Out Standing in My Field
by Patrick Jennings
Ty has been named for baseball legend Ty Cobb, but the hero of Jennings' wonderful new novel isn't living up to his namesake's reputation when it comes to The Game. He loves baseball; he just isn't great at it, despite all the efforts of his coach and father, who himself once dreamed of playing in the majors. To complicate matters, Ty's younger sister Daisy is a baseball whiz (as well as the school genius). In this sharply witty, deeply poignant all-American novel, Ty has to figure out just who he's trying to please — his father, his teammates, or himself

Excerpt:
If anyone ever asks me why I love the game of baseball (and I wish someone would, no one ever asks me questions I can answer), I'd start with the smell of my mitt. If they wrinkled up their nose and said, "Gross!" or something, I'd make them bury their face in it a minute and take a deep breath. It smells sharp, but in a good way, like barbecue sauce, or campfire. It makes your eyes and mouth water. I know, it's cow skin, which is pretty gross when you think about it, but then who besides Daisy doesn't love to smell burgers or ribs grilling on an open fire? There are a thousand reasons why I love baseball, but if I had to give just one, I'd probably say it was standing out in right field with my face in my mitt, sniffing the old skin of some dead cow.



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