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Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams | 
 enlarge | Author: Gary Moore
Publisher: Springwater
Category: Book
List Price: $25.99
Buy New: $16.49
You Save: $9.50 (37%)
New (8) from $16.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  89 reviews
Sales Rank: 372312
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.4 x 5.5 x 0.7
ISBN: 1598593722
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9781598593723
ASIN: 1598593722
Publication Date: April 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item
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Product Description
Foreword by baseball legend Jim Morris, former Major League pitcher with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
It was true in the 1940s, and it is still true today: if you have talent, someone will notice. In Gene Moore's case, that someone was the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Gene Moore was a farm boy living with his family in Sesser, Illinois, a town so small even map makers ignored it. As a teenager, when he wasn't in school or helping his Pop on the farm, slopping the hogs and doing other chores with his older brother Ward and five sisters, Gene was playing baseball with the guys on the town team. Some were twice his age. The older fellows didn't mind having the Moore kid on their team because he could hit the ball farther than anyone else, he was the best catcher anyone had ever seen, he could throw men out from his knees, and not a ball ever got past him. Gene was 15 years old.
Word quickly spread across the United States about the country boy who could hit the ball a country mile. The Dodgers wanted to take a look at this farm kid, barely old enough to shave and still awaiting his first kiss, but brash enough to call the pitches from behind the plate and motion to the infielders and outfielders as to how they should position themselves for certain hitters.
Headed for baseball stardom with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Gene's destiny was interrupted by Pearl Harbor. After playing ball for the Navy in the Azores and North Africa, Gene and his team were sent to the States for a special-and top secret-mission: guarding German sailors captured from U-505. Unable to field a team, Gene convinced his commander to allow him to teach the enemy how to play baseball while he and his teammates waited for the war to end so they could be called up into the Major Leagues. But Gene's future changed irrevocably in Louisiana. His life . . . and maybe our national pastime . . . was forever altered.
Inspired by true events, Playing with the Enemy is the riveting story of a depression-era youth and his brush with destiny. Author Gary Moore, Gene's son, did not learn of his father's remarkable odyssey through World War II and the hardships of minor league baseball until the day before Gene's death. Confronted with evidence of a possible career in baseball, Gene finally broke his decades of silence and spent the next several hours relieving himself of the heavy burden he had been carrying. The stunning news sent the author on his own odyssey as he researched his father's life and interviewed dozens of people.
The astonishing story of Gene Moore's life in and out of baseball is an exciting and often heart-wrenching saga that will capture the heart of every red- blooded American who can still smell the fresh-cut summer grass or remember how it felt to tie on the cleats while dreaming of making it to the big leagues. Jammed with memorable characters from an extraordinary time in our country's history, Playing with the Enemy is a story that will be read and reread for generations to come. And it is one you will never forget.
About the Author: Gary W. Moore is the president and managing partner of Covenant Air and Water, LLC, a motivational speaker, and an accomplished musician. Gene Moore was his father. Gary lives in Bourbonnais, Illinois.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 84 more reviews...
A wonderful story July 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is a wonderful read. You won't want to put it down until you have finished it. All of us can be inspired by Gene Moore's story. Even when dreams are dashed we can look around to see God's blessings in our lives. Sometimes it takes an "enemy" to point out our most precious gift - our family and their love for us. Don't delay. Read or listen to this book now.
An inspiring story July 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My book club read this book and we all found it to be an enjoyable read, and inspiring story and a wonderful tribute of a son to a father. Mr. Moore writes about his father with love and pride. The story stands as an inspiration to those of us who have had to change our dreams along the way, and still lived a life of satisfaction. This was a good book.
 Difficult July 24, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was expecting a blockbuster after reading all of these 5 star reviews for "Playing With the Enemy", I feel cheated! It was difficult to figure out what was fact and what was fiction, and I believe that a little more research could have redeemed to this book. It may very well be a nice tribute from a son to his father, but that was about all this story was.
Excellently Written and Extremely Moving! July 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Playing With The Enemy is a beautifully written account of a man's dream, never fully realized, and the benefits which were achieved as a result. It captures the "sports" interest, essential history of World War II, the choices that shaped one individual and his whole family. It is dialogue at its best, a statement of a son's gratitude to his father and a tremendously interesting story that might never have been revealed had not Gene Moore's final hours been a time of sharing with his son, Gary. The writing in this book is superb, and, being from a small town in Illinois myself, makes me proud that the story has been told. No one should miss this account because it is entertaining and it teaches. I encourage its reading with willingness to see one's self and to recognize that our dreams, though worthy, can be redirected to even greater attainment than we might have imagined. Thank you, Gary Moore, for a true story excellently presented for us all!
Dr. David Lawson
Retired Church of God National Executive
Church of God, Anderson, Indiana
Not Just a Baseball Book June 24, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I loved this book!! It's a true story of Gene Moore who was a super baseball player and a super person. It shows how he cared about other people. Hard to put this one down. Can't wait to see the movie. A must read for anyone who enjoys a good book, this is it!!
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