Make Me Commissioner

“No one makes me laugh and think and nod my head yes more than Jane Leavy when she is writing about baseball, the sport we both love. Fat chance they'll ever let her become commissioner, but her combination of joy, humor, intelligence, deep historical knowledge, and common sense about how to save the game is precisely what it needs.”—David Maraniss, author of Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero

“Jane Leavy loves baseball. I love Leavy writing about baseball. On the heels of her definitive bios of all-time greats—Koufax, Mantle, and Ruth—Leavy is back to remind us why baseball is the best game and lovingly sculpts solutions to fix the national pastime.”—Dan Shaughnessy, author of The Curse of the Bambino and Francona

“A hysterical—yet practical!—take on saving America’s pastime. Make her commissioner!”—Gish Jen, author of The Resisters and Bad Bad Girl

“As a big-league storyteller, Jane Leavy has all the tools: wise-ass sense of humor, eye for detail, knack for dialogue, a major address book of large personalities—and she knows what she’s talking about. The story she makes so lively, about what has gone wrong with what used to be our national pastime, just may be a story about our nation, too.”—Robert Pinsky, three-time United States Poet Laureate

“This book is a dream come true—a road trip through the world of baseball with one of the game’s most convivial commentators and finest writers. But please don’t make Jane Leavy commissioner; let her keep writing. Baseball needs her. And baseball fans need to read this book—to quarrel over it, to laugh with it, and to let it remind us why we will always love the game.” —Jonathan Eig, author of King: A Life and Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

“Reading this feels like sitting—in great, reasonably priced seats—next to your smartest, funniest, loudest friend for an entire game.”—Alex Edelman, award-winning comedian and writer

“Jane Leavy may not be MLB’s next commissioner, but readers will come away wishing she would be.”—Booklist

“Leavy captures the frustrations of fans everywhere in this charming, resourceful plea to reinvigorate a sport that “forgot how to be fun.” …  Irreverent analysis and fresh ideas from a baseball writer dismayed by the state of the modern game.”—Kirkus Reviews

“The opportunity to read Leavy’s prose about baseball is a gift to an audience already enthralled by her previous masterpieces: Sandy Koufax, The Last Boy, and The Big Fella, bestsellers all. The personal touch makes this one different but no less impactful, infused by a love affair with the game that began from her youngest years in her New York City backyard. … The story of baseball is in the people that make the numbers, not in the numbers alone. Leavy gets it, and [Make Me Commissioner] is a home run. If you love baseball, don’t miss it.”—The Boston Globe

“Make Jane Commissioner… Leavy has a voice demanding to be heard—and Major League Baseball should listen.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Take her out to the ballgame — and put her in charge. In Make Me Commissioner, acclaimed baseball writer Jane Leavy offers her fixes for the sport, in the form of a wide-ranging travelogue full of rich conversations.”—The Washington Post

“Sports reporter Leavy provides a fervent critique of the current state of baseball…. The narrative is laced with Leavy’s humor and lifelong passion for the sport (she wrote her first baseball story at 10 years old) and informed by conversations with star players and managers, such as Jim Palmer and Dave Roberts. This is a must-read for anyone who loves the game and hopes for better days.” STARRED REVIEW—Publisher's Weekly

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