Rating: 
Summary: A great baseball book
Review: As a diehard baseball fan and a devoted follower of the Cape Cod League, I was thrilled to finally find a book that chronicled a season in the country's best college summer league. Collins didn't disappoint. Writing from the perspective of a former player and with a keen eye for detail, Collins perfectly captures the aura and mystique of the Cape league while carefully weaving the tales of what really makes the league special--the people. His narrative flows perfectly, its ebb and flow mirroring that of a baseball game. And his insight into the minds of college baseball players--into their hopes and dreams, their fears and shortcomings--is stunning. Anyone who loves baseball, anybody who loves real stories of real people trying to live a dream will love this book.
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Summary: All that's great about baseball
Review: I received this book as a gift and it was a very pleasant surprise. Somewhere between Little League and the Major League lies the Cape Cod League. Since I was a kid reading Baseball America, I have been intrigued with the lure of this quiet amateur summer league nestled in the heart of New England. Where basketball has the reknowned Nike summer camps, baseball has this unheralded league that attracts the nation's best college players for three months of a surreal existence of working by day and playing by night (evoking memories of a young Archibald Graham from "Field of Dreams"). This book does something special: preserve the spirit of the young men that head to these sleepy vacation towns every summer with dreams of playing the big leagues as well as the community that awaits them, prepared to provide an education they could never get in college. It's hard to read this book without getting lost in this world that seems a million miles from the majors. You see these future professional athletes at an awkward stage of their careers where they struggle to balance aspiration and the end of adolescence. The cast of characters spans an amazing array of talent, drive, and desire. This book invites you spend a summer with them, watching them grow up and learn about themselves in a unique environment. As a former player whose career never made it past high school, I was constantly reminded of why baseball is so special to those of us who really appreciate the full scope of the game. It goes beyond ball and strikes. It's the comraderie, the strategy, the mental games, and the team dynamic. The egos, the tempers, and the arrogance. The romance of the game is embodied within this book and anyone who appreciates the power of baseball will love "The Last Best League".
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Summary: Thanks for the memories
Review: I was fortunate to have played 3 summers (1965-1967) for the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League - An experience that far overshadows all of my other baseball accomplishments - I fell in love with the town & the league from the minute I first arrived.But as the years have past, the memories have dimmed, until I read Jim Collin's book "The Last Best League" I have to admit that I personally know many of the key characters, which alone would indicate that I should enjoy reading the story, but Jim's easy flow writing style invited me in and I didn't want to leave. As bizarre as it may seem, as the story developed, I found myself totally absorbed as if I was actually there being a part of the scene. Whether it was in the dugout, at coach Schiffner's house discussing strategy or just walking around Chatham. If you are a baseball fan this book is a must. It clearly takes the reader for a ride as the best college baseball players in the country begin to feel the pressure, as the competition mounts, and their dreams of playing major league baseball may either be achieved or shattered based on their summer's performance in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Thanks for the memories Jim - I enjoyed the ride Ed Baird
Rating:
Summary: Great book about the Cape Cod League
Review: I worked for several years in baseball operations for two Major League Baseball franchises, and to this day, one of my greatest experiences was spending three weeks scouting at the Cape Cod League. Jim Collins does an excellent job of portraying the league, its management, scouts, fans, coaches and players. He brings several angles to the book, showing that not all players get along, that there are "classes" of players, and that 20-year old boys will act like, well, boys. For the casual baseball fan, this is an excellent look at something other than the Major Leagues. For the die-hard fan, it is a must read.
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Summary: Cape Cod at its best
Review: If you have been vacationing on The Cape for your whole life or if you've never stepped foot near the Sagamore Bridge, this book will win you over. It's wonderfully written and has marvelous insight not only into the Cape Cod Baseball League but the lives of these young men during what is no doubt the best summer of their lives. Overall it's an excellent read and it really makes you want to go down to a FREE game on the cape and watch baseball the way it was meant to be played.
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Summary: One Summer, One Season, One Great Book
Review: Jim Collin's book is THE most enjoyable sports book I have read in over a decade. Maybe it's the ephemeral beauty of a single Cape Cod summer, maybe it's the timeless coming of age saga, or maybe it's just a story of three individuals, any one of whom could be a brother, a friend or a neighbor. I believe it is all of these - you don't just read this book, you feel it - the Chatham fog, the building summer heat, the unmet athletic expectations and the frustration of players sensing their athletic futures unravelling with each unsuccessful at bat. The stories flow together seamlessly . . . I'll be looking for more from Jim Collins.
Rating:
Summary: A Grand Slam!
Review: Jim Collins masterfully chronicles a season in the Cape Cod League -- a summer baseball league for collegiate players with professional aspirations. Collins follows one campaign of the Chatham A's, one of the most popular teams in this league. Along the way we are introduced to a series of memorable characters, such as John Schiffner, the intense manager of the A's who moonlights as a high school teacher and coach the rest of the year, Jamie D'Anotona, a talented, immature, and complex collegiate star, trying to find his way both in baseball and the world, and Blake Hanan, a likable middle infielder who has focused his life on becoming a professional baseball player. Hanan's experience is probably a descriptor of the entire league, for Cape Cod is where dreams and reality intersect. Many in the league will go on to the professional game, some even signing for huge bonuses with major league clubs, while others, such as Hanan, will find their hopes for the professional game dashed through a summer of intense competition. As we learn more about each of these individuals, Collins paints an idyllic picture of small towns who bond with their hometown teams, of the crack of the wood bat as opposed to the ping of aluminum heard in the college game, and the purity of a game that is played for joy rather than for money and endorsements. Enjoy The Last Best League! It is a true reading pleasure for any fan of the game!
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Summary: Great book about the Cape Cod League
Review: My sons and I gave this book to my husband for Father's Day. But I couldn't put it down once I started reading it! I spent my college summers on Cape Cod and we are avid fans of the Cape Cod Baseball League (with a special place in our heart for the Chatham A's.) Last week I had the joy of reading this while sitting on a Cape Cod beach. The writing is exceptional, the enthusiasm of the fans authentically represented, ... and the dreams, emotions and antics of 20 year olds during a summer on Cape Cod... well you will have to read it for yourself. Jim Collins does a fabulous job bringing it all together -- the beauty of the Cape, the showcase of these outstanding college ball players, the presence of the scouts, the local volunteer power and commitment behind the league, and the best of baseball before many future stars become celebrities. We have always felt that the Cape Cod Baseball League is the "best" of baseball, but Mr. Collins adds so much more as to why it truly is the "last best league."
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable, informative read for any baseball fan.
Review: My sons and I gave this book to my husband for Father's Day. But I couldn't put it down once I started reading it! I spent my college summers on Cape Cod and we are avid fans of the Cape Cod Baseball League (with a special place in our heart for the Chatham A's.) Last week I had the joy of reading this while sitting on a Cape Cod beach. The writing is exceptional, the enthusiasm of the fans authentically represented, ... and the dreams, emotions and antics of 20 year olds during a summer on Cape Cod... well you will have to read it for yourself. Jim Collins does a fabulous job bringing it all together -- the beauty of the Cape, the showcase of these outstanding college ball players, the presence of the scouts, the local volunteer power and commitment behind the league, and the best of baseball before many future stars become celebrities. We have always felt that the Cape Cod Baseball League is the "best" of baseball, but Mr. Collins adds so much more as to why it truly is the "last best league."
Rating:
Summary: Nostalgia...
Review: Once I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down! Growing up, we spent several weeks each summer in Chatham, and some of my favorite memories are going to the Chatham A's baseball games. Jim Collins does an outstanding job of capturing the atmosphere of Chatham and the other "baseball towns" on the Cape. He also writes of the love and dedication that Cape Cod residents have for their teams, and the fanaticism with which they attend games. Watching the games as a child, they just seemed like good fun to me, and it was something that everyone in the area enjoyed. However, since reading this book, I've come to understand just how important the Cape Cod League is to promising baseball players. Even now, all grown up, I still enjoy going the those games whenever I go home, although I now look at it with a new perspective. Even if you've never read a sports-related book before this (like myself), I think you'll truly enjoy Jim Collins' portrayal of one of the last places in the USA where baseball is viewed the way it is...
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