The Big Field

I loved, loved, loved this book! Mike Lupica is my favorite author. He has done so good at being a sports talk guy and an author. You'll love it! The main charachter named Hutch is a shortstop who was a SS By trade then after they added a jerk named Daryll who causes him to paly 2nd base instead. I do not at all want to spoil the book before you read it so that's all I'm gonna say. If you loved this you'd love all of the other books by ML. They are: Heat, Miracle On 49th Street, Travel team, Summer Ball, and he also has a Comeback Kids series he's writing as well. I hope I was helpful, and I hope you enjoy as much as I did! 5 Stars!

Mike Lupica, the veteran sports columnist for the Daily News in New York, is not content to rest on his laurels. In addition to his adult audience, he's reaching out to younger readers, trying to teach them lessons on the field that can be extended to everyday life. His previous works in the genre include HEAT, TRAVEL TEAM, SUMMER BALL and MIRACLE ON 49th STREET. His latest offering is THE BIG FIELD, the story of Hutch Hutchinson, a star shortstop for his American Legion team who is displaced by Darryl "D-Will" Williams, a better player with a questionable attitude. Despite the natural misgivings, Hutch is willing to take one for the team, giving way to Darryl and moving over to second base. The parallel to Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez is unmistakable. So is the tense relationship as the two 14-year-olds vie for dominance. Darryl has his mind set on being the "next big thing," already attracting the notice of scouts and the media. Hutch, on the other hand, is content to live in the here-and-now, with the sole goal of playing for the regional championship at the minor league venue of the St. Louis Cardinals. Hutch is joined in his quest by Codey, his best friend and affable sidekick. It's not too far a stretch to think of the trio as a less dangerous version of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy, with bats replacing magic wands. As the team moves through the rounds of competition to put them in the big game on The Big Field, Hutch must deal with several issues: his continuing resentment of his rival, his perhaps over-consuming love of baseball, and his relationship with his father, himself a heralded player who still has trouble dealing with his failure to make it to the major leagues. Lupica does an admirable job of presenting the drama of the games, which, with the attention to strategy, often feels more like a chess match. But several elements fall into the area of cliché: Hutch's team is obviously talented, but they're considered underdogs since they are in the low age range, 14- and 15-year-olds competing against players up to three years their seniors (the player pictured on the dust jacket seems more like 10 than 14). And although Hutch does have a couple of momentary setbacks, he nevertheless comes through when it counts, a baseball savant --- wise beyond what should be his ken --- who seems to have no other interest than to excel at his game. The fact that everything works out to the good despite the blips is also somewhat unrealistic, but hey, this is fiction. Overall, THE BIG FIELD is a genial, fast-paced adventure that should interest young sports fans. --- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan

In the fascinating story of The Big Field, Mike Lupica shows a lot of breath-taking moments on the field, as well as problems off the field. Thirteen-year-old Hutch Hutchinson is a great shortstop, after all, his idol, Derek Jeter, is a shortstop and his dad almost made it to the big leagues as a shortstop. But when one of the best shortstops in the state joins the team, Hutch is forced to play second base. He is disappointed but that is only the beginning of the many disasters that happen to him. The Big Field is one of the many great stories that Mike Lupica has to give. He keeps the problems coming and while using third person he makes you feel bad for Hutch, when he makes an error. This is a book for baseball fans young and old and for people who are disagreeing.

MVB (Most Valuable Book). It's hard to say who enjoys these books more--the adults or the kids. It's not just about baseball, it's about everything. A great on-and-off-the-field story with characters you love to root for. Baseball season is about to start, can't think of a better read to celebrate opening day.

Keith "Hutch" Hutchinson is a 14 year old boy who lives in Florida, but you'd be more accurate to say he lives in a world of baseball. Hutch eats, sleeps, drinks and plays baseball. And he prides himself on being "OLD-SCHOOL"! Nowadays kids wear two batting gloves at a time, Hutch doesn't wear any, and he also wears his red stirrup socks high, all strictly "OLD-SCHOOL". Other kids perform dances that would shame Terrell Owens after a good play or big hit. When Hutch hits a homerun he quickly runs around the bases so as not to embarrass the other team. Hutch is definitely "OLD-SCHOOL"! "Hutch knew he loved baseball more than anybody he knew, on his current team, or any team he'd ever played on, loved the history of it, loved the stats and the numbers and the way they connected the old days to right now." (NOTE: Take Hutch's name out and put my name in when I was 14 and you wouldn't have to change a word!") This story is built around the Boynton Beach Post 226 Cardinals American Legion Team and their quest for the opportunity to play for the state championship, which would enable them to play on "THE-BIG-FIELD" at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, where the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins play their spring training games. There are a number of sub-plots in this wonderfully written homage to young American boys whose dreams of playing baseball invade every thought they possess. I know how accurate the author's descriptions are since my entire childhood through adulthood was filled with these very same dreams. Hutch, until this summer season was always the star shortstop on every team he played on, but the Cardinals had a player by the name of Darryl Williams, that played shortstop, and batted like the almighty himself had created him specifically for this task, and every motion at bat or in the field were almost an effortless success. For the good of the team, Hutch moved to second base despite the fact that shortstop was his pre-ordained position. Carl Hutchinson, Hutch's Father, had been the greatest boyhood shortstop in the town's history. Carl had signed a big league contract out of high school and played minor league ball in the Atlanta Braves farm system, but he never made it to the big leagues and the reason was an untold story in the family. Because of this there seemed to be an unspoken wall between Father and son. As circumstances present themselves during the Cardinal's run at the championship, Hutch feels pangs of alienation with his Father, and one of the greatest lines in the book, which I believe every Father and every son have probably said, thought, or felt, a number of times during their lifetime: "BEFORE HUTCH WALKED OUT THE FRONT DOOR HE LEANED AGAINST IT, CLOSED HIS EYES, AND WISHED HE COULD HAVE SPENT JUST ONE DAY WITH HIS DAD WHEN HIS DAD WAS YOUNG." This book is almost prose to anyone that not only played baseball but "LOVED" baseball. Another wonderful thing about this book is that I highly recommend it to kids from t