Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Ballplayer - Hardcover

Breton, Marcos; Villegas, Jose Luis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684849917 ISBN 13: 9780684849911

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1999

Synopsis

A moving, sometimes painful story of baseball and its role in the hopes and dreams of young Latino boys is told through the experiences in the Major Leagues of Miguel Tejada, who ultimately found success as the star shortstop for the Oakland A's. 25,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

Miguel Tejada is a talented shortstop in the Oakland Athletics organization. Tejada grew up very poor in the Dominican Republic and started playing baseball as a means of entertainment and escape. At age 17, he signed a contract (which he couldn't really read) with the A's for a mere $2,000, eventually working his way through the minors to earn a shot at the big-league club. As Away Games illustrates, Tejada is one of the lucky ones. "The Dominican is representative of the roots of Latin baseball, a game in which the stakes have always been higher, success more meaningful, and failure more painful--a brand of baseball that makes the word 'pastime' seem trivial." Indeed, it's a tough road for Latin baseball players trying to make it to the major leagues. For many of them, baseball is a chance to evade a lifetime of poverty and Third World conditions not present in the United States (although those lucky enough to go pro also face significant language and cultural barriers once they head north); Away Games presents them as more than just gifted players who hit the jackpot. --Andy Boynton

From the Inside Flap:

The story of Latino players in the major leagues from the perspective of Miguel Tejada, who overcomes abject poverty to succeed, and also of the many who were discarded along the way. Tejeda was named American League MVP for 2002.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0684849917
• ISBN 13: 9780684849911
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272