A Coach's Letter To His Son
by Mel Allen & John Thompson
Published by Creative Editions
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Reviewed by Michele E. Davis
Allen's powerful words and Thompson's photo-realistic paintings create a beautiful poignant baseball book dedicated to not only fathers and sons, but also some of the great players, like Bobby Schantz, Robin Roberts, Ted Williams and John Matlack. This book is a dedication to all the loving fathers (and mothers too) who played baseball, or simply played catch with their young children.
But once the father realizes that his son's "...face is taut, the face of someone who is chewing food he does not enjoy," he realizes that, "Sports are too hard to play unless they are played with joy. I write this to say to you that I want to start over. I want to put away the instructional tapes and the clinics and the winter talk about summer tournaments."
The father wants baseball to once again be a joyous event that he shared with his son. Not a competition where the fun is gone because everyone, players and parents, coaches and scouts, are all too concerned about winning. The father wants "...to forget about perfect form, but instead find delight in putting all your strength and happiness into a swing." Simple delights are what the father is searching for with his son, instead of the high pressure of making it big in baseball.
Great for any age child and their parents too!
Armchair Interviews says: An excellent book with beautiful hand-drawn pictures and sentimental text.