Robert Lipsyte

A Harlem high school dropout escapes from a gang of punks into a boxing gym, where he learns that being a contender is hard and often discouraging work, but that you don't know anything until you try.

Mike lives for baseball and hopes to follow his idol into the major leagues one day, but he is distracted by a new player who might take his place in center field, an ankle injury, problems at home, and a growing awareness that something sinister is happening at school.

Meet the men who were and remain the heroes of baseball. These are men who did more than hit home runs or pitch perfect games--they changed the way our society perceives itself, and the goals we set for ourselves and our nation.