Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams

by Gary W. Moore

Book Overview

WINNER, NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR, 2006, MILITARY WRITERS SOCIETY OF AMERICA

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...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932714243
• ISBN13: 9781932714241
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Savas Beatie
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.2" x 9.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Here's what you need to know before you buy this book...

The first question is "Who will like this book?" Those most likely to enjoy this book would be: 1) A child who has affection and appreciation for his/her father; 2) A father who receives this book from his son/daughter/grandchild; 3) A child or grandchild of a World War II veteran; 4) An American veteran; 5) A fan of American military history; or 6) A fan of baseball history. While others may certainly enjoy this book as well, I pick these 6 groups because the story is a unique tribute to those who belong to one or more of them. If you belong to one of these groups, this story will absorb you from the first chapter until you close the last page. The second question is "What will I get out of reading this book?" When you set this book down, you will have appreciation for: 1) The gallant call to duty of "The Greatest Generation"; 2) Honest, unapologetic love of a son for his father; 3) Life's unpredictable -- but seemingly purposeful -- curve balls; 4) Every person's ability to create second chances in life; and 5) Some special shared experiences that are uniquely American. I can't think of a better use of one's time, or a better gift for someone that means something to you. Enjoy it!

A Story You'll Never Forget....

Here is a baseball and World War II story that brings an extraordinary time in our country's history alive, along with the people who made it fascinating. You will laugh and cry, and never forget it. History, after all,is about the people who lived it. Even though the country had suffered through the Great Depression, and the coal mine just wasn't producing much anymore, the tiny town of Sesser, Illinois did have a town baseball team called the Sesser Egyptians. Gene Moore was a fifteen-year-old farm boy living there and helping out on the family farm. He was also the best catcher anyone had ever seen; he could throw men out from any position, not a ball ever got past him, and he could hit the ball farther than anyone else. Gene had a talent for controlling the game and even the older men followed his lead without question. When you are that good, word gets around, and the Brooklyn Dodgers sent a scout to take a look at Gene. He had signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers; but when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour, he decided to do his duty and join the Navy. He was only seventeen years old. Gene was sent to play ball with a Navy team to entertain the troops in the Azores and North Africa. Then he and the other team members were sent on a special, top-secret mission to guard a group of German submarine sailors from the captured U-505 in Louisiana. Baseball was still the primary thing on Gene's mind, and since there weren't enough guys to make up a game, 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. They all hoped to be called up into the Major Leagues. Unfortunately, his destiny took a drastic change during the last game. While Warren Eugene Moore never did achieve his dream of playing in the Majors, his son just may have catapaulted him into immortality with this passionate biography... a riviting story about a remarkable man. Gene had never talked about his possible career in baseball to his family; but finally, just before his death, he spent many hours talking to his son, Gary Moore, and revealing his unprecedented life story. Through extensive research, and talking to dozens of people who knew his father, Gary was able to flesh out the story and give us this compelling and sometimes heart-wrenching tale. Playing With the Enemy is undoubtedly the best book I have read this year... I simply could not put it down.

You'll love this book, even if you're not a baseball fan!

Being a woman, this is not a book that I would normally pick up, let alone read. However, being a Sesser, Illinois native myself and after meeting Gary a year before his book was published, I knew I would have to pick up a copy once it came out. I honestly didn't think I would read the book after getting it, I just wanted a copy of the book about someone from my hometown. Was I ever more wrong. I read the book in 3 days, hating every time I had to put it down and I'm not even a baseball fan. Like the book says, you don't want to skip to the end to see how things worked out, because you miss all the innings. It's a great book that grabs you from the first inning and you have to keep reading to see how the games is played and ends. I'm sure I'll be picking it up again for a second read.

The MWSA's Best Non-Fiction Book of 2006!

"Playing With The Enemy" is a moving and heart wrenching biography that is both inspiring as well as entertaining. The book is about author Gary Moore's father; his experiences in WWII, baseball and with his life. It combines powerful aspects of human nature and finding meaning to life itself. I was greatly touched by Moore's book not only as a reader and a reviewer but also as someone whose own father signed a contract with Boston to play baseball. The war and subsequent wounds and time off from organized baseball were the end of a professional career that never took off. My father was considered a top prospect as a catcher coming out of high school in San Francisco before the outbreak of WWII. So reading about the author's tale of what happened to his own dad hit me close to home. This is best book I have read in last decade. It is a great story that is told with sensitivity and well constructed prose. Moore has captured the spirit and the heart of his father's story through the use of insightful dialog that gives real understanding to the life experiences and to the people in the story. The book is alive with emotions. It grabs your heart and will not let go of it until you have fully digested the entire book; then the messages of this story still hang around and linger within your head for days. The story is really about a personal spiritual and emotional journey--in search of the very meaning of life and what our purpose is. This book is for all readers and not just those who love baseball or have some interest in war. It has all the elements needed to make a successful and inspirational movie. The author has written a wonderful and loving tribute to his father that readers will be able to respond to. The book also teaches us lessons about our own lives and how what we do affects others in ways we may not ever realize. His father friendship with a Germany POW comes back later in his life to change his own emotional outlook about baseball, family and the meaning of love. This book is The Military Writer's Society of America's selection for Non-Fiction Book of the Year!

Gene Moore knows one thing for certain: he was born to play baseball.

Playing With the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams Author: Gary W. Moore Publisher: Savas Beatie Year: 2006 Reviewer: Neal Stevens, Subsim.com Mueller sought out the American's hand and gripped it tightly. "We are proud of what you have taught us--all of us are. We are grateful to you and your team." Everyone likes a success story, the struggle of an underdog to overcome long odds and achieve glory. Just as popular are the stories where one blessed with extraordinary talents reaches his full potential, awing those around him. Gary Moore's Playing With the Enemy is the story of his father, Gene Moore, a story he only discovered by chance. It examines both themes of long odds and talent and reveals there is as much glory in facing adversity as overcoming it. The book combines baseball, U-boats, talent and sacrifice into one well-written tale tinged with bitter irony. Born and raised in the Depression-era small town of Sesser, Illinois, where coal-mining is on the decline and pig farming is the future, Gene Moore knows one thing for certain: he was born to play baseball. At a mere fifteen Gene is a catcher with major league hitting power and a rocket arm that can throw out runners across the diamond. Behind the plate Gene projects leadership and good sportsmanship. The team and the whole town revere him. His father is a little puzzled by all the attention Gene receives for playing a leisure game and his older brother Ward is quietly jealous. "Everyone referred to Ward as `Gene's older brother' and Ward didn't like it one bit". One day a man drives into town in a new Buick, something not often seen in dusty Sesser. A scout for the Brooklyn Dodgers likes what he sees and pays a call on Gene's parents. Gene's dream is about to become reality. Within a year he's producing outstanding play in the minors and is named the league's Rookie of the Year...and he's still a boy who has not seen his seventeenth birthday. Then on a warm December day, as he's leaving the theater with friends, the news of Pearl Harbor reaches Sesser. The US is at war. Gene's older brother Ward immediately declares his intent to join the military. Gene is too young to join but compulsory service looms months away. The Dodgers arrange for Gene to play exhibition baseball in the Navy. This will allow Gene to stay well behind the lines, safe and sound and able to keep his baseball skills honed. It's on the US Navy Touring Baseball Team Gene meets pivotal character Ray Laws, a pitcher with a wicked forkball that few batters can hit and equally few catchers can handle. Gene proves up to the task of catching it, sparking a friendship. The team is shipped off to North Africa to entertain the troops engaged in operations against the Germans. They learn a cruel lesson that "being behind the lines" is not a precise term. Neither coach had yet reached their respective bench when a faint thumping sound, followed by a whistle, was heard. No