Last Year's Minor League Phenom Is 1980's Major League Literary Hit

"He gave not 110%, which is a meaningless hype phrase, but as close to 100% of himself as any player the game has known. He was a gifted ballplayer but, in my opinion, not quite gifted enough to become one of the game's alltime greats on talent alone. That he did become one is a tribute to such tired old virtues as determination and hard work. He was born a star; he made himself a superstar."

Well, I could go on and on in praise of Art Hill, but a ball game begins in an hour—by happy coincidence, a game between my Orioles and Hill's Tigers. I will be watching on television, and I hope Hill will be in the stands at Tiger Stadium. We'll be rooting against each other, but cheering together for the great old game. And I hope Hill will be taking notes for a third book; one of the many virtues of I Don't Care If I Never Come Back is that it leaves the reader hungry for more.