1970s adversity ambition america american-dream americas-pastime authenticity baseball baseball-legend bestseller betrayal calico-joe career career-ending career-ending-injury character character-building character-development chicago-cubs childhood childhood-dreams childhood-hero childhood-heroes childhood-idol coming-of-age commitment compassion competition conflict conscience courage cultural-critique david-brooks dedication determination development dignity disappointment discipline drama dreams empathy ethical-behavior ethical-choices ethical-values ethics existentialism failure faith fame family family-drama family-dynamics family-secrets father-son-relationship father-son-relationships fatherhood fathers-and-sons fiction fictional-biography forgiveness friendship grisham grit growth growth-mindset guidance healing heartwarming hero historical-fiction home-run hometown-hero honesty hope human-nature humanity humility identity injury inner-journey inner-strength inner-transformation innocence inspiration inspirational integrity introspection introspective introspective-journey john journey justice kindness leadership legacy legendary-player legends life-lessons literature loss love love-for-the-game love-of-the-game loyalty major-league major-league-baseball major-leagues maturity meaning meaning-of-life meaningful-life mentorship mindset moral moral-compass moral-courage moral-development moral-dilemma moral-philosophy moral-values morality morals new-york-mets nobility nonfiction nostalgia overcoming-adversity passion patience perseverance personal-development personal-growth personal-transformation philosophical philosophy pitcher principles professional-athlete professional-athletes professional-baseball professional-sports psychology purpose reconciliation record-breaking redemption reflection regret regrets relationships resilience revenge rivalries rivalry rookie rookie-sensation sacrifice scandal second-chance second-chances secrets self-awareness self-discipline self-discovery self-examination self-help self-improvement self-reflection selflessness small-town small-town-america social-commentary societal-norms societal-values society soul-searching spiritual-development spirituality sports sports-fiction sportsmanship storytelling success suspense talent teamwork the-road-to-character tragedy transformation transformative triumph underdog values virtue virtue-ethics virtues wisdom youth