Safe at Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic » (Bargain)

Alyssa Milano starred on such iconic TV shows as Who's the Boss? and Charmed. She continues to act and produce while also running Touch, the sports-clothing line for women that she founded. In addition, she is a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and the lead ambassador for Global Network. She lives in Los Angeles.

Alyssa Milano is in love; she has been for some time. But the object of her affection isn't the subject of tabloid gossip or an actor; in fact, it isn't even a guy. It's a game, a game of nine innings that uses a ball made of leather and cork. A game called baseball.

Now in Safe at Home, Alyssa Milano, the mind behind the bestselling sports-clothing line Touch, tells the story about her lifelong obsession with baseball, revealing what the game has meant to her and why everyone should take a chance on nine innings. Like it does for so many of us, Alyssa's baseball story begins with a father. A native Brooklynite who scorned the Dodgers for abandoning the city he loved, her father was reunited with the team when he and his young daughter moved out west for a fledging TV show called Who's the Boss. It was then that Alyssa learned one of the fundamental truths of the game: No matter where you are, no matter how old you are, baseball connects you to your past.

As it turned out, the Dodgers were just the beginning. More than simply a book about the Dodgers, Safe at Home offers a view from the bleachers unlike any other, as Alyssa gives a fan's perspective on the heart-ache, headache, and joy that make every baseball season worth following. From arguing about the importance of baseball history to appreciating the quiet months of the off-season to criticizing Major League Baseball's response to the steroid scandal, Alyssa intertwines her thoughts about the game with stories from her life, bringing an intelligent, wry, and entertaining female voice to the world of baseball writing.

Throughout all the shifts in Alyssa's life—the madness of growing up a child star, having to navigate life's most awkward phases in front of the cameras—baseball has been her one constant, a distraction that was always welcome. Whether you're already a fan or you need some convincing, Safe at Home makes a compelling case for why baseball is and always will be America's game. The end result is a unique and unexpected book that is equal parts memoir, manifesto, and love letter to our national pastime.

Foreword Joe Torre ix

Author's Note xiii

Introduction 1

1 The First Pitch 7

2 Our Pastime's Past Time 20

3 Heroes and Villains 37

4 (Baseball x Age) - Playoff Appearances = Life 61

5 The Numbers 75

6 Baseball Finds You When You Need It Most 87

7 The Art and Science of Being a Fan 103

8 Cheating Through the Ages 125

9 If I Were Commissioner for a Day (or Three) 144

10 All You Need Is gLove 162

11 The Off-Season Blues in G 180

12 The Clothes Make the Blogger 198

13 The Final Out 220

Glossary 230

Acknowledgments 242