The Big Field Book

It's all or nothing. This is the most intense game your team has ever faced. In order to get to regionals, you have to win. If you lose, you'll have to wait until next summer. A ground ball is hit! It feels like it's coming right at you, but it isn't. It's coming towards your teammate. He throws the hitter out, and you're going to regionals.
The sports novel The Big Field by Mike Lupica is a book not only about playing on the big field, but life off the park. It is like the movie The Blind Side because it does involve the sport the story is based around, but discusses the emotional problems that each of the players faces.
It discusses the personal problems of the captain of the team, Hutch. It tells of his conflicts with the star of the team, Daryl, who plays the position Hutch wants to play, shortstop. As the book progresses, they hate each other more and more, both hating each other out of jealousy. Daryl hates Hutch because he is captain, and steals his fire, while Hutch hates Daryl because Daryl gets attention from Hutch's dad in one instance, and Hutch feels he does not. Hutch's conversations with his dad consist of them sitting in front of the tv, his dad drinking a beer, and saying, "hey," to Hutch. Soon Hutch learns that his dad doesn't hate him, but he feels empathy knowing that baseball is Hutch's dream, and like him, that dream may be broken.
The Big Field puts out the message of how important it is to work as a team. Daryl and Hutch's conflict almost gets Hutch kicked off the team, which could cost them the championship. Without a team, it is impossible to play a team sport. The novel also discusses that one should not be heartbroken by a failed dream. Hutch's dad had tried to pursue his dream of becoming a pro baseball player, but he was let down. After he failed the pursuit of his dream, he never played baseball again.
This novel has panache. Although I am not into sports books, this novel was interesting due to the internal man vs. self conflicts. Whether one plays a sport or not, they should read this book.