December 27, 2014
I had to remind myself, upon waking just a couple of hours ago, that today is Saturday and that I have many days off still ahead of me. So I've kicked back, and read a recent novella by one of my favorite authors in one sitting. Blockade Billy is very brief, and because of the engaging narrative voice (King's biggest strength as an author), it was very entertaining.
It's a baseball story for sure, but also a thriller. The narrator is a former baseball coach called "Granny." He's in a retirement home. King skillfully includes himself as a silent character who is listening to Granny tell the story of "Billy Blakely." This young man was sent up from the minor leagues in Iowa to fill the catcher spot on the Titans, a team out of Newark. He seems "slow" but good-natured, and turns out to be a hell of a ball player. He becomes good friends with the successful but narcisstic pitcher, known as the Doo. Everybody on the team likes him. But something's off here.
For one, "Billy" pulled some shit in his first game, injuring a player who was headed for home using a small razor on a ring on his finger, hidden from coaches and officials by a Band Aid. And, while Billy has good personal stats, his team doesn't have a stellar season. It's observed more than once that young Billy may be bad luck.
I won't give away what happens at the end. This is a great short read, whether you're a baseball fan or not. I have no love for the game, but the reverence in the tone of the narrator seemed genuine. King grew up on the east coast and is a man of a certain age, so undoubtedly he loves baseball himself. But I didn't find the references difficult to follow. Trust me, this novella is much more than a baseball story.
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