Mr. Base Man

Billy Wold is only moments away from winning the biggest game in his school's history, when his dream is crushed by the best player in the state. Humiliated, Billy vows never to play baseball again. However when he's hired to pitch batting practice for a Major League Baseball team, he regains his passion for the game. Billy then falls in love with the owner's daughter and his life couldn't be better, until he discovers that the same player who destroyed his chance of winning the most important game of his young life is now stealing his girl.

Thirty Years later, Billy Wold unexpectedly runs head long into a memory that he has spent so long to forget when he is pitted against his arch rival who is now married to the owner's daughter. Billy still carries a torch for his teenage girlfriend and he has never forgotten or forgiven what his antagonist did to him.

Finally, Billy has a chance to revenge the defining moment of his youth by defeating his nemesis and winning back the love of his life. As Billy seeks to capture his prize, he finds out that much of what he once thought was true is a lie. Can Billy, now armed with the truth, change anything this time around?

Mr. Base Man is a family-oriented story that brings the innocence of youth, the nostalgia of the sixties, the warmth of the deep south and the fascination of baseball. The talented but young character gets so close to success that he can reach out and touch it, but he never understands why success is always beyond his grasp. The story has a strong and manipulative female who would stop at nothing to help her father save their Major League franchise, as well as an arrogant future Hall-of-Famer who always seems to get his way at Billy's expense.


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Q&A with the Author

Q. Tell us about Mr. Base Man?


The story is a classic struggle of a boy, and later as a man, thirsty to find himself after a life of missed opportunities. He is given the chance to redeem his past failings in love and life, but finds that he is falling into the same destructive behavior. Can the man change or is he just wired that way? To the main character's satisfaction, the answer seems to be a little bit of both, as he copes with the strong emotions of love, deceit, competitive fervor and revenge.


Q. What inspired you to write Mr. Base Man?


In 1967, my high school baseball team was playing in the Minnesota regional finals against the #1 team in the state, who also had the top major league prospect on their roster. I pitched that game, and threw a five hitter, allowing the only two earned runs all season. My team had won all the previous playoff games by large margins, most by the "ten run rule." In this game, we only had a couple of hits, and no runs. We lost to a team that went on to win the state championship. We all were stunned by our poor performance and wanted a rematch, but of course, we never got one. The loss was carried with us for the rest of our lives. 25 years later,I was playing in a men's over 40 baseball tournament in Florida. I was surprised to find that a team from Minnesota was in the finals. Even more interesting, they were from the same town that beat us in the high school regional finals. Checking their roster I found out that the same top ranked player was playing. I was scheduled to pitch in the finals. At long last, I might have had a chance to put those past demons to rest. However, my Florida team lost in the semi finals, and my chance for redemption was lost forever. But was it? What if the rematch game did happen? Out of deep disappointment, a great story line was born for Mr. Base Man.


For more Q&A with the author, check out mrbaseman.com