Are We Winning?: Fathers and Sons in the New Golden Age of Baseball

There's something special about going to see your favorite team play ball; especially when your dad's accompanying you to the game. If you're a St Louis Cardinals fan attending a game between the Redbirds and the arch-rival Chicago Cubs, at Wrigley Field, and dad's along for the ride; well, it doesn't get any better than this. Such is the case for the author of this book, Will Leitch. His commentary on the quirky rivalry between the Cardinals and Cubs, and the equally quirky perspective of his dad, is a joy to read. Leitch's narrative is at times hysterical; at times poignant; but always entertaining. Capturing the essence of what baseball represents for fathers and sons everywhere; especially those engaged in that friendly rivalry between Cards and Cubs fans; this book is most definitely "a winner". I loved it.

I purchased these books to share with my two sons. We ARE baseball people and have shared many experiences-playoff games, world series, opening days. I have always enjoyed the time with my sons more than the games.

I really related to this book very strongly -- like Will, I'm from a small midwestern town, have a working class background, left home as a first-generation college student, and have moved far from home for professional reasons while still feeling rooted in the midwest. (Also like Will, I'm a huge fan of baseball, the Cardinals, Roger Ebert, and Woody Allen movies, although before this gets too creepy, I've never much liked his former blog Deadspin.) Anyway, in a lot of ways this book was like reading about my own life, and more importantly, my relationship with my own rather taciturn father, which like Will's was most easily expressed through baseball, even though at 55 I'm a lot closer to Will's dad's age than Will's and both my parents are long dead. Fabulous book that literally made me both laugh and cry; as soon as I finished it I turned back to the beginning and started it again. I can't give a higher recommendation than that.

excellent work. very funny. there are very few books where i laugh out loud over and this was one of those. for the baseball fan. as a baseball nerd and diehard mets fan since i was 10 in 1977, i thoroughly enjoyed the book. bravo will!

Like Daniel Okrent's classic "Nine Innings," this new book by Will Leitch (founder of Deadspin, now a NY Mag editor) presents the anatomy of a single game. Unlike Okrent, however, Leitch casts his book as a letter to his future son and thereby turns his inning-by-inning retelling of a Cards vs. Cubs game into a springboard for addressing broader life issues. In fact, the game at Wrigley is really a novelistic MacGuffin, i.e., the thing that drives the plot but the audience couldn't care less about. Yes, any Cards game is important to superfan Leitch, but of greater interest to him -- and to the reader -- is the opportunity that it provides the transplanted New Yorker to reflect on his life in the Midwest, his career, and, most importantly, his dad. By the end, you admire the relationship shared by the Leitch men as well as their capacity to consume a remarkable amount of beer. (Ms. Leitch gets less ink but the book includes heartfelt observations on the evils of breast cancer.) Some parts of the book are very funny and others are surprisingly perceptive. In particular, the chapter on Steve Bartman is wonderfully written and marked by a sensitivity not associated with Leitch's work on Deadspin or even in his previous "God Save the Fan." Bottom line: This highly enjoyable book signals that Bill Simmons has a serious contender for the title of best sportswriter of our times.