Distant brothers

A tragedy - the death of an abused toddler; in counterpoint - a light satire, in farce, of professional baseball Joe Minley, a foul-tongued, self-proclaimed despiser of children, is a 28-year old ex-industrial worker forced into disability retirement. To escape "Philly" and to pursue, unsuccessfully, his ex-live in, he moves into a small apartment building in nearby Wilmington. Here he encounters Bibbie, a 17-month old toddler, his eight-year old sister, Arsha, their drug-prone "bitch" of a mother, and her scum boyfriend, Dack. His early contempt for Bibbie and Arsha is slowly converted into a profound sympathy - and an "avuncular" love - fueled by his emotional contacts with the complex and tragic relationships of their dysfunctional "family." Joe's ingrained antipathy for kids of all ages is constantly reinforced by bad behaviors, ranging from appalling to merely aggravating, of various young characters throughout the manuscript. Against these incidents, Joe's hatred of the abusive "bitch" and her scum ball "Dack" grows his guilt of inaction. Bibbie's ultimate death by child abuse brings Joe to an emotional state of muttering and collapse. Joe's younger brother, Homer (for whom Joe has suppressed contempt) is "not too smart," but has an uncanny skill at hitting a baseball. Although he has no other baseball skills, he becomes indispensable to the Baltimore Flags. His batting average, and his manager's bursting frustration, creates a major league phenomenon. Alternating chapters contrast tragedy (Joe) and farce (Homer) in Joe's conversion and collapse with a light satire of organized baseball and many of its key venues.--Back cover.