Extra Innings: He was the greatest hitter of all time. Cryonics brought him back to life in 2092. Would he use this second chance to win his first World Series or to become a better man? - Softcover

Spitzer, Bruce E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0984956905 ISBN 13: 9780984956906

Publisher: Bear Hill Media, 2012

Synopsis

In the year 2092, Ted Williams, the greatest baseball hitter of all time, is brought back to life through the science of cryonics. Once again playing for the Red Sox, Williams finds himself trapped in a world he hardly recognizes: the corruption of the game he loves with über-juiced batters and robot pitchers; difficult love affairs clashing with his old desires; and a military conflict of the future in which he must harness the fighter pilot skills he used in his first life. Dr. Elizabeth Miles is the cryonicist who brings him back to life, initiating a dramatic sequence of medical achievements. She and her young son Johnnie are a constant reminder of what Williams lacked in his first trip around the bases, never devoting much time to love and family. But old habits die hard. With enemies and allies both on the field and off, Williams must make sense of it all and play on against a machine that he detests, pressure to take the “giddyup” he abhors, unrelenting media mania, and a dystopian world he can’t ignore. The narrative resonates with the consequences of the major issues we face in our world today—the steroids debate in sports, global warming, corporate greed, technology run rampant, and the moral ambiguity of war. Extra Innings is alternately poignant and humorous, heartbreaking and joyous. Thought-provoking throughout, it’s a rollicking ride that looks at second chances and redemption, the ability to triumph over adversity, and the search for meaning in this life and the next. Flawed in his first life, Williams must decide in the second what’s more important, the chance to win his first World Series, or the chance to be a better man? The Greatest Comeback of All Time is More Than Just a Game.

About this title

About the Author

Bruce E. Spitzer is a public relations executive, magazine editor and columnist. His writing has won awards from the New England Press Association, the International Association of Business Communicators and the Publicity Club of Boston. He is a graduate of Boston University and Rutgers and lives in the Boston area. Extra Innings is his first novel.

Review

He’s baaack! Ninety years after his death Teddy Ballgame retakes center stage, swinging a bat for the Red Sox, flying jets for the Marines and swearing up a blue streak. If you like baseball, science fiction, or a good thriller, Extra Innings is the book for you. It is Shoeless Joe Hardy meets Isaac Asimov. No need to wait to see if the science of cryonics will bring Ted Williams back to life. Bruce Spitzer already has.”
— Dick Flavin, Poet Laureate of the Boston Red Sox, featured with Ted Williams in David Halberstam’s best-selling book The Teammates

"Over the years, many people have wondered just how much greater Ted Williams would have been if he were not called away to war, or if he had played in another era. Now, thanks to Bruce Spitzer, we know."
-- Jim Lonborg, Cy Young Award-winning Red Sox pitcher and member
of the 1967 "Dream Team"

"I knew Ted Williams, Ted Williams was a friend of mine--this is Ted Williams."
--Bob Lobel, Boston sportscaster who once interviewed Ted Williams,
Larry Bird and Bobby Orr together in the same studio

"Bruce Spitzer has reverse-engineered the brain of Ted Williams, reanimated a great American, and created a novel with memories intact."
--Ray Kurzweil, inventor/author/futurist

“Ooh-rah! for Extra Innings, and boy what a ride. Ted Williams needed no more heroics to add to his service record flying in WWII and Korea, but Bruce Spitzer gives him a stunning new mission in Extra Innings. The novel and the author deserve a special salute for highlighting the leadership of the real man for a new generation, and brilliantly imagining his return to contribute once more to the proud tradition of the United States Marine Corps. Semper Fidelis, ‘Caveman.’ ”
— Col. Andrew J. Ley USMCR (ret.), F-4 and A-4 driver, and former CO of VMA 322

Six Fenway Park Books Worth Reading:
Extra Innings: "Sheer ballsiness."
-- Matthew Reed Baker, Boston Magazine

“Spitzer seamlessly mixes fact with fiction.”
— Publishers Weekly

"In bookstores, readers get a glimpse of a world in which another icon, Ted Williams, lives again. Bruce E. Spitzer's Extra Innings imagines the Kid revived, in 2092, using cryonics. So, what's Williams up to? Batting against "Botwinder" robots and piloting jets in a war."
--Sports Illustrated Magazine

Edition details

• Publisher: Bear Hill Media
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0984956905
• ISBN 13: 9780984956906
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 412