MYSTERY COACH

Though it may only be Little League, Chris and his, gang field the dugout slang with ease -- which will give young readers something to turn over on their tongues, if not in their minds -- as the mystery coach who relays instructions via anonymous telephone calls very soon reveals himself to be none other than smart-aleck Steve Herrick's wheelchair-bound father. Mr. Herrick's appearance in the flesh magically enables the feuding Blazers to go the route, but this mystery man seems like little more than a spin-off from the more enigmatic George Baruth, coach of The Kid Who Only Hit Homers (KR, 1972).