Rick Stevens was once a shy and introverted baby until eventually he picked up a baseball. He quickly chanced on that he had expertise as a tumbler yet suffered from nerves and rigidity. He pitched perfectly from a pitching mound his dad in-built their yard, but if he was once pitching in entrance of his friends he used to be so frightened and under pressure that he may possibly by no means practice as much as his strength. He had occasional flashes of brilliance – pitching no-hitters in summer time and wintry weather leagues - yet gave up after a mediocre yr in collage and joined the Naval Reserves. whereas in boot camp and a coaching university in San Diego he met a catcher named Tom Powell who had suffered many accidents and, like Rick, had dropped out of faculty to hitch the army. They have been either despatched to the army Base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to start their lively responsibility. The 12 months used to be 1965.
Tom signed as much as play at the military baseball crew in Pearl Harbor and confident Rick to provide it a test. With the aid of Laura Wallace, a military nurse at the base, Rick started taking meditation sessions. quickly he discovered to manage his rigidity point and to sit back whereas pitching. His good fortune at the diamond got here immediately, as did Tom’s. an enduring friendship developed.
Rick and Laura fell in love. yet there has been whatever she didn't inform him and whilst she did it nearly derailed Rick’s hopes and goals approximately baseball.
While pitching with the army, he met former significant league pitcher Clyde Shoun who helped Rick turn into even greater. ahead of Shoun used to be in a position to touch scouts he knew at the mainland, he died. Rick used to be by no means spotted until eventually he attempted out with an autonomous minor league crew in Santa Barbara presently after his energetic accountability interval ended. He started to event luck and at last was once spotted by means of a scout with the la Dodgers and signed a freelance.
An unbelievable upward push is greater than a baseball tale and the inevitable struggles to make it to the main leagues. it's also a love tale with its personal struggles. it's a tale concerning the friendships that increase in baseball that final an entire life. it's a tale approximately our favourite hobby.