Claude Walker

The Earth Baseball Tourney: an Invitational to Disaster Claude Walker

When water magnate (and owner of the minor league Springfield WaterDogs) Reynolds Beckert learns he has a short time to live, his dream of extending the "reach of baseball" becomes a holy mission. Determined to find the "next Clemente" in a place like Fiji, he organizes a tournament with the largest purse in history and a lottery which will make some lucky fans billionaires. His innocent aim - to share the game he loves with the whole world - goes horribly wrong when it is threatened by ninjas, flaming flamingos, anti-baseball protests, echo clones and killer cellphones. Greed and nationalist zeal take the inaugural Earth Baseball Tourney - and humanity - to the apocalyptic brink. A dark comedy about baseball's globalization and technology-run-amok, "The Earth Baseball Tourney: An Invitational to Disaster" is an ode to the greatest game ever devised. The lyrical tale reminds fans of their first game with their grandfather, aromas of grilled onions and fresh-cut grass, and that distinctive crack of the bat.