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In his memoir about a life rooted in the grasslands of the American Midwest, John Price proves that neither mountains nor seashore is required to make for an interesting environment.

When most people think about baseball, they usually don’t link the sport with poetry. But Line Drives: 100 Contemporary Baseball Poems is an enjoyable eye-opener into the many diverse facets of our national pastime.

Tim Wiles shares more poetry from the collection

Most of the titles in Line Drives are simple, such as Richard Brautigan’s “A Baseball Game.” But this piece, which deals with a disturbed fan, and many others in the collection of works by 92 poets, touch on complicated issues. The ironic “Polish-American Night, Tiger Stadium,” by Jim Daniels, deals with unforeseeable events that take place on the field and in people’s lives. In Robert Collins’ “Catch,” the poet digs into the psychological impact of baseball on family relationships. Who knew that fathers playing catch with their sons could be so complicated?

One highlight of Line Drives is a poem written by the late Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Dan Quisenberry. In “Baseball Cards,” he dissects the sacrifices of being a professional ballplayer and how the game shaped his life:

glory years catch action shots
arm whips and body contortions
a human catapult
the backs of those cards
cite numbers
that tell stories of saves, wins, flags, records
handshakes, butt slaps, celebration mobs
you can’t see
the cost of winning
lines on my forehead under the hat
trench line between my eyes
you don’t see my wife, daughter and son
left behind

With Line Drives, editors Horvath and Wiles have compiled a brilliant collection of poetry that looks beyond the bright lights of the world of baseball. It offers a fresh view of players and fans, and helps explain America’s love affair with baseball.

Read Exerpts from Line Drives >>

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