This is the last Henry Wiggen story. This time when we meet up with Henry, he is a flagging veteran, just let go as lefty pitcher for the New York Mammoths. In this day and age he would have been traded years ago, but in the world of Mark Harris, Wiggen hangs on. He still wants to play, even if it means playing in an obscure Japanese town no one can find on a map, or as a relief pitcher anywhere else. However, Henry is now 39 years old with looming health and family issues. His prostate is squawking and his daughter, Hilary, is a screamer; she screams for no apparent reason. Henry has to adjust to being a normal citizen without the perks he once had as a famous athlete (although, interestingly enough, he didn't know what being famous actually meant). A good portion of the story is Henry trying to get back into baseball while at the same time trying to mollify his screaming daughter. ( )

Reading the fourth and last book in Mark Harris's Henry Wiggen series, I was very sad to bid Wiggen goodbye and to see the story of his world come to an end. A season veteran of thirty-nine years, Wiggen has been released by the only ball club he's ever played for. He still feels able to pitch in short relief, so he's determined to sign on with somebody somewhere. Mixed with the trials and tribulations of coming to terms with the uncertainty of life after baseball and in retirement are Wiggen's grappling with a midlife crisis and a difficult youngest of four daughters prone to fits of screaming. The Henry Wiggen series has truly set itself apart in the world of baseball fiction because it lacks the usual sentimentality usually associated with good baseball stories. Harris stays true to Wiggen's character, cultivating his mannerisms and speech and showing plainly his disregard for good spelling and grammar in favor of getting to the point. This book is an absolute must for fans of the series, and the series is an absolute must for fans of any sport.