{"product_id":"the-batboy-9780142417829","title":"The Batboy","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eHeat\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTravel Team\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eMillion-Dollar Throw.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBrian is living every baseball kid's dream: he is a batboy for his hometown Major League team. Brian believes that it's the perfect thing to bring him and his big-leaguer dad closer together. And if that weren't enough, this is the season that Hank Bishop, Brian's baseball hero, returns to the Tigers for the comeback of a lifetime. The summer couldn't get much better  Until Hank Bishop starts to show his true colors, and Brian learns that sometimes life throws you a curveball.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMike Lupica is one of the most prominent sports writers in America. His longevity at the top of his field is based on his experience and insider's knowledge, coupled with a provocative presentation that takes an uncompromising look at the tumultuous world of professional sports. Today he is a syndicated columnist for the New York \u003ci\u003eDaily News\u003c\/i\u003e, which includes his popular \"Shooting from the Lip\" column, which appears every Sunday.\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe began his newspaper career covering the New York Knicks for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Post\u003c\/i\u003e at age 23. He became the youngest columnist ever at a New York paper with the New York \u003ci\u003eDaily News\u003c\/i\u003e, which he joined in 1977. For more than 30 years, Lupica has added magazines, novels, sports biographies, other non-fiction books on sports, as well as television to his professional resume. For the past fifteen years, he has been a TV anchor for ESPN's \u003ci\u003eThe Sports Reporters\u003c\/i\u003e. He also hosted his own program, \u003ci\u003eThe Mike Lupica Show\u003c\/i\u003e on ESPN2.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1987, Lupica launched \u003ci\u003e\"The Sporting Life\"\u003c\/i\u003e column in \u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003e magazine. He has published articles in other magazines, including \u003ci\u003eSport, World Tennis, Tennis, Golf Digest, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, ESPN: The Magazine, Men's Journal\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eParade\u003c\/i\u003e. He has received numerous honors, including the 2003 \u003ci\u003eJim Murray Award \u003c\/i\u003efrom the National Football Foundation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMike Lupica co-wrote autobiographies with Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells, collaborated with noted author and screenwriter, William Goldman on \u003ci\u003eWait 'Till Next Year\u003c\/i\u003e, and wrote \u003ci\u003eThe Summer of '98, Mad as Hell: How Sports Got Away from the Fans and How We Get It Back\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eShooting From the Lip\u003c\/i\u003e, a collection of columns. In addition, he has written a number of novels, including \u003ci\u003eDead Air, Extra Credits, Limited Partner, Jump, Full Court Press, Red Zone, Too Far\u003c\/i\u003e and national bestsellers \u003ci\u003eWild Pitch\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBump and Run. Dead Air \u003c\/i\u003ewas nominated for the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best First Mystery and became a CBS television move, \"Money, Power, Murder\" to which Lupica contributed the teleplay. Over the years he has been a regular on the \u003ci\u003eCBS Morning News, Good Morning America\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour\u003c\/i\u003e. On the radio, he has made frequent appearances on \u003ci\u003eImus in the Morning\u003c\/i\u003e since the early 1980s.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis previous young adult novels, \u003ci\u003eTravel Team, Heat, Miracle on 49th Street, \u003c\/i\u003e and the summer hit for 2007, \u003ci\u003eSummer Ball\u003c\/i\u003e, have shot up the New York Times bestseller list. Lupica is also what he describes as a \"serial Little League coach,\" a youth basketball coach, and a soccer coach for his four children, three sons and a daughter. He and his family live in Connecticut.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Young Readers Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50620401713426,"sku":"9780142417829","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_5b906b0d-9398-4447-84a7-386b35cf9bc6.jpg?v=1732565413","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-batboy-9780142417829","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}