MAN ON SPIKES

A novel of baseball waves few pennants, but manages some power hitting through the story of one of its casualties, Mike Kutner. Picked up off a coaltown high school team by a scout who recognizes that Mike, in spite of his size- and glasses, plays ""smart baseball"" and has a dedicated determination to play Big League ball, Mike gets a contract but warms the bench for manager Phipps who later, with some dirty playing, is the one to teach him that you hold your own in ""any way that ain't assault to a cop and ain't illegal to an umpire"". The war is a setback for Mike and he never gets beyond the minors; the commissioner is pressured out of his attempt to get him the release for an offer from a Major team; his wife, Laura spends ten years of marriage in hotels without the security of a home or the compensation of children; and Mike's confidence takes on a bitter edge. Finally, after 16 years, he is called up to Chicago for an important game- finds it's too late.... Hardbitten, this is a professional perspective of the game as it is played and managed, and much of the momentum is still there.