One mother with a teenage boy said "Gods, Gloves, Popups, and Ponies" was like a manual for her son! Baseball dazzles us with its complexity and beauty but also for its ability to mirror so much of the human spirit. The ups and downs of the game along with its style and grace have forever been a source of inspiration to baseball fans and especially to the young people of this country. Gods, Gloves, Pop-ups, and Ponies explores the effect baseball can have on the development of a young man's path to manhood. It is first about how a young man discovers what it means to be awakened from the fog of his adolescent life in his life-changing summer chasing the Pony League title in 1975. It then brings the story to the present moment as we learn how baseball can help shape a young man's character as the young boy is now a coach and we are taken through a season with the high school-baseball players he helps guide and direct. Through his many years allowing the game of baseball to mold and define his character the author brings to us a rare look at just how powerful the lessons found on the field can be to the creation of outstanding young men.