Overview

Baseball's most outspoken fireballer brings the high heat--calling out the hacks, cheats, and ridiculous rules that have tarnished the game--and pitches a-plus stuff on how to make baseball pure, fun, and damn near perfect. Baseball has an image problem. The chorus of nonbelievers gets louder every year, and the Major Leagues have made an art of tuning them out. Enter Joe Kelly: a walking, talking, fast-ball-throwing embodiment of why baseball matters. He and his All-Star team of athletes and celebrities have some things to say about what's gone wrong with our once great game and how to fix it. A Damn Near Perfect Game is the loudest insider's exposé of the laws and culture of Major League Baseball since Jim Bouton's classic Ball Four. From Kelly's perspective as a two-time World Series champion and baseball's most memeable player according to ESPN, he takes readers on a house-cleaning tour of the clubhouse, the field of play, the bullpen, the front office, the commissioner's office, and a ballplayer's restricted life off the field. Kelly has something to say about baseball's rule changes (pitch clocks, limiting defensive shifts, the designated hitter); hacks (overused analytics, sign-stealing); stale promotion to new fans; and encouraging players' emotions (let them fight, bat-flip, and talk sh*t!). Plus, he details how he aired his complaints in an illuminating meeting with commissioner Rob Manfred. And to show what happens when baseball has some piss and vinegar, Kelly gives the inside scoop on his legendary exploits--starting a bench-clearing brawl with the Yankees' Tyler Austin, his famous ""pouty face"" scene when calling out the notorious sign-stealing Houston Astros, and wearing a mariachi jacket to visit the White House with his World Series champion LA Dodgers.

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9781635768893

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Sneak peak of Joe Kelly's interviews with celebrities in the book: Just to have favorites that you latch onto forever is such a huge part of baseball. My favorite player, for instance, has to be somebody off the Big Red Machine. It's like your first favorite song as a kid. You have favorite songs as an adult but it never quite matches what you listened to when you were a teenager. Every time you walk into that ballpark. Every time you see that one player, witness that one play. These are the kind of emotions no other sport can offer. --Rob Lowe, actor There are just so many things about baseball that offer those life-defining moments. I play hockey, but I never forget about baseball. That's what the sport does to you. --Torey Krug, professional hockey player I can tell you, there is nothing like the feeling of being at the top of the mountain. The man! Baseball draws that out. Everybody wants to be good and have that kind of control over your situation. -- Dennis Eckersley, hall-of-famer Complete List of Joe Kelly's celebrity interviewees/supporters of the book: Rob Lowe (actor) Julian Edelman (NFL star) Billie Jean King (tennis legend) Dennis Eckersley (Hall of Fame pitcher) Torey Krug (hockey player) Andy Cohen (TV personality) Blink 182 (Music group) Joel Madden (Musician) Justin Turner (Outfielder) Mookie Betts (Outfielder) David Ortiz (Former MLB star) David Rutherford (Navy Seal) Dio Saucedo (Professor of Psychology) Batting Stance Guy (Professional imitator of batting stances) Bryce Harper (Outfielder)

Just to have favorites that you latch onto forever is such a huge part of baseball. My favorite player, for instance, has to be somebody off the Big Red Machine. It's like your first favorite song as a kid. You have favorite songs as an adult but it never quite matches what you listened to when you were a teenager. Every time you walk into that ballpark. Every time you see that one player, witness that one play. These are the kind of emotions no other sport can offer. --Rob Lowe, actor There are just so many things about baseball that offer those life-defining moments. I play hockey, but I never forget about baseball. That's what the sport does to you. --Torey Krug, professional hockey player I can tell you, there is nothing like the feeling of being at the top of the mountain. The man! Baseball draws that out. Everybody wants to be good and have that kind of control over your situation. --Dennis Eckersley, hall-of-famer Also featured in A Damn Near Perfect Game...Rob Lowe (actor) Julian Edelman (NFL star) Billie Jean King (tennis legend) Dennis Eckersley (Hall of Fame pitcher) Torey Krug (hockey player) Andy Cohen (TV personality) Blink 182 (Music group) Joel Madden (Musician) Justin Turner (Outfielder) Mookie Betts (Outfielder) David Ortiz (Former MLB star) David Rutherford (Navy Seal) Dio Saucedo (Professor of Psychology) Batting Stance Guy (Professional imitator of batting stances) Bryce Harper (Outfielder)

This is the message that sports fans need now more than ever: Baseball is life, and life is baseball. Joe Kelly gives us the gift of this book to serve as a perfect reminder. --David Ortiz, 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee This book represents an important message for all who want to understand the greatness of our game, and there is nobody more equipped to deliver it than Joe Kelly. A Damn Near Perfect Game is the ultimate wake-up call for sports fans. --Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers, former Boston Red Sox, Two-time World Series Champion, 2018 American League Most Valuable Player, Six-time All Star Joe Kelly is a fan favorite wherever he goes. A passionate competitor who rides hard for the uniform he wears, Joe brings the same intensity to this very important book. It's a great look at our great game--America's pastime--from someone who still lives life on the diamond. --Rob Lowe, Golden Globe Award-winning and Emmy Award-nominated actor, diehard baseball fan Further testimonies by...Andy Cohen (Television Personality)John Hamm (Actor)Dennis Eckersley (Hall-of-famer) Torey Krug (Professional Hockey Player) Nestor Cortes (All-Star Pitcher)Mark Hoppus (Musician)Rob Friedman ( Pitching Ninja )David Ross (Manager)Bo Bichette (All-Star Shortstop) Alex Cora (Manager)Adam Wainwright (All-Star Pitcher)Kurt Busch (NASCAR Driver)Dylan Cease (Pitcher)David Price (All-Star Pitcher) Matt Strahm (Pitcher)Julio Rodriguez (All-Star Outfielder)J.D. Martinez (All-Star Designated Hitter)Travis d'Arnaud (All-Star Catcher)Kyle Schwarber (All-Star Designated Hitter)Joe Mantiply (All-Star Pitcher)Cory Seager (All-Star Shortstop)Ken Griffey Jr. (Hall of Famer)Ian Happ (All-Star Outfielder)Liam Hendricks (All-Star Pitcher)Ty France (All-Star First Baseman)Paul Blackburn (All-Star Pitcher)Mookie Betts (All-Star Outfielder)Paul Goldschmidt (All-Star First Baseman)Max Fried (All-Star Pitcher)Austin Riley (All-Star Outfielder)David Bednar (All-Star Pitcher)Shawn Green (Former All-Star Outfielder)CC Sabithia (Former All-Star Outfielder)Anthony Volpe (Top Infield Prospect) Tai Bradley (Top Pitching Prospect) Mike Burrows (Top Pitching Prospect) Terry Francona (Manager)

Just to have favorites that you latch onto forever is such a huge part of baseball. My favorite player, for instance, has to be somebody off the Big Red Machine. It's like your first favorite song as a kid. You have favorite songs as an adult but it never quite matches what you listened to when you were a teenager. Every time you walk into that ballpark. Every time you see that one player, witness that one play. These are the kind of emotions no other sport can offer. --Rob Lowe, actor There are just so many things about baseball that offer those life-defining moments. I play hockey, but I never forget about baseball. That's what the sport does to you. --Torey Krug, professional hockey player I can tell you, there is nothing like the feeling of being at the top of the mountain. The man! Baseball draws that out. Everybody wants to be good and have that kind of control over your situation. --Dennis Eckersley, hall-of-famer Further testimonies by...Andy Cohen (Television Personality)John Hamm (Actor)Nestor Cortes (All-Star Pitcher)Mark Hoppus (Musician)Rob Friedman ( Pitching Ninja )David Ross (Manager)Bo Bichette (Shortstop) Alex Cora (Manager)Adam Wainwright (Pitcher)Kurt Busch (NASCAR Driver)Dylan Cease (Pitcher)David Price (Pitcher) Matt Strahm (Pitcher)Julio Rodriguez (All-Star Outfielder)J.D. Martinez (All-Star Designated Hitter)Travis d'Arnaud (All-Star Catcher)Kyle Schwarber (All-Star Designated Hitter)Joe Mantiply (All-Star Pitcher)Cory Seager (All-Star Shortstop)Ken Griffey Jr. (Hall of Famer)Ian Happ (All-Star Outfielder)Liam Hendricks (All-Star Pitcher)Ty France (All-Star Outfielder)Paul Blackburn (All-Star Pitcher)Mookie Betts (All-Star Outfielder)Paul Goldschmidt (All-Star First Baseman)Max Fried (All-Star Pitcher)Austin Riley (All-Star Outfielder)David Bednar (All-Star Pitcher)Shawn Green (Former All-Star Outfielder)CC Sabithia (Former All-Star Outfielder)Anthony Volpe (Top Infield Prospect) Tai Bradley (Top Pitching Prospect) Mike Burrows (Top Pitching Prospect) Terry Francona (Manager)

Author Information

Joe Kelly is a ten-year major league veteran, having won the World Series with both the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He also went to the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, the franchise that selected him in the third round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. He currently plays for the Chicago White Sox. Kelly is a Southern California native who shares three young children with his wife, Ashley. Rob Bradford has covered the Boston Red Sox for more than twenty years, covering Major League Baseball for the Lowell Sun, Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, Boston Herald, and WEEI. He has written two books: Chasing Steinbrenner: Pursuing the Pennant in Boston and Toronto and Deep Drive: A Long Journey to Finding the Champion Within, the best-selling autobiography of World Series MVP Mike Lowell.

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