Out of My League

The Classic Hilarious Account of an Amateur's Ordeal in Professional Baseball

By: George Plimpton, Jane Leavy - introduction

Narrated by: Robert Fass

This baseball classic that Ernest Hemingway called "beautifully observed and incredibly conceived" includes a foreword from Jane Leavy and never-before-seen content from the Plimpton archives.

The first of Plimpton's remarkable forays into participatory journalism, Out of My League chronicles with wit, charm, and grace what happens when a self-professed amateur has the chance to answer every fan's question: could he strike out a major league star?

Plimpton's inspired idea -- to get on the mound and pitch a few innings to the All-Stars of the American and National Leagues -- begins as a fun-filled stunt and comes to a deeply hellish, nearly humiliating end. This honest and hilarious tale features Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Whitey Ford, Ralph Houk, and other baseball greats and is "a baseball book such as no one else ever wrote, and one of the best ever."-New York Herald Tribune

Critic reviews

"Beautifully observed and incredibly conceived, this account of a self-imposed ordeal has the chilling quality of a true nightmare. It is the dark side of the moon of Walter Mitty."—Ernest Hemingway

"A baseball book such as no one else ever wrote, and one of the best ever."—New York Herald Tribune

"Out of My League copes with the problem of the imaginary nightmare of walking every batter and the glittering triumph (the shutout) of striking them out, one after the other."—Marianne Moore

"It's all there: the humor, the classical allusions and the verisimilitude that makes you feel that you were not only there to see it but suffered through it with George."—Allen Barra, Dallas Morning News

"A delight--more entertaining, if possible, than I remembered... the reader leaves George Plimpton's wide world of sports with deep reluctance.... His prose is as elegant and seemingly effortless as Ted Williams's swing or an Arnold Palmer iron shot.... His teammates recede--like the old baseball players vanishing into the cornfield in Field of Dreams, taking their magical world with them but living on in fond memory."—Edward Kosner, Wall Street Journal

"Sports memoirs, like humor collections, rarely outlive their authors, but Plimpton's books have aged gracefully and even matured. Today they have the additional (and unintended) appeal of vivid history, bearing witness to a mythical era."—Nathaniel Rich, New York Review of Books

Thoroughly enjoyable

Loved it. Plimpton's writing is exquisite, especially if you're a baseball fan. The narrator is fantastic, not just with the author's voice but with the voices of the various characters sprinkled throughout the book. It will be done before you're ready for it to end.

You Cannot Go Wrong With Plimpton

Any additional comments?

Plimpton was good. Super good. He reads like Fitzgerald. So, in a way, and this is a leap mind you, consider this: Nick Carraway decides to take it upon himself to experience what it’s like to pitch in the majors. And, in classic scholarly fashion, he’s unaware that he’s ill-prepared.

Great listen

Wonderful story
A boys dream come true George tells a wonderful tail of every boys dream
Pitching in the stadium

Mildly Entertaining

Plimpton's writing is dated snobbish and self absorbed. He scores some points on vividness, observation and self knowledge.