The concept of the extraordinary character in a poem, short story, novel, or movie is one of the foundations of creative writing, in my opinion. A mild mannered man or woman with superhuman powers like night vision, incredible strength, and lighting fast speed – tucked away under their business attire. A misunderstood student, banished to the back of the classroom, who solves the most difficult math equations in his head, then solves cold case mysteries later on in life as a police detective. A child who overcomes personal tragedy, racism, loss of family members who then digs deep in her beautifully pure soul to create an unexpected change of epic proportions on a global scale. In the story, we call them the hero, call them a superhero, call them a game changer, or perhaps call them a phenom.

Prior to the start of the 2024 Major League Baseball season, I received an email request to read and potentially review a book about a phenom, a game changing pitcher. Here is a snippet of the email’s synopsis of the book, The Fireballer, by Mark Stevens – “Frank Ryder is unstoppable on the baseball field — his pitches arrive faster than a batter can swing, giving his opponents no chance. He’s being heralded as a game-changing pitcher.” Ok, I was immediately intrigued to find out more about Mr. Ryder, his background, his phenomenal approach to pitching, and his game-changing ability on the mound. I accepted the book review offer and received the book soon after. After reading and reviewing two other baseball books, I finally read The Fireballer on the way to and home from Tacoma last week.

As the email suggested, the main character is phenom professional baseball pitcher, Baltimore Orioles fireballer Frank Ryder. To say he is unhittable is not quite strong enough an adjective. He is generationally gifted on the mound, surpassing records game by game that many thought could never be touched or broken. Is Frank aware of his talents? Yes. Does he accept his place in Major League Baseball? For the most part. Are there any unresolved issues from his childhood that still haunt him on the mound? Absolutely. So, what is a pitcher to do who throws insanely dangerous fastballs with incredible speed and accuracy, and has a serious mental illness situation brewing?

Who does he turn to for help? His family, his girlfriend, strangers at a bar, his teammates, his coaches, a doctor? Many have given suggestions, many have offered solid advice to deal with his mental blocks to happiness and contentment. Why does Frank feel such a heavy burden despite all of his personal success as a professional baseball player? What happened to scar Frank Ryder so deep emotionally? What path must he walk to redeem his soul, to lift the heavy burden so he can truly be happy? And who is the one person he needs to face to make all of this turn from ugly to beautiful?

Baseball fans who read The Fireballer will recognize names of professional players, teams, stadiums, even sportswriters and announcers. For me, it gave the book a pseudo feel of fantasy and reality, a reality that someday us baseball fans might get to experience a Frank Ryder type pitcher. There is talk about how the game polices itself when it comes to the integrity of the game. And how it regulates itself when the game feels like one player, one team has a decided advantage over the others. If you follow player union vs owner negotiations, contract talks, and arbitration hearings like I do, you will appreciate some of the back and forth offered between owners, players, coaches, general managers, and the phenom Frank Ryder when it comes to policing the game. Should Frank Ryder be allowed to pitch and dominate and make everyone look like they are playing checkers when he is playing chess? So what is fair when it comes to competition? Frank Ryder has his opinions as do the baseball owners and the fictitious commissioner.

If you can relate in any way to a mental block interfering with your quality of life, of work, or in a relationship, you will appreciate the personal journey of Frank Ryder. Success is not always defined in wins and losses. Do you look yourself in the mirror and love the person staring back at you? Can you humble yourself in a work situation and apologize for wrongly accusing a co-worker of stealing? Can you knock on that door and know that the person answering it may throw a glass of water in your face in disgust? And then knock again, and when the door opens to say you are truly sorry? If you can relate to having a mental issue preventing you from achieving your goals in life, work, or in a relationship, read about Frank Ryder’s journey and see if you can extract any wisdom for a situation you are dealing with in your personal or professional life.

For the baseball fan, for the fan of the phenom, for the fan who can appreciate a humble hero, I give you The Fireballer, by Mark Stevens. And here is how you can get your copy – The Fireballer.