Reviewed by Warren Maxwell

Hilarious, warmhearted, bite-sized stories of a cult softball team from West Virginia

“There can’t be too many people in this world who had more fun than we did tonight. And we got slaughtered in two softball games.”

Since 1998, a Bad News Bears-inspired softball team has been tearing up the fields of Morgantown, West Virginia. They’ve built a reputation around losing far more games than they win and having more fun than the winners—or anybody else for that matter. Dressed in “county orange” and white uniforms—as in “When I appeared before the judge, I was in my county orange”—Chico’s Bail Bonds have made a tradition out of playing chaotic, occasionally drunk softball, celebrating wins and losses alike at the 123 Pleasant Street bar, recounting the stories together, and then creating literary records of the events.

These records are mashups of familiar yet disparate genres. There’s a dash of the tall tale, the frenzied sports announcer, and the romantic writer who can memorialize the most insignificant moments, lift up failure, laugh at it, and love it. Sometimes Orange Is Almost Gold gathers hundreds of post-game write ups, stretching from 1998 to 2025, along with photos across the decades, stats, and pop out highlights of team members past and present.

“Anybody who has seen Porterfield in a pair of shorts will know that he has only two muscles in his legs. He pulled both of them.'”

I’ve never read a book quite like this one. It has charm, wit, adventure, and a strange anthropologic intrigue. It is a record of a unique kind of community, one that centers around sports yet values friendship and joy above anything as commonplace and shallow as winning. Even without any first-hand knowledge of Chico’s Bail Bonds or the many players who’ve filled its ranks, it’s difficult not to get swept up in the mythology of this rambunctious team.

Whether describing a disastrous loss (“Chico’s were dominated, humiliated, spit on, cummed on, and overmatched against a young and rejuvenated, hard charging Mega Corp, losing 19-1 in game 1 and 18-3 in game 2, goddamn!”) or memorializing team members who’ve passed away, there’s a special beauty to this book that comes from a sheer of-the-moment authenticity.

As is abundantly clear from the photographs included, nothing is hidden in this story of a multi-decade running softball institution. Here we see men of all ages playing amateur softball, cheering one another on, drinking, getting hurt, mostly losing, and absolutely loving it.

“Weak bats, tired legs, and empty souls. Chico’s Bail Bonds, the world’s most lovable softball team, shit the bed in the most lackluster of early season performances ever.”

The book’s layout, an explosive array of photos of all shapes and sizes clustered on pages alongside ever-expanding paragraph-long game summaries, grabs the eye and invites readers to bounce from story to story without necessarily following the linear chronology. Although years are organized together and each game is given at least a few sentences of description, the book exudes a rules-be-damned attitude that emphasizes fun over any specific method for reading.

At the end of the day, this book is a record, an archive of all the games and all the stories (excluding the Lost Years of 2003-2006 that may or may not have fallen victim to faulty storage), all the Chico’s inspired memorabilia and outrageous outfits, and all the “bonds” that were formed over twenty seven years. In that respect, it far surpasses its intended purpose—this is a hyper-local book that inspires, that makes you wish you were on that softball team.

Sometimes Orange is Almost Gold tells decades of comedic, full-hearted post-game stories about an unforgettable amateur softball squad.

Thank you for reading Warren Maxwell’s book review of Sometimes Orange Is Almost Gold by Jim Antonini and Suzanne Reynolds! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Reviewed by Alexandra Barbush

A fun and engaging sports novel about giving your all for the love of a team

Brad is an out of work biotech scientist who, months after being fired/resigning from his big time job, who still can’t seem to plant his feet firmly on the ground.  

He’s still a little sore from his divorce from his ex (Stephanie) and an unfair forced resignation from a good job. Instead of job hunting or dating, he pours his energy into seemingly small tasks, like gardening around the house. 

But even relaxing leisure activities seem to remind him of his former life; he needs everything to be just perfect. His highly executed life takes a turn though, when Stephanie’s    new boyfriend Connor drops out of his coaching job for their town’s preteen girl’s softball team. 

She wouldn’t normally ask, but since he played when he was younger, maybe it would be good for him.  

Going back and forth briefly in his mind, Brad takes the gig, only temporarily, until Connor can get back from his overseas business. Brad’s immediately thrust into the lives of “his girls” and the competitive world of 12 year old softball.  

Some of the girls have real skill, others are just there to have fun and maybe learn about the game. His perfectionism kicks in quickly, and while he’s calm and cool with the girls, he has to reel himself in and remember–it’s just a game.  

His team, the Marlins, aren’t good, and they aren’t really contenders for the championship. Slowly but surely, the girls improve and they start winning games, just in time for Connor to return.  

Brad convinces himself he’s glad to give it up: Dealing with pretentious coaches, angry parents and moody preteens isn’t his ideal time anyway. Buckling down and concentrating on the team has given him a new form of concentration, and he starts talks with other biotech scientists about starting up their own firm, one that will concentrate on results and not just the bottom line.  

When Connor’s business takes him out of town again, Brad’s thrown right back into the thick of girls’ softball.  He’ll have to juggle this responsibility with his newly budding business, and together, he learns more about himself than he thought.  

I’d recommend this book to those interested in coming of age stories involving teamwork and growth. It has plenty of sports, but it focuses much more on Brad’s character development, with the help of a few friends, his ex wife’s perspective and of course his team.  

In the beginning of the novel, we get the sense that Brad’s a little self-centered: he refused to have children with his wife, likes his routines, and has a rigid value system.  None of that seems to matter when he starts teaching his team the ins and outs of softball, dealing with the emotions and pressures of young preteen girls and their families. It’s an enlightening wake-up call for Brad, and he realizes he has a lot to give. Throughout the season, his relationships, confidence and sense of self all improve, right along with the skills of the girls.    

A Thing or Two About the Game is a fun and quick read, a wholesome experience that follows an engaging softball storyline. As Brad gets more involved with his community, that’s when you’ll get to see what all this is really about. 

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Genre: General Fiction / Sports

Print Length: 320 pages

ISBN: 978-1639882403

Thank you for reading Alexandra Barbush’s book review of A Thing or Two About the Game by Richard Paik! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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