Bus Leagues Book Review: The Last Best League
As summer starts going into fall and the College Baseball Summer Leagues engage in their playoffs, I find myself looking to a minor league book that may have slipped through the cracks of your reading eye. And as I am a natural segueist, we will look at the story of a post Summer Catch Cape Cod League season.
In the Last Best League Jim Collins writes the story of the 2002 Cape Cod League season from the Yankees of the league in the Chatham A’s mainly from the eyes of three hot prospects in then Richmond Ace pitcher Tim Stauffer, Wake Forest third baseman/party boy Jaime D’Antona, and Princeton pitcher/guy growing into tools Thomas Pauly. And in a form, it is a Friday Night Lights clone.
It’s a season in the life of a uniquely regional experience framed by the traditional power’s season ahead. Now there is definitely not a dark undertone of racism slash putting the game beyond all else. But like a Friday in Texas is meant for football a summer on the Cape is meant for Baseball.
I don’t mean it as an insult either. Jim Collins spins a strong tale of the point where the rubber meets the road in college baseball. Men invincible in college baseball would be found wanting, and those who stood strong? Millions of dollars would be theirs. It was a smorgasbord of a story well told. It’s definitely a must read.
As an aside? I have to wonder what exactly would have happened to the success of this book if the main subjects were able to etch their names alongside the Mark Teixera’s and Tim Lincecum‘s of the world. Stauffer’s become a middle reliever. Pauly had a big year in the Carolina League and essentially disappeared. D’Antona’s on his way to becoming a new age Scott McClain for the Yakult Swallows.
But do not let their current fates sway you from reading the story of their Summer of 2002. Jim Collins comes strong with this one. It’s a solid 4 out of 5. In Baseball terms? It’s a 67 out of 80.
