{"id":1776,"date":"2009-01-28T07:01:46","date_gmt":"2009-01-28T06:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/?p=1776"},"modified":"2009-09-30T20:10:02","modified_gmt":"2009-09-30T19:10:02","slug":"if-i-never-get-back-by-darryl-brock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/?p=1776","title":{"rendered":"If I Never Get Back by Darryl Brock"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Ballantine Books, 1991), 470 pages.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869 have an important place in the history of baseball.\u00c2\u00a0 As the first all-professional team, they can be said to be the pioneers that paved the way for the multi-billion dollar industry that exists today.\u00c2\u00a0 The team and the early days of pro baseball are brilliantly brought to life in this extraordinary novel that combines expert historic detail with a gripping story.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Published\u00c2\u00a0in 1989, Darryl Brock’s debut novel revolves around a divorced man called Sam Fowler who collapses at a train station in the late 1980s and wakes up in 1869 with a steam locomotive, carrying the Red Stockings, waiting at the platform.\u00c2\u00a0 Fowler tentatively gets on board, beginning an incredible journey for both the character and the reader.<\/p>\n

Brock gives us a glimpse of the historic research\u00c2\u00a0behind this book in the acknowledgments page.\u00c2\u00a0 Here he explains:<\/p>\n

“It pleases me that most of the characters were doing in 1869 what I have them doing, and that many events – even minor ones – occurred as I have shown them. Some, of course, do not”.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Brock uses his artistic licence to slip a 1980s character into the real story.\u00c2\u00a0 If you look through the records you won’t find an S. Fowler getting a hit here and there.\u00c2\u00a0 But you will find all of the other characters, from Fowler’s best friend on the team Andy Leonard to the player-manager Harry Wright.\u00c2\u00a0 The latter is particularly interesting for Brits as he was born in Sheffield, England and was a ‘club pro’ cricketer\u00c2\u00a0before lending his expertise to this emerging bat and ball game.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

The author\u00c2\u00a0can’t resist using many of the familiar set ups that you find in most tales when a modern person goes back in time; such as the bafflement caused by unfamiliar phrases and clothing, and the lead character\u00c2\u00a0‘messing with history’ by introducing new ideas into the world well before their time.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

That’s no bad thing though as it produces many hilarious moments.\u00c2\u00a0 Fowler’s use of a bunt does not go down well for example, yet his inspired creation of a culinary snack called a ‘hot dog’ provokes a much more favourable reaction.\u00c2\u00a0 As for the ‘fish out of water’ passages, this is just one example of many that brings a smile to your face:<\/p>\n

“With the sky overhead blackening, Andy stepped to the plate, jaw clenched and knuckles white on the bat.
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 ‘Over the fence!’, I yelled.\u00c2\u00a0 ‘A homer, buddy!’
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 ‘Over the fence here is but two bases,’ Millar said snidely. ‘<\/em>Didn’t you hear the captains?’
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 ‘C’mon, Millar, don’t be a jerk.’
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 ‘Just what does ‘don’t be a jerk’ mean?’ His glasses flashed at me. ‘You’re not exactly the cheese, Fowler.’
\n\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 ‘What?’ “<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Where the sense of displacement and confusion works best is in drawing attention to the differences and similarities between the game being played by the Red Stockings and the game played by the Reds today.\u00c2\u00a0 Pitchers bowled the ball underarm after being instructed by the hitter whether it should be a high or low ball.\u00c2\u00a0 Fielders deliberately dropped easy pop-ups to enable them to double up runners (brilliantly demonstrating why the ‘infield fly’ rule is necessary), while the lack of gloves (except for the catcher – although he was hardly shielded by the ‘tools of ignorance’) made muffs more common and\u00c2\u00a0left fingers and hands in a permanently\u00c2\u00a0banged-up state.<\/p>\n

Yet a crucial point is made forcefully in the first moment Fowler sees the Red Stockings in action.\u00c2\u00a0 Our modern day observer is taken aback by the ability of the players, making brilliant stops and over-the-head grabs that would be replayed time and again in this age.\u00c2\u00a0 The current generation always sees itself as the latest in a long line of progress, naturally supposing that what came before was primitive compared to the world today.\u00c2\u00a0 Through the voice of Fowler, the author makes it clear that these Red Stockings could really play. \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

News of the Red Stockings spread throughout America as they continued an incredible winning streak, defeating all challengers in their way including the teams they faced on a tour to San Francisco.\u00c2\u00a0 The experiences of these trailblazing ‘ballists’\u00c2\u00a0are brought to life here, as\u00c2\u00a0are the reactions of contemporaries to their exploits,\u00c2\u00a0the dangerous problems caused by gamblers and the genuine doubts felt over whether the game had a professional future. \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the baseball content proves that Brock is a considerable historian, the many other features of ‘If I Never Get Back’<\/em> show that he is also an excellent\u00c2\u00a0novelist.\u00c2\u00a0 The level of detail relating to baseball are mirrored by the vivid descriptions of 1860s America that allow you to lose yourself in the story in the same way that Fowler does.\u00c2\u00a0 From\u00c2\u00a0the\u00c2\u00a0meetings\u00c2\u00a0with his hero Mark Twain, to the romance and political intrigue, they all blend together to make this a novel that\u00c2\u00a0compels you to keep reading.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

A sequel was released in 2002 called ‘Two in the Field’<\/em>, which contains less baseball content but is reportedly another fine effort.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0After reading\u00c2\u00a0‘If I Never Get Back’, <\/em>I could easily believe it.\u00c2\u00a0 For baseball fans, it’s an incredible insight into the early steps of professional baseball, albeit with some storyline embellishments thrown in.\u00c2\u00a0 More generally, Brock’s eye for historical detail is\u00c2\u00a0combined with a great story to make this an excellent read.<\/p>\n

Have you read \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If I Never Get Back’? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. Can you recommend any other similar books? If so, let us know.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Ballantine Books, 1991), 470 pages. The Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869 have an important place in the history of baseball.\u00c2\u00a0 As the first all-professional team, they can be said to be the pioneers that paved the way for the multi-billion dollar industry that exists today.\u00c2\u00a0 The team and the early days of pro baseball are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[79,76],"class_list":["post-1776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-baseball-books","tag-baseball-fiction","tag-book-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1776"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1776\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4964,"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1776\/revisions\/4964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}