I picked up this book because of Keith Olbermann claiming it was one of the best baseball books ever. And as an avid baseball fan, I do enjoy reading books written by past players or knowledgeable individuals of the game. Overall I enjoyed Bullpen Gospels, but there were moments during Hayhurst's narrative that I felt he went overboard in his descriptions. I have never been a fan of so-called gross out or "toilet" humor, whether in books or movies. A little bit of this type of humor goes a long way, and Hayhurst could have easily mentioned these moments in his minor league career in fewer words. It doesn't take much to get the picture when mentioning these examples of "growing up", he didn't need to spend half a chapter describing it.
Overall, Hayhurst does capture the absurdities, the antics, and the bizarre humor that comes out when you spend a summer with a busload of teenage or young adult ball players. There are moments when you find yourself humbled and chocking up, especially when he describes a phone conversation with his alcoholic brother, who is asking to be forgiven. It is these moments of hard-won wisdom that salvages the book for me.
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