FTT Book Club: The Entitled

When I was but a wee teenager and searching for a purpose / occupation in life, I gravitated to sports writing. Eventually, I discovered that I wanted to dress better than a homeless man outside of a sports merchandise clearance store (seriously, the profession as a whole is so much about The Free, it's terrifying), and eat something more than Bottom Ramen. There was also that pesky matter of college loans to take care of.

But anyway, before I thought better of it, I wanted to be a sports writer. One of the reasons why was Frank Deford. On a whim, I bought his recent novel, "The Entitled."

The book concerns itself with the inner workings of a fictional Cleveland Indians team where the manager, a longtime minor-league coach who sacrificed family for career, is about to be fired, presumably for not getting the most out of his star outfielder... when the outfielder is a suspect in a rape case. A case in which the manager may have seen the victim.

Deford is able to move the point of view among his various protagonists and make them all believable. He's also able to make his baseball scenes seem real without making them overly complex; it's the kind of book that you can read, then share with a non-fan. It's also fairly intriguing in that none of the characters are without sin, and Deford trusts his audience enough to make the ending less than airtight.

The book's blurbs make it sound like it's "Eight Men Out" or better; it's not. But Deford has a lifetime of good work behind him, which means a little hyperbole is to be expected, and he really can write. It's worth a read.