Dear Baseball Gods: A Memoir

I hustled. I worked hard. I played the game the right way. Why did you let this happen?

I sat by beside a tree, staring at the ground, trying to decide what I would do next. The news was unthinkable—everything I worked for was now ruined. A second Tommy John surgery? Does anyone come back from this? What team would want a broken-down, injury-prone right-handed pitcher?

I had been through a lot already. Starting as a walk-on in college, I had to earn everything. I pitched on three hours sleep; lived in the clubhouse; played for a team that collapsed mid-season; fought through more arm pain than any kid should. I had to keep going. I took a deep breath and gathered up my strength for a second comeback. My story had a special ending...I just knew it.

Years later, I was finally forced to hang up my cleats. The next morning, I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize the man peering back. If no longer a ballplayer...who was I? What would I do? How would I get out of bed each morning without baseball as my compass?

When we choose a sport, we don't realize that one day it may both define and consume us.

In this philosophical memoir by former professional baseball player Dan Blewett, you'll learn what it's like to take the field terrified that this game may very well be your last. You'll learn how the mental grind of 140-game seasons, ruthless managers and heart-breaking injuries all take their toll.

But you'll also learn that there's a place at the top for those who were overlooked, counted out and given up on. Strength of will, belief in self, resolve and grit can carry a person through more than he or she realizes.

The Baseball Gods never made it easy...that's for sure.