Yankees catcher Jim Leyritz's life story-from national sports hero to vehicular manslaughter charge-knocks 'compelling' out of the park.
The year is 1996. Location, New York. In the eighth inning of game four of the World Series, catcher Jim Leyritz hits one of the most dramatic and memorable home runs in history, propelling
the Yankees to win their first World Championship in 18 years.
Flash forward through the next 15 years in which every time Leyritz seems to have put his life back together, something sets him back. A nasty divorce, a hard-won custody battle, raising
three sons (one with two terrible diseases), and then a tragic car accident in Florida in which a woman died and Leyritz finds himself thrust into the criminal courts on a manslaughter
charge.
Where did everything go wrong for this icon of the American dream?
Catching Heat is the untold comeback story of catcher Jim Leyritz whose life after the ticker-tape parade has been one setback after another. But, in true star fashion, this compelling and brutally honest story-which chronicles his entire life, from his early years as a kid dreaming of becoming a professional baseball player to his shattered world, post-baseball-is more about perseverance, redemption, and spiritual triumph.
Written in conjunction with Douglas and Jeffrey Lyons, the dynamo brother/author team and baseball experts, Catching Heat takes readers into the batter's box the way only a baseball player can with insider's information, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes and stories of some of the greatest baseball players in recent history. While replete with play-by-play facts and details baseball fans will gobble up, Catching Heat offers broad appeal for all those who love a good comeback story. It's a homerun.
