Added in is a rookie phenom for the cubs named joe castle. He thrilled fans in the 38 games he played, hitting 21 home runs and breaking rookie records. The kid from calico rock, arkansas, dazzles chicago cubs fans as he hits. Calico joe quickly becomes the idol of every baseball fan in america, including paul tracey, the young son of a hardpartying and hardthrowing new york mets pitcher. Because their first baseman at aaa wichita is also hurt, the cubs must reach down to their aa midland texas team for 21yearold joe castle to join the major league roster.
Calico joe book burlington public library bibliocommons. Great baseball novels are not only or mostly about baseball. Calico joe evansville vanderburgh public library overdrive. Calico joe is not like any other john grisham book i have ever read. Joe castle from calico rock, arkansas came up to the chicago cubs in the summer of 1973. The kid from calico rock, arkansas, dazzles chicago cubs fans as he hits home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shatters all rookie records. Its the summer of 1973, and joe castle is the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest. It is a comprehensive team roster and player names are sorted by the fielding position where the most number of games were played during the regular season.
The kid from calico rock, arkansas, dazzled cubs fans as he hit home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shattered all rookie records. In this novel, the careers of a golden boy rookie hitter for the cubs and a hardhitting mets pitcher take very different paths. In 1973, joe castle, from calico arkansas, was brought up from the minor leagues to play first base for the chicago cubs after two of their infielders were injured. The cubs finished fifth in the national league east with a record of 7784. The book s style mixes fact and fiction introducing fictional players into wellknown actual teams such as the new york mets and the chicago cubs and lets them interact with actual people such as yogi berra, and letting dramatic fictional baseball matches take place in actual stadiums. The washington post its the summer of 1973, and joe castle is the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone has ever seen. Calico joe quickly became the idol of every baseball fan in america, including paul tracey, the young son of a hardpartying and hardthrowing mets pitcher.
A surprising and moving novel of fathers and sons, forgiveness and redemption, set in the world of major league baseball. Its the summer of 1973, and joe castle is the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone has ever seen. The title of this novel refers to joe castle of calico rock, arkansas. Calico joe castle, a phenom of the 1973 cubs team, is called up from the minors and.
Grisham swings, misses with a baseball tale of redemption. Calico joe ebook las vegasclark county library district. Calico joe book hennepin county library bibliocommons. Calico joe castle, a phenom of the 1973 cubs team, is called up from the minors and starts his career with 12 hits in 12 it alternates between the summer of 1973 and present time and is a story about baseball fans and players, fathers and sons, redemption and forgiveness. The 1973 chicago cubs season was the 102nd season of the chicago cubs franchise, the 98th in the national league and the 58th at wrigley field. Wearing the white hat is joe castle, a 21yearold rookie first baseman for the chicago cubs.
The first baseman for the cubs aaa affiliate in wichita went down as he rounded third and headed for home. Unlike most rookies, joe castle captured the hearts of all the cubs fans, and most other baseball fans, with a fantastic beginning to his major league career. Calico joe book hillsborough county public library. The kid from calico rock, arkansas, dazzles chicago cubs fans as he hits home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to. One of the narratives follows the story of baseball phenom joe castle nicknamed calico joe who takes the major leagues by storm in 1973. Calico joe book the seattle public library bibliocommons. The story toggles effectively between past and present, as protagonist paul tracey recalls the magical summer of 1973, when a rookie named joe castle joined the chicago cubs and proceeded to set the national league on fire with an astounding and unprecedented display of hitting. Paul tracey is a young fan of joe castle and the son of warren tracey, a pitcher for the new york mets.
Calico joe the nickname comes from his home town of. It is 1973, and chicago cub first baseman jim hickman is injured. Win expectancy, run expectancy, and leverage index calculations provided by tom tango of, and coauthor of the book. This story, based on the cubs and mets 1973 season follows the divergent paths of joe castle, a rookie hitter for the chicago cubs. In 1973, he is thirty years old and a rising phenom in baseball. Scott simon speaks with author john grisham about his new baseballthemed novel, calico joe. Joe castle is by far the best rookie to ever play in the history of baseball. Calico joe volusia county public library overdrive.
Was there a real joe castle baseball player answers. Calico joe book chicago public library bibliocommons. Follows the divergent paths of a rookie hitter for the chicago cubs and a hardhitting mets pitcher. His latest novel, calico joe, is not like that at all. In the summer of 1973 joe castle was the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone had ever seen. The baseball is thrilling, but it is what happens off the field that makes this story a classic. In his latest book, calico joe, grisham takes his first crack at a novel about.
A wouldbe legend rediscovered joe castle, from calico rock, ark. The 1973 chicago cubs team roster seen on this page includes. Total zone rating and initial framework for wins above replacement calculations provided by sean smith. Calico joe quickly became the idol of every baseball fan in america, including paul.
Grishams novel involves a nearly fatal pitch thrown in august 24, 1973 and its implications 30 years later on both the batter, calico joe castle, and the pitcher as narrated by paul tracey, the 11yearold son of new york mets pitcher warren tracey. Calico joe book central rappahannock regional library. Paul castle fell in love with calico joe, even keeping a scrapbook of his accolades unbeknownst to his father. The books style mixes fact and fiction introducing fictional players into. He plays for the chicago cubs and is loved and admired by many. Then warren threw a fastball that would change their lives forever. This story, based on the cubs and mets 1973 season, follows the divergent paths of joe castle, a rookie hitter for the chicago cubs and warren tracey, a hardthrowing mets pitcher. Calico joe ebook midcontinent public library bibliocommons. Shes not invoked directly in grishams little book, but as in all good myths. In the novel, joe castle is a rookie player for the chicago cubs in 1973.
A special chicago cubs edition of the scoop knockin books. Joe castle is the fictional title character in the book calico joe by john grisham. The 1973 chicago cubs team roster seen on this page includes every player who appeared in a game during the 1973 season. Calico joe book vancouver public library bibliocommons. Then he was struck by a pitch thrown by warren tracey of the new york mets as the mets and cubs battled to win the national league east. Calico joe begins innocently enough with an ordinary event in a typical major league season. Calico joe book midcontinent public library bibliocommons. Castle, dubbed calico joe, sets major league records in his 1973 rookie debut for consecutive games safely hit. Calico joe book bellingham public library bibliocommons. Calico joe, written by john grisham, is a fictional baseball story about a man named joe castle. On the day that warren tracey finally faced calico joe, paul was in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his dad.