Neil Spagna

2007 WINNER- CONNECTICUT PRESS CLUB'S BOOK OF THE YEAR- From the very first page of Welcome to Pottersville, the reader can tell this book is going to be a fun read. Author Neil Spagna is a passionate baseball fan, a Mets fan to be specific. He traces his love for the Mets back to his childhood and explains why his devotion hasn’t wavered over the years. With wit and humor, he writes about the history of the Mets, their triumphs and failures, and explains why they are such an endearing team to so many people, win or lose. No, Spagna’s not a Yankees fan although Yankees fans have as many reasons as Mets fans to want to read this book: It’s probably the first time an avid Yankees fan has the opportunity to look into the bared soul of an equally avid Mets fan. They might be surprised at what they’ll see. What makes this book even more interesting is the fact that Spagna intertwines the story of his love for the Mets and his dislike of the Yankees with the classic Frank Capra Christmas film It’s a Wonderful Life. That’s the movie where Jimmy Stewart plays a hardworking, likeable soul named George Bailey, (read Mets) who faces financial ruin because of the actions of the Scrooge-like character Mr. Potter (read Yankees) who’s got a fat wallet but a skinny heart. Stewart contemplates suicide until he realizes what would have happened to his town if he hadn’t been born. It would have been taken over by Potter and money would be the only thing that counted. Contemplate New York baseball without the Mets and you can see how the two themes blend so beautifully. You can also see why the author named the book Welcome to Pottersville. Another unique element that elevates this book above “just another book on baseball” is that the author is a fan. Fans usually read books on baseball that sports writers have written. I think the reverse will be true in the case of Welcome to Pottersville. Sports writers will want to read Spagna’s book because it has the excitement and enthusiasm that only a true, unjaded fan can express. From the onset, Spagna tells us he’s not a professional writer – he’s just a fan. And throughout the book he chooses to quote the fan and not the famous. All the elements I’ve mentioned gel into a book that belies a first attempt. It’s a damn good book, plain and simple. Whether you’re pinstripes or orange and blue, I think you’ll agree, Spagna’s hit a homer his first time at bat......MARY BISHOP, former book editor, Connecticut Magazine