was spot on. I believe no reader will go away without knowing this area and those who live here.

I do not read books with such profane language, but I wanted to give a complete review. If you can't get past all the different topics, then this book is not for you and I would definitely say it's not for anyone under the age of 18.

Baseball Dads is a crazy romp with a humorously cartoonish and absurdist approach to drug use, moral depravity, and violence in the vein of The Hangover or a Franco/Rogan movie. It follows 4 men thrust into an unlikely friendship by their sons' shared baseball team. Their frustration with the favoritism that gives the coaches' sons and their friends better positions and higher spots in the batting order leads them to an escalatingly violent takeover of the team and the league.

Dwayne is the Franco/Cooper emergent leader of the group, with the closest to a level head and balanced personality. He finds a strength coaching his son Alex's team to excellence and rekindling his romance with his wife Estelle. He tries to embody his heroes -- Jedis, Batman, ninjas, etc. and Estelle enjoys finally being disbanding the shallow hypocrisy of her former social circle and unfaithfulness for her new renegade man.

Ross is the Galafinakis/Rogen -- the loudest, who had been the leader until his recklessness lead to Dwayne usurping the role. He is a wild card, with the most extreme drug use and debauchery -- the amoral center who pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable behavior.

Steve is the straight man -- Helms/Carell -- who tries to be the voice of reason but is laughed off as too square.

Tommy is the only African American in town. He's a successful plastic surgeon who is also a reluctant party to violence and hedonism at first, but proves to have an aptitude for it before too long.

The group's exploits escalate, with unlikely help from the league umpire, and amused police force, and a crazy limo racer named Uzi. They have crazy text exchanges and golf lunches, and keep pushing the envelope in striking back against the superficiality and classism that pervades their social circles.

Although over the top,, this is a fun ride and a cathartic rage against injustice. I am definitely going to check out Matthew Hiley's other books because of his great dialogue and quirky perspective.

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

How could I NOT give this book FIVE stars? Seriously! I will tell you, this book is NOT for everyone. If you don’t like crude humor and stereotypes, I advise to not read this book. This book is full of nothing but dark, crude and cliché humor. I was dying, DYING! And I loved every second of it!
So Dwayne is tired of the hypocritical baseball politics and the self-righteous people in his community. He is ready to take a stand. He and his little misfit crew of baseball dads decides to take things into their own hands in order to have their son’s win a baseball game. Sounds simple. Except for the fact that every cliché stereotype is thrown into this group, their dark and sometimes racist humor with one another and excessive drug use is a big part of the story. It is so unique and funny I didn’t want the book to ever end!
I have a feeling that Matthew put a lot of his own frustrations into some of this book. It was too…. too… I am not sure what the word I am looking for is… Too real? No, that’s not the word. Whatever the word I can’t find in my brain is, it is one of those books that you gasp and laugh hysterically at the same time. The jokes are soooo wrong and soooo offensive, they have you shaking your head while tears are rolling down your face from laughing so hard. I LOVE the characters. I mean, seriously. How could I not? They are the perfect group of baseball dads. So cliché and over the top, but at the root of it, they love their sons and want to make them happy. Even if that means they are miserable and do some more than questionable and illegal things to achieve their goal!
This is one of those books that I just want to sit here and tell about it for hours. However, that is impossible and then I would be a spoiler. And I am not a spoiler. I am the exact opposite. I am going to tell you as little as possible about this book, but still make you want to read it. Do you want to read it yet? If you are shaking your head no, well I feel sorry for you. This book reminds me of a few men I know… And you know who you are… there are more than one of you… You guys really should pick this book up. Read it. Love it. Own the inner-asshole we all know you possess.

I'd like to start this review by saying that I hate baseball. Can't stand it. Hell, most sports just bore the hell out of me.

I feel that is important to know, considering I gave this one of my very rare 5 star ratings. I love this book. It was hilarious.

Baseball, to me, is boring. Never got into it. Some people love it, some people live it, some people are crazy and smoke crystal meth and love it and live it. Just because someone else does it doesn't mean you should.

So... since crystal meth gives me a hell of a segue into the book, let's roll with it! This is a VERY black comedy that is both incredibly violent and vulgar. It's awesome. To summarize the story, a set of dads decide to take matters into their own hands to solve a "baseball dads" problem, where the coach isn't using their kids to play. This works... sort of, until it sort of snowballs and turns into a full on weird mixture of sex, drugs, rock and roll, and batman.

I got the ebook to review for free off netgalley, and need to mention that because I still have the book on my budget to get when it's released. It's important to support the author, and this book had me laughing in spots so hard that I had cramps. Just the thong snap description had me in stitches. Trust me, that's gonna mean a lot more to you when you read the book, and no, it's not an attractive woman's thong getting snapped.

The flow of the book is great, it reads easily, and the chapters flow naturally one into the other. The conversations work well, and aren't stilted. Everyone has a different voice, and they all act according to their own specific desires and descriptions. No carbon copies of each other, no weird awkward flow to the conversations, it's honestly very good writing. The only downside to it for me was since I had it on kindle, the text message portions of the conversation looked a little odd since they were pictures encoded in the book. Nothing that really hurt the reading experience but it was just a bit jarring to go from a normal font to a new font, then back to the normal font again.

This book made me care about baseball. Not a lot, but it did get me invested in the characters, and the black humor had me laughing so hard sometimes I had to just stop reading and giggle for a while. If you are a fan of Jeff Strand or Christopher Moore, you will probably dig this book. You don't even have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it, which was a welcome surprise for me.

I honestly can't recommend it enough.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

I am not a baseball fan, but I am a fan of dark comedy. I could not put this book down. The description of the book really doesn't do it justice. I'm not really a fan of blood and guts either, but the moments of pure psychopathy that are somehow lightened by the characters' motives and antics. I enjoyed the overthrowing of the local 'aristocracy' in the name of justice and fairness... and baseball. The workings and developments that shape each character are simply perfect. I cannot wait to read more of Mr Hiley's work.

Absurd comedy has been taken to a new level. While highlighting many of modern day issues with trying to be all things to all with political correctness and the inaneness inherent therein, this spoof is enjoyable and a quick read. Everyone probably knows folks like each of the characters. Enjoy the journey.

Funniest. Book. Ever.

Dwayne’s son is on the 10 year old Little League team in the swanky side of Ft. Worth. Alex is known as one of the best players in the league but his coach insists on playing “daddy baseball”, putting his own son at short stop and the assistant coach’s son at first base even though they lack the skill. The best kids he relegates to the outfield or the bench. Consequently, even with a pretty talented team, they are going to be big losers this season.

Dwayne’s wife has been sleeping around and hanging out with the gossipy, nasty women in the area. She’s also spending so much money he can’t figure out how to keep up with everything.

Dwayne’s had enough. He decides he’s not going to take it anymore and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He adopts a Jedi Grandmaster Ninja Warrior outlook on life and his three baseball dad “friends” come along for the ride.

This book is over the top, horrifyingly hilarious. You have no idea what Dwayne and the guys will do next. If you’ve ever been involved in Little League baseball, I’m sure you’ll find it as funny as I did. I laughed so much, I think my dog was worried about me. Love it! :-)

Review will be posted October 23 From the beginning of the book, when the author wrote a note that if you are easily offended you should shove the book up your anus, I knew I was about to be taken on a wild ride. And that I was.

Baseball Dads tells the story of 4 guys who became friends because their kids all play on the same little league team together. Now they hang out and golf and do drugs and talk about their sexcapades.

What starts with someone seeing the umpire kill a guy and trying to black mail him into talking some sense into the kids baseball coach so they stop playing "daddy baseball" (where the kids get to play where their suck up parents want them to play, regardless of how good they are) and start playing "winning baseball" (you know, where you play ball to win) ends up with a death count that I lost track of after, oh, nine.

Things got so crazy at times I was expecting the main character Dwayne to wake up and realize it was all just a bad trip and none of it really happened. But instead of that happening... things just get more and more ridiculous.

I can't really talk too much about it for fear I am giving too much away but if you love serial killers like Dexter, are familiar with little league baseball (maybe because you've been involved with it - as a coach, parent or in my case, working the concessions) and are looking for something fun to read - this is it. (If you're not into reading about murder and drugs and sex and other offensive thingsthen I would say this is NOT the book for you, hence the author's note in the beginning of the book)

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

While the title may make a reader think this story is about baseball, it isn't. It is a story of social classes, murder, drugs, sex...And some little league baseball thrown in as well.

The story centers around Dwayne Devoe, a middle class business owner in the suburbs of Fort Worth. He is drowning in debt, his business has a large numbers of unpaid accounts and his wife has been having numerous affairs. However, his son Alex is a good player for the local baseball team and there isn't anything that Dwayne won't do for him. When the coach won't pay Alex and the more skilled players in favor of less talented kids whose parents are socially connected, Dwayne decides to take action.

With the help of three other "baseball dads" the plan goes into effect. What follows leads to a trail of dead bodies, Jedi warriors, raunchy sex (but not graphically written in the book) and even some wins for Alex's team.

The story reads at a lightning fast pace as one never knows what the next move will be for Dwayne and the dad's. There are many funny moments which will make the reader laugh. Many times I was saying phrases to myself such as "What the Heck?" (Or stronger) as some the situations and actions are just so bizzare. One example is what Dwayne used to fertilize the baseball field. I won't give that away here...But it isn't something that is recommended to use on your lawn.

If you like dark stories with last of mayham and launch, this is your story. Not recommended for readers under 18. A very entertaining book that will leave the reader laughing.

I wish to thank the publisher for providing a copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dark, dark humor that is far from tame. A tall tale that pokes fun and sheds light.

Dark,crude and humorous. You'll find yourself laughing at the charters how they think and behave. The author has done an excellent job on developing his characters and relating how some men think and behave when obsessed with children's sports. For adults only; if your looking for something unique to read, this is the book to buy.

Baseball dads is an incredible read. I absolutely loved it! The dark humour, the ludicrous situations; it was all perfect. It's been a while since I've found myself laughing out loud at a book character; there were several moments of that. I read a review for this book that likened it to Sons of Anarchy, which is a pretty good similarity. It does at times feel like a cross between Sons of Anarchy and baseball, mixed with a lot more black humour. Hiley's characters are humorous and twisted in their own individual ways. You'll often find yourself howling with laughter, only to realise it's slightly disturbing that you're laughing at such moments. I especially loved all of the Star Wars references; they made my day.
If you're looking for a book that is both twisted and hilarious, then this is the book for you.

Excellent read. A little out there and took me for a couple of loops. But all in all a spectacular read. I think Matt Hiley may be my new favorite author.