THE BEAUTY OF A DIAMOND THROUGH THE EYES OF A COACH

Clouser’s testament to the virtues of America’s pastime.

Few people have such a singular passion as Clouser does for baseball. A longtime player, he turned his attention to coaching after realizing his big league dreams were beyond the fences. Inspired by his courageous mother, his book begins with a memorial to her selflessness and commitment to giving back. Among these memories, Clouser recounts his mother’s indifference and his own astonishment after learning she had lunch with a famous baseball player through the organization where she worked. (She recalled only that the player was a very nice man.) Clouser learned from his mother that there’s more to a man than what he does for a paycheck, even if that check comes from playing professional baseball. He provides many other heartwarming examples of his mother’s humility and how it had a lasting effect on him. Following his love for the game, Clouser helped found the Berkshire Baseball Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching young players the virtues of sportsmanship inherent in the sport. Among his noble goals is to teach young players, particularly those with lofty aspirations, that baseball doesn’t last forever, even for the greatest players, so he sets out to prepare kids for a moral life off the diamond. Clouser’s advice has a tendency to become sentimental and preachy, but his earnestness is genuinely affecting. Ultimately, Clouser’s story and his passion for the game will leave readers longing for a simpler time when the world revolved around the diamond.

Although sometimes redundant and self-evident, this solid advice could be a handy tool for instructors.