Friends, never more important than in the past year: Keith and Barbie Drum, Bob and Anne DeStefano, Jackson Diehl and Jean Halperin, David and Linda Maraniss, Lexie Verdon and Steve Barr, Jill and Holland Mickle, Shelley Crist, Bill and Jane Brill, Terry and Patti Hanson, Mary Carillo, Bud Collins and Anita Klaussen, Doug and Beth Doughty, David Teel, Beth (Shumway) Brown, Beth Sherry-Downes, Erin Laissen, Bob Socci, Pete Van Poppel, Omar Nelson (who owes me a lot of food), Frank DaVinney, Chet Gladchuk, Eric Ruden, Scott Strasemeier, Billy Stone, Mike Werteen, Chris Day, Chris Knocke, Andrew Thompson, Phil Hoffmann, Joe Speed, Jack Hecker, Dick Hall (my hero), Steve (Moose) Stirling, Jim and Tiffany Cantelupe, Derek and Christina Klein, Anthony and Kristen Noto, Pete Teeley, Bob Zurfluh, Vivian Thompson, Phil Hochberg (who proved he can take a hit), Al Hunt, Bob Novak, Wayne Zell, Mike and David Sanders, Bob Whitmore, Tony Kornheiser, Mike Wilbon, Mark Maske, Ken Denlinger, the ever-patient Matt Rennie, Kathy Orton, Camille Powell, Dan Steinberg (who needs a real job), Jim Brady, Jon DeNunzio, Jim Rome, Travis Rodgers, Jason Stewart, Mike Purkey, Bob Edwards, Tom and Jane Goldman, Ellen McDonnell, Bruce Auster, Jim Wildman, Jeffrey Katz, Mike Gastineau (Seattle’s Best), Mary Bromley, Kenny and Christina Lewis, Dick (Hoops) Weiss and Joanie Weiss, Jim O’Connell, Bob Ryan, David Fay, Frank Hannigan, Mike Butz, Mike Davis, Mary Lopuszynski, Jerry Tarde, Mike O’Malley, Larry Dorman (to quote Paul Henreid, “Welcome back to the fight”), Marsha Edwards, Jay and Natalie Edwards, Len and Gwyn Edwards-Dieterle, Chris Edwards and John Cutcher, Aunt Joan, Tom Watson, Andy North, Neil Oxman, Bill Leahey, Dennis Satyshur, Mike Muehr, Bob Low, Joe Durant, Bob Heintz, John Cook, Peter Jacobsen, Paul Goydos, and Brian Henninger. Extra special thanks to Olga Rivera.
And more of the same to Mark Russell, Laura Russell, Alex Russell, Steve Rintoul, Jon Brendle, and Slugger White.
Norbert Doyle might well have won three hundred games if not for a bad hip, a bad knee, a bad shoulder, and a bad arm.
Basketball people: Gary Williams, Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Barnes, Mike Brey, Karl Hobbs, Phil Martelli, Fran Dunphy, Jim Calhoun, Jim Boeheim, Billy Donovan, Rick Pitino, Thad Matta, Ed Brennan, Tom Brennan, Tommy Amaker, Dave Odom, Jim Larranaga, Mack McCarthy, Jim Crews, Billy Lange, Pat Flannery, Emmette Davis, Jeff Jones, Billy Taylor and the irrepressible Ralph Willard, David Stern, and Tim Frank. Frank Sullivan should be coaching. Harvard should be ashamed of itself. Thanks again to orthopods Eddie McDevitt, Bob Arciero, Gus Mazzocca, and Dean Taylor, and my official trainer Tim Kelly. It takes a village to try to keep me in one piece.
Howard Garfinkel cannot be made up — there is only one of him. Tom Konchalski will always be the only honest man in the gym.
Swimmers, in spite of my miserable year in the water: Jeff Roddin, Jason Crist, Clay F. (Daddy) Britt, Wally Dicks, Mike Fell, Erik (Dr. Post) Osborne, John Craig, Mark Pugliese, Doug Chestnut, Peter Ward, Penny Bates, Carole Kammel, Margot Pettijohn, Tom Denes, A.J. Block, Danny Pick, Warren Friedland, Marshall Greer, Paul Doremus, Bob Hansen, and Mary Dowling.
The China Doll/Shanghai Village Gang: Aubre Jones, Rob Ades, Jack Kvancz, Joe McKeown, Stanley Copeland, Reid Collins, Arnie Heft, Bob Campbell, Pete Dowling (still in absentia), Chris (the right winger) Wallace, Herman Greenberg, Joe Greenberg, Harry Huang, George Solomon, Ric McPherson, Geoff Kaplan, and Murray Lieberman, who continues to be the group’s representative to Boston. Red, Zang, and Hymie are still there. I just wish Red could have seen this Celtics season, even with cheerleaders.
The Rio Gang: Tate Armstrong, Mark Alarie, Clay (LB) Buckley, and, in the role of Alberto Gonzales, Terry Chili.
The Feinstein Advisory Board: Keith Drum, Frank Mastrandrea, Wes Seeley, Dave Kindred, and the only man I know with a press room named in his honor, Bill Brill.
This has been a long year for my family. I am more than lucky to be Danny and Brigid’s dad. I am also fortunate to have Bobby and Jennifer, Margaret and David, and Marcia supporting me through the proverbial thick and thin. I have a cadre of smart, funny nephews: Ethan and Ben, Matthew and Brian.
Believe it or not, I owe a lot to every single person mentioned here. It’s a long list. I must be very lucky.
John Feinstein
Potomac, Maryland, January 2008
John Feinstein is the bestselling author of Tales from Q School, Last Dance, Next Man Up, Let Me Tell You a Story (with Red Auerbach), Caddy for Life, Open, The Punch, The Last Amateurs, The Majors, A Good Walk Spoiled, A Civil War, A Season on the Brink, Play Ball, Hard Courts, and three sports mystery novels for young readers. He writes for the Washington Post, Washington Post.com, and Golf Digest, and is a regular commentator on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition.
ALSO BY JOHN FEINSTEIN
Tales from Q School
Last Dance
Next Man Up
Let Me Tell You a Story
Caddy for Life
Open
The Punch
The Last Amateurs
The Majors
A March to Madness
A Civil War
Play Ball
Hard Courts
Forever’s Team
A Season Inside
A Season on the Brink
Last Shot (A Final Four Mystery)
Vanishing Act: Mystery at the U.S. Open
Cover-up: Mystery at the Super Bowl
Running Mates (A Mystery)
Winter Games (A Mystery)
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Gifted Lefty
Chapter 2: The Lawyer’s Son
Chapter 3: Cy Young. . . Cy Almost
Chapter 4: Crossroads
Chapter 6: From Camden Yards to Yankee Stadium
Chapter 7: A Bitter Divorce
Chapter 8: One More Contract
Chapter 9: The Rites of Spring
Chapter 10: Starting Over
Chapter 11: Getting Serious
Chapter 12: Real Baseball
Chapter 13: A Cold Spring
Chapter 14: Spring in New York
Chapter 15: Back on Track
Chapter 16: Subway Series I
Chapter 17: Drought
Chapter 18: Bumps in the Road
Chapter 19: F—— the Process
Chapter 20: Road-Trip Blues
Chapter 21: Limping to the Break
Chapter 22: Good News, Bad News
Chapter 23: Hardball
Chapter 24: The Number Gets Named
Chapter 25: Autopilot
Chapter 26: Crash
Chapter 27: On a Roll
Chapter 28: We Suck
Chapter 29: The Final Days
Chapter 30: Götterdämmerung
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Author Biography
Also by John Feinstein
Newsletters
Copyright
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 by John Feinstein
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ISBN 978-0-316-03233-9