Bumpa Bob (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798256167448)

Bob Franklin, or Bumpa Bob as far as his granddaughter Jenny is concerned, is having a blissful day with her at Oracle Park in San Francisco, the last stadium to visit on his bucket list of Major League stadiums. Inning by inning, riveting action unfolds on the field between the Giants and their archrival, the Dodgers. The action in the stands is just as compelling with plenty of heckling, a late-game fight, and a visit from Viktor the vendor.

Bob gets to know his ballpark neighbors Adrian, George, and Trevor. Conversations with them and Jenny reveal aspects of Bob's life and the lives of those close to him, including wife Pam, Army buddy Leon, and gifted kid Nick who he tutors. Certain sights and sounds at the game trigger Bob's PTSD flashbacks, a consequence of having served in the Army in Vietnam, which highlight that dark chapter in his life.

The game features hefty righty Fat Albert, superstitious lefty Eric Grossman, knuckleballer Ken Sanfilippo, rookie Mark Conti, Korean-born Woo-Jin Lee, and a host of other quirky and skilled players. In the bottom of the ninth, Giants manager Buck Macy plays a hunch by pinch-hitting switch-hitter Dickie Jones. Will his move and the rally caps atop Bob and Jenny be enough to pull out an improbable Giants comeback victory?

A shocking death at the end of the game mars an otherwise incredible contest. A memorial service is held for the deceased. The featured speaker at the memorial is none other than Commander Manalo, who will lead his crew on the next Artemis moon mission after narrowly avoiding death himself. It all adds up to a home run told over nine action-packed innings!