Title: A Baseball Career That Ended In…A Split Second: The Life and Faith of Jim Aldredge
Author: Jerry Guibor
Publisher: Shunduay LLC
ISBN: 978-1-4917-6132-8
Genre: Inspirational/Biography/Christian
Pages: 229
Reviewed by: CC Thomas
Pacific Book Review
Author Jerry Guibor’s A Baseball Career That Ended In…A Split Second: The Life and Faith of Jim Aldredge has many different components that all fit perfectly together to make for an inspirational read that will be remembered after the last page is turned. At first glance, the book is the amazing story of the life, and baseball career, of Jim Aldredge. However, there is much more within the pages to inspire readers, even for those who don’t like sports.
Most baseball fans likely won’t recognize the name of Jim Aldredge. He didn’t appear on any baseball cards and his name isn’t holding records in the major league stats. That isn’t because of his lack of skill, though. During his short career, he was compared to many famous baseball stars and newspapers claimed that he would be “the next Roberto Clemente.” However, a tragic accident during a game stalled Aldredge’s career and he never got a chance for the big show, even though he had signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates at the tender age of 17.
His life will be fascinating to sports fans and those who simply like a good story. Aldredge started out in the minor leagues during a time when Black men were treated poorly, even though it was years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Reading how minor league players sacrifice for the sport will be an eye opener for many.
Reading how Black minor league players were discriminated against won’t surprise many readers but causes fury, nevertheless. Aldredge’s story isn’t simply another sports biography; instead, it is a story of a young man who overcomes every challenge thrown his way, both on and off the field. Growing up poor in a sharecropper’s house with an alcoholic father will have readers yearning for a happy ending and, while Aldredge never played in the big leagues, his life is still worthy of being featured on the news.
Each chapter is accompanied by a Christian devotional that includes a corresponding Bible verse and reflection about events in Aldredge’s life. The devotionals target low and high moments in the young man’s life and it’s easy to see how Aldredge survived such heartbreaking disappointment—through his unshakeable faith in God. Each life event is directly tied to Biblical situations about life’s challenges and struggles, such as the fierce competition in sports and needing the support of strong team members.
In A Baseball Career That Ended In…A Split Second, it’s easy to see the author’s admiration and respect for his subject. Guibor describes the grace of the game and the intricacies of the sport in a way that is beautifully written and writes about Jim Aldredge in a way that shows supreme respect for both the athlete the young man was and the great man he turned out to be. While Aldredge never got MVP on the baseball field, he certainly earned the title for the contributions he’s made since.
