Calico Joe: A Novel

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Review Praise for Calico Joe “Grisham knocks it out of the park.”— The Washington Post “An enjoyable, heartwarming read that’s not just for baseball fans.”— USA Today “Grisham has hit a home run.... Calico Joe is a great read, a lyrical ode to baseball, small-town America, youthful innocence and a young boy’s search for heroes.” —The Buffalo News “[A] pleasure . . . Suffice to say [Grisham] knows his way around the ballpark as well as he does a courtroom. ” —The Washington Times Praise for John Grisham “Never let it be said this man doesn’t know how to spin a good yarn.” —Entertainment Weekly “Grisham may well be the best American storyteller writing today.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 1The tumor in my father's pancreas was removed last week in an operation that lasted five hours and was more difficult than his surgeons had expected. Afterward, they delivered the grim news that most people in his condition could not expect to live for more than ninety days. Since I knew nothing of the surgery, or the tumor, I was not there when he was given his death sentence. Communication is not a priority with my father. Ten years ago he divorced one wife and had found another before word filtered down to me.His current wife--she's either number five or number six--eventually called and, after reintroducing herself, passed along the barest of details about the tumor and its related issues. Agnes explained that my father was not feeling well and didn't want to talk. I replied that he had never wanted to talk, regardless of how he felt. She asked me to spread the news to the rest of the family. I almost asked "Why?" but didn't want to bicker with this poor woman.The rest of the family consists of my younger sister, Jill, and my mother. Jill lives in Seattle and, as far as I know, has not spoken to our father in at least ten years. She has two small children who have never met him, and never will. My mother, after surviving twelve years of marriage, got lucky and got out, taking Jill and me with her, and I have a hunch that the news of his impending death will have zero impact on her.Needless to say, we do not get together at Christmas and exchange gifts by the fire.After the phone call from Agnes, I sit at my desk and ponder life without Warren, my father. I started calling him Warren when I was in college because he was more of a person, a stranger, than a father. He did not object. He has never cared what I call him, and I have always assumed he prefers that I don't call him at all. At least I make the occasional effort; he never has.After a few minutes, I admit the truth--life without Warren will be the same as life with him.I call Jill and break the news. Her first question is whether I plan to attend the funeral, which is somewhat premature. She wants to know if she should try to visit him, to say hello and good-bye and go through the phony motions of acting as though she cares, when in fact she does not. Nor do I, and we both admit this. We have no love for Warren because he never cared for us. He abandoned the family when we were kids and has spent the past thirty years acting as though we do not exist. Jill and I are both parents now, and we find it inconceivable that a father can have no use for his own children."I'm not going," she finally declares. "Now, or later. How about you?""I don't know," I reply. "I'll have to think about it."The truth is that I know I will go see him. He has burned most of the bridges in his life, but there is one rather substantial piece of unfinished business that he has to deal with before he dies.My mother lives in Tulsa with her second husband. In high school, Warren was the superjock, and she was the homecoming queen, the most popular girl. Their wedding thrilled their small town, but after a couple of years with Warren all thrills were gone. I know they have not spoken to each other in decades, and why should they?"Mom, I have some bad news," I say into the phone, trying to seem sufficiently somber."What is it?" she asks quickly, probably afraid it is one of her grandchildren."Warren's sick. Pancreatic cancer, he has less than three months to live."A pause, relief, then, "I was assuming he was already dead."And there you have it. His memorial service will not be packed with grieving family members."I'm sorry," she says, but she is not. "I guess you'll have to deal with it.""I suppose.""I don't want to be bothered with it, Paul, just call me when it's over. Or don't. I don't care what happens to Warren.""I understand, Mom."I know he hit her a few times, probably a lot more than I realized. And he drank and chased women and lived the hard life of a professional baseball player. He was arrogant and cocky, and from the age of fifteen he was accustomed to getting whatever he wanted because he, Warren Tracey, could throw a baseball through a brick wall.We manage to move the conversation to the kids and when she might see them again. Because of her beauty and brains, she landed on her feet after Warren. She married a slightly older man, an executive for a drilling company, and he provided a fine home for Jill and me. He loves my mom, and that's all that matters.I doubt if Warren ever did. --This text refers to the mass_market edition. About the Author John Grisham is the author of forty-seven consecutive #1 bestsellers, which have been translated into nearly fifty languages. His recent books include The Judge's List, Sooley, and his third Jake Brigance novel, A Time for Mercy, which is being developed by HBO as a limited series. Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction. When he's not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system. John lives on a farm in central Virginia. --This text refers to the mass_market edition. Amazon.com Review John Grisham Amazon Q & A with John Grisham Q: What's your favorite baseball team? A: St. Louis Cardinals. My father was a Cardinals fan, as was my grandfather. When I was a kid growing up in the rural south, everyone listened to the Cardinals on the radio. We seldom missed a game. Q: What's your most memorable game--as player, coach, or fan? A: I played a lot of baseball when I was a kid and teenager, but I do not recall making any spectacular plays. When I coached baseball, my teams usually lost. As a fan, Game 6 of the World Series last year, Cardinals vs. Rangers, comes to mind. Q: Have you played or coached baseball? What position? A: I was an average high school baseball player with big dreams. I tried to play in college, but got myself cut in the fall practices. I was an outfielder with a weak arm. Q: Why are there seemingly more baseball books--both fiction and nonfiction--than other sports? A: Baseball is a uniquely American sport, and it is the oldest organized sport in the country. It has a rich and colorful history, and up until the last generation, it was the most popular sport for kids to play. Sadly, that is changing. Q: Who was the Joe Castle of your childhood--a player you revered? And was there a Warren Tracey? A: I was never much of a Red Sox fan, but I adored Tony Conigliaro. He was a great player, and a certain Hall of Famer. The beanball that struck him in the eye ruined a great career. Q: While researching Calico Joe , did you attend or watch games? Did you write any of the book at a stadium? A: I only write in one place, and that's my office at home. I take a lot of notes when I travel around and research, which I did for Calico Joe . Q: Did you employ any other behind-the-scenes techniques--watch old footage, interview players, read old issues of Sports Illustrated ? A: Yes, all of the above. I interviewed several former major league players. I read lots of old magazines, news articles, and books about baseball, and specifically, The Code . I found some footage of famous beanball wars of recent times. Q: Do the beanball or the brushback have a place in today's baseball? Even Joe seemed to accept them as "part of the game." A: Yes. There are times in baseball when a particular hitter must get hit. There are many reasons for this, but retaliation is always a factor. Problems arise though when the pitch is above the shoulders, and aimed at batter's head. If a pitcher does this intentionally, and they do it all the time, they are fooling around with a player's career. Throwing at a batter's head is never acceptable in baseball, even as retaliation. Q: Have you ever been hit? Have you ever hit someone else? A: Every baseball player gets hit. Fortunately, I was never beaned in the head. Our coaches never let me anywhere near the pitcher's mound, so I never hit a batter. Q: Do you love baseball? If so, why? Any concerns that the sport and its stars (as Warren gripes in the book) have changed? A: I still love baseball but it's not the game of my youth. The pro game today is dominated by money and, frankly, there is a lot of bad baseball being played. I find it frustrating, but I always get pumped at World Series time. College baseball is far more exciting. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Review Praise for Calico Joe “Grisham knocks it out of the park.”— The Washington Post “An enjoyable, heartwarming read that’s not just for baseball fans.”— USA Today Praise for John Grisham “Never let it be said this man doesn’t know how to spin a good yarn.” —Entertainment Weekly “Grisham may well be the best American storyteller writing today.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Read more