The Big Field | Mike Lupica | A genial, fast-paced adventure that should interest young sports fans

The Big Field | Mike Lupica | For baseball fans everywhere

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The Big Field

	The Big Field Mike Lupica Philomel, 2008 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Playing shortstop is a way of life for Hutch?not only is his hero, Derek Jeter, a shortstop, but so was his father, a former local legend turned pro. Which is why having to play second base feels like demotion to second team. Yet that?s where Hutch ends up after Darryl ?D-Will? Williams, the best shortstop prospect since A-Rod, joins the team. But Hutch is nothing if not a team player, and he?s cool with playing in D-Will?s shadow?until, that is, the two shortstops in Hutch?s life betray him in a way he never could have imagined. With the league championship on the line, just how far is Hutch willing to bend to be a good teammate?

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A genial, fast-paced adventure that should interest young sports fans

Mike Lupica, the veteran sports columnist for the Daily News in New York, is not content to rest on his laurels. In addition to his adult audience, he's reaching out to younger readers, trying to teach them lessons on the field that can be extended to everyday life. His previous works in the genre include HEAT, TRAVEL TEAM, SUMMER BALL and MIRACLE ON 49th STREET.

His latest offering is THE BIG FIELD, the story of Hutch Hutchinson, a star shortstop for his American Legion team who is displaced by Darryl "D-Will" Williams, a better player with a questionable attitude.

Despite the natural misgivings, Hutch is willing to take one for the team, giving way to Darryl and moving over to second base. The parallel to Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez is unmistakable. So is the tense relationship as the two 14-year-olds vie for dominance. Darryl has his mind set on being the "next big thing," already attracting the notice of scouts and the media. Hutch, on the other hand, is content to live in the here-and-now, with the sole goal of playing for the regional championship at the minor league venue of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Hutch is joined in his quest by Codey, his best friend and affable sidekick. It's not too far a stretch to think of the trio as a less dangerous version of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy, with bats replacing magic wands.

As the team moves through the rounds of competition to put them in the big game on The Big Field, Hutch must deal with several issues: his continuing resentment of his rival, his perhaps over-consuming love of baseball, and his relationship with his father, himself a heralded player who still has trouble dealing with his failure to make it to the major leagues.

Lupica does an admirable job of presenting the drama of the games, which, with the attention to strategy, often feels more like a chess match. But several elements fall into the area of cliché: Hutch's team is obviously talented, but they're considered underdogs since they are in the low age range, 14- and 15-year-olds competing against players up to three years their seniors (the player pictured on the dust jacket seems more like 10 than 14). And although Hutch does have a couple of momentary setbacks, he nevertheless comes through when it counts, a baseball savant --- wise beyond what should be his ken --- who seems to have no other interest than to excel at his game.

The fact that everything works out to the good despite the blips is also somewhat unrealistic, but hey, this is fiction.

Overall, THE BIG FIELD is a genial, fast-paced adventure that should interest young sports fans.

--- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan

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For baseball fans everywhere

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Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Keith "Hutch" Hutchison, the hero of sportswriter Mike Lupica's latest young adult sports novel, loved playing shortstop for his baseball team in Florida. Then Darryl Williams came along and took over at short, forcing Hutch to move to second base.

Worse than the sting of losing his old position, though, is the hurt Hutch feels at the absence of his father from his games. A former baseball player who saw his dreams crushed, Hutch's dad can barely bring himself to watch his son play. So when Hutch sees his father giving Darryl some playing tips, he has a whole new reason to dislike his teammate.

During a summer when their team is fighting to win the state championship and the chance to play on TV, Hutch's rivalry with Darryl threatens the team's chances, and he must come to grips with his father and his teammate to be the team player he needs to be.

While THE BIG FIELD doesn't bring anything new to the sports genre, this is an engaging read. Mr. Lupica throws in plenty of references to current baseball players, which brings even more realism to the story. The characters seem very true-to-life, and anyone who's ever played a sport or just loves baseball can relate to it.

Reviewed by: Katie Hayes

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Baseball, Father, Team

Reviewed by Ben Weldon (age 10) for Reader Views (6/08)

"The Big Field" by Mike Lupica is definitely a book for baseball lovers. Follow Keith "Hutch" Hutchison as he and his team push their way to the finals. Can Hutch overcome problems with a teammate? Will Hutch's father ever take notice of him? Will his team get to play on "the big field"?

Keith Hutchison, known to his friends as Hutch, is a fourteen-year-old baseball fanatic. He pretty much thinks of nothing but baseball. He has been shortstop "forever." He is the team captain of the Boynton Beach Post 226 Cardinals, and his team has a shot of making it to the State Championship. When Darryl "D-will" Williams, a star shortstop, moves to town, Hutch is forced to become second baseman. He makes the sacrifice for the good of the team but it is with grief and several fist fights.

As if it weren't bad enough to lose his position, Hutch finds his father playing ball with D-will. Hutch feels betrayed. His father, a former baseball player, won't even watch a baseball game with Hutch, let alone play ball with him. He barely speaks to Hutch and rarely even attends his games. Why is his father like this? Will Hutch ever be able to have a relationship with his father?

Full of baseball jargon, this book is all baseball and lacks a strong plot. Readers who do not know much about baseball, baseball teams and baseball players might feel a bit lost.

I would recommend "The Big Field" to people who want to read the sports page - this book is for them!

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For the love of the game

Fourteen-year-old Keith "Hutch" Hutchinson loves baseball, and he loves being the shortstop, the guy in the middle of all the action. Unfortunately, he's been moved to second base to make room for Darryl Williams, a kid with tons of talent but not the best attitude. But Hutch is still the team captain and he takes baseball seriously. He's a good team player, he works hard and doesn't show off, even when he hits a home run. His dream is to attend a private baseball school up north and make it to the major leagues. His father was a star player in his day as well, but he missed his chance and doesn't offer Hutch any encouragement, not wanting his son to put all his hopes in one long-shot basket. It bothers Hutch that his father isn't more involved with him, but it's too much when he shows up early for practice one day and finds his father coaching and giving pointers to Darryl.

My son who loves baseball and I read this together. Even though Hutch's passion for baseball is obsessive, there was plenty to relate to here. My hope was that it would give my son an idea of how a baseball player should *think* on the field, but while the story is heavy on jargon it's a bit light on fundamentals. It's also pretty long (or at least *felt* that way) and not always the most interesting read. The conflicts with his father and with Darryl offered some fairly interesting plots, and some of the scenes during games were quite exciting and dramatic, but overall it felt kind of formulaic and like it just wasn't a very substantial story. We both liked it, but it wasn't real high on our list.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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