Let’s get the pun out of the way first thing: This is not a damn near perfect book.
OK, now that we’ve powered through the obligatory groaner, we can talk about Joe Kelly’s new book (written with Rob Bradford), A Damn Near Perfect Game: Reclaiming America’s Pastime. The first thing about the book anyone notices, obviously, is the title. My daughter asked why I was reading a book with “the D word” on it, and I think it’s a fair question because the title is a bit vexing.
Aside from the bad joke in my lede, the title raises the question of why and from whom does the game need to be reclaimed if it is damn near perfect?