Review of "Clown at Second Base," by C. Paul Jackson

 Review of

Clown at Second Base, by C. Paul Jackson

Four out of five stars

Very good, but dated book of adolescent sports fiction

Bucky Bushard is a second baseman with a lot of both talent and attitude. Although he loves to play baseball and is an excellent player, his propensity to clown and make fun of others rubs people the wrong way. He is somewhat tolerated most of the time, but when his stunts show people up, especially the umpires, or cost his team runs or even games, there is no tolerance.

 This story is very much within the genre of adolescent sports fiction of the fifties. There are no females in the story, and the conversation is somewhat artificial. His team is the Detroit Tigers, and it is fighting for a position in the World Series at a time when the payoff was relatively big money. Every time when Bucky seems to have righted himself, he impulsively carries out a clowning stunt that is detrimental to the team. He even physically fights with his shortstop, the man on the team that he must be most in tune with.

 The book has the Tigers clawing their way out of the second division to a point where they have a chance to win the league pennant. Hence, there is a big game at the end. While Bucky is a sparkplug, he does not carry the team in the sense that he alone is making the key hits that win the games.

 Overall, this is a story that moves along at a good clip, presents problems and dilemmas to be solved and demonstrates how teamwork and not individual play wins games and championships.