Michael Shaara's novel, For the Love of the Game, tells the fictional story of one of the game's greatest pitchers, Billy Chapel. Billy, in his 17th year in the majors, is near the end of his career, but does not show it. From his youth, it was seen by his parents and many that he was a natural. He is a quiet, yet a strong minded pitcher, who can not only throw the heat, but hit any spot, at any speed, with any pitch. The part that fascinated me was his ingenious ability to study and read each batter's thoughts and body languages. He knew the pitch to throw and could throw it, and he saw the batter's fear and he took advantage of it. For the Love of the Game only focuses on roughly two days of Billy Chapel's life, but encompasses a vast number of flashbacks of the most important times in his life. This novel is the ultimate climax of his entire life; a time that will either break him or make him. The novel is written in a simple style and diction, and short, to the point dialect. In his hotel before a game he is supposed to pitch he is visited by a reporter who tells him he is to be traded, because he is over the hill and there is money to be made. This is something that hurt him, because he was an old fashioned player and did not believe in the money and believed in honor and staying with "your" team for you entire career. He wished that the "Old Man" was still alive, because he would not let him go; he was his owner who found him when he was young and befriended Chapel through the years because of his good nature and loyalty. Chapel soon finds out that his four year relationship to his "love" Carol has ended, for a reason he can not understand. Billy seems to be losing everything at once and is speechless and almost calm, but there are so many things going through his mind. He begins to study and analyze his life, just as he does batters, with flashbacks of his youth and joyful m...