The Hit Men and the Kid Who Batted Ninth

This is not just a book about baseball, but a story about dreams and the diverse path each of us takes, if we choose to reach for those dreams. It is about the discipline and commitment it takes to do the right thing. Not just some of the time, but all of the time.

Dave Siroty covers all the bases and hits a home run that even Mo Vaughn would be proud to call his own.

The Hit Men and the Kid Who Batted Ninth is a fine evocation of four big leaguers and their common beginnings. It's a tale of friendship and determination that baseball fans of all stripes are sure to enjoy.

Baseball will always be a sport that gives us the best stories. And the best of those are about players, people like the four in The Hit Men and the Kid Who Batted Ninth.

David Siroty knew Mo Vaughn, Craig Biggio, and John Valentin when they were household names only in their households. In this book, he humanizes them as few others could. Given the compelling way Siroty writes about their college teammate who didn't make it to the bigs as a player but made it big in life, Marteese Robinson could be on the verge of becoming a household name too.

You will want to cheer loudly for Mo Vaughn, Craig Biggio, John Valentin, and Marteese Robinson. From college to the major leagues, these former teammates learned valuable lessons, endured, and made it to baseball's highest level without forgeting their roots. This is a book sports fan and athletes—at every level—should read.

A well-crafted story of four men who are great ballplayers on the field, but greater human beings off of it. Marteese Robinson's journey in and out of baseball is a story that had to be told...an inspirational must read.

This book is a wonderful read about a good bunch of guys from a great team in a golden era. It's a bird's eye look at how boys became men and how dreams were fulfilled under the watchful eye of a coach named 'Shep.' Dave Siroty takes you out to the ballgame and never lets you miss a pitch.

In the newly published book, The Hit Men and the kid that Batted Ninth, author David Siroty follows the lives of former Seton Hall baseball teammates Mo Vaughn, Craig Biggio, John Valentin and Marteese Robinson.