When Lowell Spinners Vice President first had the idea for his kids' book "Pitching With the Papelbons" just one year ago, Jonathan Papelbon was supposed to be a starting pitcher for a Red Sox team that had missed the playoffs for the first time in three years. But as the season went on and the book started coming together, it became clear that writer Jon Goode's timing couldn't have been better.
"Next thing I know, Jonathan's on the mound striking out the last batter to win the World Series," says Goode, who co-wrote the book with his wife, Lauren. "Talk about a storybook ending for a storybook."
The book is a fictional story about the real-life pitching Papelbon brothers - Jonathan, Joshua, and Jeremy - playing in a Little League game, each using his own style of pitching to help their team win the game. "I wanted to promote values - be a good teammate, practice hard, listen to your coach," says Goode.
It's also a bit of an in-house affair - the Spinners are a Sox farm team, and the illustrator, 17-year-old Rachel Gregorio, has drawn caricatures at Spinners games for the past three years.
And it comes with the stamp of approval from Sheila Papelbon, the boys' mother, who provided family photos of the boys growing up and still keeps a scrapbook for all three her kids.
"It's definitely true to the Papelbon family," she says.
A portion of the proceeds goes to C2 Mission, which benefits children and families affected by Cerebral Palsy and Cystic Fibrosis in the New England area. $19.95 at various bookstores and PitchingWithThePapelbons .com
