Harvard Boys: A Father and Son's Adventures Playing Minor League Baseball

by Rick Wolff and John Wolff

Harvard has a reputation for turning out notable lawyers, doctors, politicians, and scientists--but not exactly for producing professional ballplayers. However, in the mid-1970s Rick Wolff transferred... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1602391041
• ISBN13: 9781602391048
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Quick, Engaging Read

Harvard Boys tells the story of a father and son's times in Minor League Baseball. No game has brought fathers and sons together more than America's past time, and this is truly evident in this recount. This account is heart felt, genuine, and a great read for any baseball fan.

Good book --enjoyed it!

I liked the book Harvard Boys. The book brings out the realities of baseball (good and bad). The book illustrates that baseball management people really are not very bright and are poor judges of talent. Baseball management think a pitcher has to throw 90+ miles per hour or they are not a prospect --tell that to Jamie Moyer (he wouldn't even get a looksee tryout today. In the book Wolff talks about how baseball is a game of rhythm and about being in the groove, yet guys are signed and then cut within days or a week... Players need a chance to settle into the surroundings and get 200 at bats to really be evaluated. A smart guy like Rick Wolff proves himself in spring training hits .300, does all the right things and yet still gets cut without a legitimate shot. -----That is not logical.. Baseball is run by old school thoughts and practices. Baseball needs to get rid of the good old boy system and update its evaluative techniques. There must be a place in baseball for smart guys from Harvard "who can play". Bottom line: When the book ended, I wanted to keep on reading....Enjoyable!

A Masterpiece.

When I first picked up "Harvard Boys," I didn't know what to expect. However, I was happily surprised! Despite this being John Wolff's first book, he has proved himself as an incredibly talented writer with a very natural writing style that lends itself to easy reading. I thought the book was very honest, and despite the fact that I have never played in the minor leagues, I found myself relating to his moments of uncertainty as well as moments of triumph. I especially liked all the parts that included Ian Church...I'm a big fan! A great book - I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

Instant Classic!!!

First off, I would like to say I enjoyed this book tremendously. As a former ballplayer myself, I was a little skeptical about how minor league baseball was going to be portrayed. I was afraid this book was going to be a cheap rip-off of the uber-successful movie Bull Durham. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that as I was reading, I felt as though I was living vicariously through John. It was like I was reliving the struggles and joys of having good and bad days at the plate. I really liked the commentaries comparing and contrasting the minor leagues from yesteryear to today. I thought that was a very original touch. Overall, Harvard Boys is an easy, very enjoyable read for everyone who loves the game of baseball and wants to get a sense of what minor league baseball is all about. -Ian

Hahvid Boyz

I finished this book in 6 hours. Anything that can shun my A.D.D that long gets 5 stars. However, when I saw the title of this book I thought it was some story of an ivy league fight club in some fraternity basement. I totally did not expect a father/son story of going from Hahvid to minor league baseball. I started reading just for laughs and my feet hurt after 25 minutes standing there. I finally said F it, and shelled out the 20 bucks and rolled home with it. About 5.5 hours later I finished the damn thing. Only get this book if you have a few hours to kill, its one of those books you will not put down till you finish it. The stories in here were not only fired up, but really interesting as well. Funny to hear a harvard grad talk about the struggles/laughs that minor league ball can bring about. The younger Wolf (John) is crazy.