Mr. Bardenwerper found in this sometimes-ignored town and team a purity that the big leagues have relinquished in the rush for big money ... This is a story about sporting competition, but really it is a tale about community.
A reminder of the many things Americans love about the sport ... The book is not without flaws. It hovers between memoir and narrative nonfiction, but isn’t really either; it lacks the introspection of memoir and some of the important elements of narrative. ... Clichés, it must be said, abound ... Bardenwerper knows he’s sentimental, but he’s sincere ... The book finds its footing in the second half, when Bardenwerper begins following the Muckdogs toward a championship game in 2022 ... It’s Bardenwerper’s goodwill that makes this book work—his diligent reporting, yes, but mostly his honest frustration with the way baseball is changing and his sincere belief that things can get better.
An empathetic writer who understands the stakes of what’s happening in Batavia and what it portends for the rest of the country, Bardenwerper is the perfect chronicler of this shrinking slice of Americana ... Much has been written about America’s loneliness crisis, but there was no sign of it at Dwyer Stadium ... In Batavia, the magic and the mystery and the intricacies of the game still exist.
