You Know Me Al - by Ring Lardner (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This classic piece of baseball fiction takes readers on the witty and exciting journey of big leagues as they join player Jack Keefe on his journey as a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox.

First published in 1914, You Know Me Al is an all-time classical baseball tale that takes readers into the life of Jack Keefe, a bush league baseball player who earns as spot in in the majors as a Chicago White Sox pitcher.

Set in pre-World War I America, letters that Keefe sends to his "old pal" Al reveal Keefe's self-centered, regular struggles to maintain his spot in the big leagues, keep his personal life under control, and juggle his financial difficulties.

Filled with Keefe's tales from on and off the field as he travels with the team, Ring Lardner's writing is full of wit, insight, and entertainment.

From the Back Cover

"You Know me Al" is a classic of baseball--the game and the community. Jack Keefe, one of literature's greatest characters, is talented, brash, and conceited. Self-assured and imperceptive, impervious to both advice and sarcasm, Keefe rises to the heights, but his inability to learn makes for his undoing. Through a series of letters from this bush-league pitcher to his not-quite-anonymous friend Al, Lardner maintains a balance between the funny and the moving, the pathetic and the glorious.

Nostalgic in its view of pre-World War I America--a time before the "live" ball, a time filled with names like Ty Cobb, Charles Comiskey, Walter Johnson, and Eddie Cicotte--this is not a simple period piece. It is about competition, about the ability to reason, and most of all it is about being human. First published in 1914, "You Know Me Al" says as much to us about ourselves today as it did seventy-five years ago.

About the Author

Ring Lardner was a sports columnist and acclaimed short-story writer. He worked for several newspapers throughout his career. His stories were notoriously filled with satire, grammatical errors, and everyday events.