Boots Day; A Life in Baseball by Joseph D. Collea Jr.

Description

Boots Day: A Life in Baseball is not your typical sports book. On one level, a young boy’s dream to become a Major League baseball player is chronicled. The narrative recounts his steady climb op through the minor leagues until the final goal is achieved: in 1971, when he became the starting centerfielder for the National League’s Montreal Expos. Boots would eventually play six years at baseball’s highest level. Were his story to end there, an interesting tale could be told about how he had grabbed a highly-prized brass ring that countless others have also tried to do for almost a hundred-and-fifty years, but the destiny of which so many have wound up short of achieving.

However this particular young man’s career in the sport that he loved did not end when his playing days were over, and therein lies the second level of his story. Boots ultimately stayed the course for a total of 55 years. During this time, he functioned as a scout, coach, and manager at both the major and minor league levels–all on one year contracts for a variety of teams scattered across the United States and Canada as well.

Few among us can say that they never had to “go to work,” but rather instead always “went to the game” in pursuit of our respect livelihoods. Boots could–for five-and-a-half decades. Along the way, he got to visit a countless number of cities and towns, take part in a host of exciting games, meet many of baseball’s biggest stars, and befriend a bevy of players, coaches, managers, and fans. For some, living the life of a veritable nomad would not be their cup of tea, but for Boots, the miles traversed and jobs held were acceptable trade-offs in order to stay rooted in the sport.

In the process, he established an enviable reputation for being a man of perseverance, commitment, and dedication, creating both a legacy and lesson for everyone that transcends baseball. Though firmly rooted in the world of sports, his career exemplifies not only the personal satisfaction that can accrue from a job well-done, but also provides the inspiration for all those who have dreams to which they aspire that, yes, they can be achieved in more than one way.