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From Canada

Conor Chandler

Baseball at 110 MPH

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 20, 2022

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Baseball is a game of inches. But Frank Ryder throws so hard that the inches are disappearing. He’s changing the game. Some think he’s breaking it. Will the game shut him down? That risk is secondary for Frank. He’s got his own demons to worry about first.

An engaging story of a rookie breaking into the big leagues coupled with interesting ideas of how baseball adapts as human performance challenges the existing dimensions.

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From other countries

M.Mak

Still America’s Favorite Pastime

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 19, 2023

Verified Purchase

I enjoyed this book so much! The story is very engaging and Frank Ryder is so relatable. You don’t have to be into baseball, or any other sport, to really enjoy this book. Baseball is just the vehicle for the story, and a good one at that.

I don’t follow sports, and it’s been years since I’ve been to a baseball game. So if you’re not into sports, this book is still very enjoyable. I have some first hand experience with baseball and that brought this book a little closer to home for me. My brother played little league for a few years, and our dad coached. I’ve spent a lot of time in the dugout as scorekeeper and really loved those kids. I lived in Apopka when we went against Japan in the Little League World Series. We have family in Vero Beach and saw the Dodger’s spring training games. Baseball is the only sport I ever wanted to play, but I was a girl and softball wasn’t the same, so I watched from the stands and the dugouts and adopted “There’s no crying in baseball” as my mantra.

I found myself rereading sections because I wanted to savor them. The scenes were so vivid that I could see the dust on the field, feel the humidity in the air, hear the crack of the bat as it connected with the ball, and feel the bass sound of the ball as it thwapped against the catcher’s mitt. It was similar to listening to a sportscaster on the radio who can call the play by plays so vividly that you can see the game in your head. It wasn’t a bunch of statistics and numbers that don’t mean anything to the average person. It’s a story of determination, perseverance, family, forgiveness, dedication and love. It goes beyond baseball and that’s what makes this book truly special.

2 people found this helpful

Bruce fan

At last - an interesting and different First Read!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 27, 2023

Verified Purchase

I've got increasingly disappointed by the run of Amazon Prime first reads recently. It was nice to get something a bit different. Although I live in the UK I'm a big baseball fan (Go Red Sox) so I was interested to read this. I thought some of the 'politics' about Frank's pitching being too hard for the good of the game somewhat unbelievable. Fans will always go the see great pitching and whilst hitting and runs are great the games purists appreciate the art of the pitcher.

Likewise some of the dramatic moments were a bit forced but overall and entertaining and interesting read.

Please can we have more choices like this rather than some of the predictable and dull crime thrillers that are usually offered?

sharon f. leff

Field of Dreams and Dreamers, after Nightmares End

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 3, 2023

Verified Purchase

Baseball is America’s beloved game, but for one pitcher, a young pitcher with a lightning fast arm, one pitch alters his life, his very identity, forever. Because one pitch, kills a young boy, and leaves the pitcher, and his brother, the catcher, and their family as broken as the family of a youth who only ever really dreamed of stars, space, and science.

This story delivers sports insider details from behind the team, within managerial negotiations, and throughout press demands. The marketing of baseball as revenue- increasing and community-inspiring complicates and alters the game.

But what makes this story so readable is the protagonist’s journey, and what a journey he makes. Great read!

Lynda R Kopishke

Best not about baseball book ever!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 29, 2023

Verified Purchase

When I saw this offered on Amazon I thought not sure I’m enough into baseball to finish this but I’ll give it a try. From the first few pages Frank came alive and I couldn’t wait to pick up my iPad each evening and lose myself in Frank’s story. At page 300 I started to worry that the story would end in 100 pages. I didn’t want it to end at all. This was so well written that I kept wondering if it was truly a fiction or maybe instead a memoir. I would highly recommend this book and will look for other Stevens books in which I can lose myself in the the story.

One person found this helpful

mmm

Not just for baseball fans

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 31, 2023

Verified Purchase

The Fireballer is a fast-moving novel about an outstanding new pitcher, Frank Ryder, on a team known for mediocracy. His inspiring story stems from a life-changing event during a Little League game. His character becomes apparent in how he deals with his "ghost" from the past to get to be a phenom.
Frank grows throughout the novel to shine as a star on and off the baseball field. Although I am not a huge fan of professional sports, there is so much more to this novel and it held my attention, keeping me up late to finish the book. You will enjoy it!

One person found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Ahhh! Baseball.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 16, 2023

Verified Purchase

If you are a baseball fan, you probably will have mixed feelings about this book. The story is about about a pitcher who inadvertently killed a young black little leaguer when he was about by a pitch he threw. It has haunted him through his entire life. He focused on the game and how to pitch. He is drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and the story unfolds with his phenomenal year and being totally unhittable, helping his team reach and win the World series as well as his ongoing grief for the boy he killed. My only qualms were with Frank Ryder's dialogue as it was hard to follow. Otberwise, a good read.

Lou skojec

Mark Stephens has put together a unique story line.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 5, 2023

Verified Purchase

As a life long baseball fan ,and love great sports story, the author had built a great story that rises above a simple sports drama. Frank Ryder is a character you relate to and root for and in the end is someone we should all strive to emulate for many reasons. I am 70 years old and read many sports related books this one is high on my list. Hope you enjoy it.

Jamintel

Pure baseball

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 18, 2023

Verified Purchase

I would recommend this book to lovers of baseball. The excitement and thrill of the game was there, even though I couldn't understand it. I have never watched a game not do I understand the rules but the way the story was written, I was able to have some appreciation for it. I could understand the sentiment about striking out players consistently as I have similar feelings about multiple aces in tennis. You want to see a game and not players walking.

The emotional roller coaster of Rider's life added depth to the story which I enjoyed. Overall, an interesting story about how an individual copes with tragedy and comes out triumphant.

P.M. Castle

Fireballer a page-turner

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 25, 2023

Verified Purchase

I'm more a casual observer than die-hard baseball fan, but was riveted nonetheless by another of Mark Stevens' compelling tales. This is a story about Major League Baseball with all its nuances, to be sure. But more so it's a story about a talented athlete who's literally haunted by his past, the challenges he overcomes and redemption he ultimately finds. By all means read the novel for its realistic accounts of Major League Baseball. Enjoy the novel for the transformative journey of its remarkable hero.

One person found this helpful

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5 star		50%
4 star		34%
3 star		12%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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The Fireballer: A Novel

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The Fireballer: A Novel

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