A terrific. . .novel that just happens to be about baseball.San Diego Union-Tribune

Vivid. . .profound.San Francisco Chronicle

Fast-paced, savvy, and sensitive. . .Baseball fiction at a level all baseball fiction should reach.Seattle Times

Poignant and humorous. . . Moves with the crispness of a perfectly turned double play.Cincinnati Post

In 1911 America, the golden age of baseball, real-life pitcher Luther Dummy Taylor is trying to work his arm back into fighting shape. Though deaf, Taylor helped lead John McGraws New York Giants to the pennant, winning 115 games between 1900 and 1908. But an injury relegates him to the minors, and he dreams of one last shot at the big leagues while on a barnstorming trip to Cuba.
There, while Taylor faces off against the tough Havana teams, he meets a deaf Cuban boy with a spectacular pitching arm. In young Luis, Taylor sees his chance for redemptionand a way to win them both Giants uniforms. But baseballs changing politics and growing unrest in Cuba threaten his plans and force him to confront the choices that have brought him to this crossroad in his life.

Darryl Brock authored the highly acclaimed novel If I Never Get Back, as well as articles on Mark Twain, baseball, and other subjects in numerous publications. Brock lives with his wife in Berkeley, California.

Tom Parker, recipient of the Golden Voice award, records a remarkable variety of books while pursuing his love of theater by directing two or three professional stage productions a year in the Washington, D.C., area.