A baseball prodigy since the age of 10, Pat Jordan had been interviewed
on television and written about in newspapers at an early age. Signed as
a pitcher by the Milwaukee Braves upon his graduation from high school,
he believed his success would continue for years to come. But after
three diminishing seasons in the minor leagues, he was cut from the
roster and began painfully constructing a new life. In the wreckage of
his baseball career, Jordan found new success as a writer. In 1975, he
published his classic memoir, A False Spring, which Sports
Illustrated hailed as "one of the fifteen sports books everyone says
you must have." But his past and early promise still tugged at him. So,
at age 56, Jordan decided to pitch again.
A Nice Tuesday chronicles Jordan's decision to return to the mound,
his struggle to get back into shape, and his ultimately successful quest
to pitch for the Waterbury (Connecticut) Spirit--despite the aches and
pains of middle age, his fear of not being taken seriously, and his own
quixotic sense of enterprise.
Capturing the magic and wonder of sport as well as the painful process
of self-discovery, A Nice Tuesday is a stirring and poignant study of
a man reaching into his past and trying to rewrite the biggest failure
of his life. In coming to terms with the lost dreams of his youth,
Jordan finally arrives at peace with his past and with himself, and in
doing so, he has created a book destined to become a classic.
