Miracle Ball: My Hunt for the Shot Heard 'Round the World

by Brian Biegel and Peter T. Fornatale

Book Overview

Nothing short of mind-blowing . . . Just amazing stuff--Newsday

A fast-paced, fascinating tale that combines shoe leather, high-tech forensics and some healthy dollops of luck....Biegel makes a compelling case that he's solved the mystery...his book is a home run. - Associated Press

October 3, 1951. Giants third baseman Bobby Thomson hit the most dramatic home run in the history of baseball. The moment occurred...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307452697
• ISBN13: 9780307452696
• Release Date: June 2010
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Great sports story

I like to take my time reading books. But not this one. Miracle Ball was read by me in a very short amount of time because, honestly, I could not put it down. The author is fantastic in bring the flavor of people's stories to the readers, and his search for the Shot Heard 'Round the World was amazing. If you like Baseball, you will love this book. I did, and I am not really a baseball fan! Buy it today, highest rating!

Baseball... Columbo... and Monk... A Mystery Solved after a Half Century

"MIRACLE BALL... MY HUNT FOR THE SHOT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD" by Brian Biegel is a superb blend of baseball and mystery. Even though I was personally devastated by the Bobby Thomson home run that ended the 1951 season for my beloved Brooklyn Dodgers, I found the book and its ultimate resolution to be fascinating (albeit it painful!) reading. Considering my lifelong interest in baseball, I was surprised that I had never heard this fascinating tale of a never-give-up sleuth (Biegel) performing in the style of Columbo and Monk. For those who enjoy sports lore wrapped up in a whodunit (or, more appropriately, "whohasit") should enjoy MIRACLE BALL! --R. Howe / Erskine, Minnesota

A Book You Just Can't Put Down

This is a compelling and riveting book about a man's search for the legendary 1951 "Shot Heard Round the World" baseball, more than 50 years afterwards. It is also the story of his triumph over depression and despair. I could not put this book down and spent more of my day off than I should have reading it cover to cover nearly non-stop. To be sure, it helps to be a baseball fan; and if you lived in the New York area in the 50s and 60s, as I did, the book will have great nostalgia value as the author meets and interviews famous baseball figures. It helps, too, if you love a mystery, for this book is really something of a mystery story that happens to be about baseball. The writing, sequencing, and pacing isn't perfect, but you'll pay no attention to that, because the story itself is so gripping. You'll travel with the author to a simpler day in America when baseball was truly the national sport. You'll meet top players, sportswriters, and fans that were fanatic in only the way Dodger and Giant fans of the era could be. And you'll end up in the New Mexican desert in a turn of events that demonstrate the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction, and that the impossible can be done if only you believe in yourself and never give up. I won't spoil the ending for you here. Get the book and start to read it. Put it down if you can, but you won't be able to. This is one of the best books of any description that I have read in a long while. Although you would not expect such a thing from a book such as this, it will give you faith, and hope, and courage in your own life to carry on and complete your own journeys, whatever they may be.

One of the best books I've read in years!

If you're baseball fan and love a good mystery, this book is for you. I couldn't put it down. The book gets better and better with each chapter. But Miracle Ball is more than just a book about baseball. It's a touching and heart warming story of Brian Biegel's struggles and how the hunt for for the "Miracle Ball" ends up being a life-changing experience. I was deeply touched by Miracle Ball and hope you have the same experience reading it as I did. I can't say enough good things about this book. If you have one book to read this summer, make it Miracle Ball. I thank Brian for including us in his adventure and journey. It's a great ride and a wonderful read. DON'T MISS READING THIS BOOK!

Hit it out of the park

Brian's book will touch anyone who had a dream and refused to give it up- regardless of the obstacles they faced. His story is thick with twists that only real life can provide. His journey, to an improbable ending, is mixed with highs and lows, the strange path bound every step in unconditional love. For those who never chased their dream or for those who never risked giving up everything to find the truth, may this book be a reminder that there is still time. If this man, in the condition he was in, can accomplish this unlikely goal, imagine what you can do! "You gotta be strong!" "You gotta be strong!"