Playing for First by Chris Paynter

Playing for First
by Chris Paynter
Pages: 210
Date: September 15 2014 (Orig. June 1 2009)
Publisher: Companion Publications
Series: Playing for First (1st in series)

Review
Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
Read: June 7 2016

This is the first book I've read by this author.

The book follows several characters, but from the point of view of one (unless I got confused, I know the next book follows the point of view of two people, Amy Perry and Lisa Collins; I believe the first one, and this is what I get for waiting until after I read two books before writing anything, is only from Lisa Collins point of view).

Lisa Collins is a writer for both a local Indianapolis newspaper, and for Minorleague.com. When she comes across an interesting story involving a major league baseball team taking a close look at a baseball player, Collins goes to investigate. When that team invites that player to winter league with a good possibility of then having that player join a minor league team in their system, Collins comes up with a proposal for her MinorLeague.com bosses involving Collins following along and reporting on the games as they occur.

I was attempting to be somewhat subtle there, though I'm sure anyone reading this review already knows two things - whom that baseball player probably is, and the part wherein that baseball player happens to be a woman. So, yeah, it appears that a Major League team, the Cincinnati Reds to be exact, is interested in testing the concept of allowing a woman play for them.

Following Amy Perry, that female baseball player, through the eyes of Lisa Collins, sportswriter, as Perry moves along on the possible path to breaking into the major leagues is quite fun and interesting. But the book is more than just a sports book. There's also a bit of romance in there. And, for those who care about such things, graphic displays of a sexual nature.

Several thoughts I had while wandering along in my reading:
The dating of a writer with her subject, had a vaguely 'icky' feeling; the dating occurred a lot quicker in the story line than I expected (I do not recall now if it was 'Hey Collins, this is Perry; Collins to Perry - 'let's date'; Perry to Collins - 'sure'; but it was close enough to that to make things weird; since Collins had already committed to a really long lengthy project that would force her to be away from her home for a longish period of time to report on Perry's progress. What if their relationship imploded? What if it didn't? What if it got awkward to interview your lover? Not an issue? Well . . . apparently not an issue for Collins).

I was set to be annoyed about the 'lesbian character who needs to remain in the closet, while at the same time attempts to have a relationship'; and yet I was more annoyed with the other party in that relationship. Since Perry's 'public outing' of her lesbian nature could quite easily destroy her chances of fulfilling her life-long dream of breaking into the major leagues. Or, at the very least, be an extra little layer that a team might not want to tackle at the same time as tackling everything else.

I’d insert something here about how Jackie Robinson was neither the best Negro League baseball player playing at the time Robinson was scouted, nor the only Negro League baseball player scouted. This book here kind of had a vague vibe that made it seem as if Amy Perry was the only possibility available for a major league team; while at the same time including the part where Perry played for a professional baseball team. A female team. Which, obviously enough, meant that there were other female baseball players out there. Of course, Perry was the one that people, and scouts, thought should have already had a chance to play for a major league team, or in a major league system, but for the fact she was female. While not having that thought about other female players. Still, it was never a certainty that any woman would get the nod, nor that, if one did, that Perry would be that player. Point being, that adding an extra layer of ‘issue’ might have knocked Perry out of the running. The book makes note that there’s just been one professional athlete who came out as being gay or lesbian while still playing, and that it isn’t exactly a profession open to the concept (there have been others since the book’s publication – many of whom possibly cut short their career by being open).

Hmm. Interesting. The team Perry gets sent to was the Chattanooga Lookouts. On April 2, 1931, 17 year old Jackie Mitchell, while playing for the Lookouts, struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. The baseball commissioner promptly voided her contract.

Hmmx2. On June 24 2015 the first female player was added to major League Baseball’s international registration list. That being Melissa Mayeux, a 16 year old French short-stop. http://nymag.com/betamale/2016/05/women-could-be-in-the-majors-sooner-than-you-think.html

Right, got distracted. And to think all I was going to note was that I was more annoyed with Collins reactions to Perry needing to remain in the closet than with Perry needing to remain in the closet.

But that’s something of a misdirection/red-herring. Those who notice my shelves might notice certain issues that seem odd. Like, say, the ‘fell-for-friend’ one. Perry and Collins were not friends before they started dating. Course the ‘love-triangle’ one kind of gives the game away in and of itself. Yes, this is a book that involves more than one coupling. Involving one person tangled up in the same coupling. Weirdly, or not, some of the same shelvings work for both couplings, including the age-difference one. And, for that matter, the butch-butch one.

Collins goes from a relationship involving someone 8 years younger than them, to a relationship with someone 15 years older than them. When she moves from 27 year old Amy Perry to 50 year old Frankie Dunkin, a long time friend of Collins.

In terms of relationships/romance: things bordered on the edge of things that annoy me, that I dislike (like, say cheating); but things kept just on the side of the border wherein things remained enjoyable without becoming unbearable.

In terms of sports: that was handled quite well. Following the trajectory of Perry playing for a female baseball team against a minor league male team, to going to winter ball, to going to a minor league team; etc. Enjoyable experience.

Overall: Obviously enough I liked the book so much that I immediately acquired and read the next book in the series. A good solid effort by the author. Quite good for a baseball book.

June 8 2016