The 26th Man

Title: The 26th Man
Author: Steve Fireovid and Mark Winegardner

Very engaging story of a minor league pitcher's year near the end of his career. Steve Fireovid a High School star pitcher wrote a diary of his year, 1990, with the Indianapolis Indians. He was in his 30s and deciding whether or not to continue his career as a minor league pitcher.


I became so involved in his story that I contacted his co-author Mark Winegardner to find out "the rest of the story."

Warning warning warning - major plot details revealed.

From Mark Winegardner:
Fire didn't quit in April, of course; he just got sent down.He played in 1993 in the minors and -- intentionally to pound a stake through the heart of this career -- he went to camp in 1994 as a replacement player with the Marlins. He had friends there, on the field an in the front office, and he played well and had fun, but, unlike such teammates as Kevin Millar, he was too old to outlive the taint of having crossed a picket line that would never benefit him, and when the strike was settled, he hung 'em up.He's working as a stockbroker back home now.

If you read this book do you agree that he was as talented as may major league pitchers and didn't get the right breaks or do you think he was just not good enough? Love to hear your reactions.

-vicky