In the waning months of a long career, San Diego Padres catcher Fred Duvall has been relegated to a backup role. At 43 and with a broken body, Fred must take over as starting catcher when a teammate goes down. But when Fred recaptures the spark that led him to a hall of fame caliber career, the team’s young owner refuses to believe that he can keep the pace up. Trading for a new catcher in the midst of the season, the owner pits Fred and the newcomer against each other without even caring that the young catcher happens to be Fred’s long estranged son.

Analyzing complex themes of reconciliation and redemption, my book, “One Last Season,” attempts to give readers a glimpse into the multifaceted relationship between a father and son amidst the many issues surrounding professional baseball. From aging and performance enhancing drugs to management philosophy, my novel offers commentary on the current state of the league.

What genre is this book?
Sports fiction.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
It will definitely appeal to fans of sports, particularly baseball. However, even if the reader isn’t a watcher of baseball, as long as he or she like a multifaceted, intriguing story, the reader will like it.

Tell us a little more about Fred Duvall.
Fred Duvall is the main character of One Last Season. He is one of the greatest catchers ever to play Major League Baseball, and will certainly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. For five years, he slipped into has-been land, but when the Padres’ regular catcher Matt Boyle was struck on the eye, causing career-ending blindness, Fred was given the starting role and began hitting like he did in his heyday, perhaps even better. Fred is a great guy-he is kind, but brave, and not afraid to speak his mind. Fred is a “winner”- a guy who knows what to do, when to do it. But Fred has demons in his past- his fight with his wife, Sidney, 20 years ago caused her to slip on a baseball his 3-year-old son Cody brought in and fatally fall down the stairs. As a result, he feels horribly guilty for what he has done and would give anything to go back to that night and change what happened.

And did you say Cody grows up to be a baseball player too?
Cody is also a catcher for the San Diego Padres and a talented player with a bright future. Cody’s true love is the piano, but he seeks to please his father. He feels like his father is disgusted with him for some reason, because he does not live with him and rarely visits, and thinks the only way to please his father is to play alongside him and become a great catcher. He was an excellent piano player who could play anything after hearing it once from classical to hip-hop, and was accepted in Berklee School of Music and Julliard. He refused, though, attending Southern Vermont College, a Division III school and the only school that offered him a full baseball scholarship.

Complete this sentence for us: if you like _________________, you’ll love my book.
An intriguing premise, memorable characters, and good writing!

Have you written any other books that we should read next?
Not yet.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a 17-year-old and just finished my junior year of high school at Ranney School in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. I’ve been writing stories since I was 8 years old. I began this book when I was 13 and it was released on May 21, 2013, almost three and a half years after I started it. I am an avid baseball fan and can proudly recite every World Series winner from 1903 to the present. I am a player of the game as well and am starting pitcher for my school.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
Yes, I have a blog where I post baseball short stories. It is called “Tales from the Diamond“.

How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook?
Like “One Last Season” on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/One-Last-Season/676016905747616?fref=ts

You can also follow me at: @stevenjacobson_

What’s next?
I’m planning to write lots of baseball short stories on my blog. I have an idea for my next novel when I find the time to write it: it’s going to be a science fiction book. Right now, however, things are too hectic with college applications and everything.