BY JIM ANTONINI & SUZANNE REYNOLDS
This book captures the colorful and hilarious exploits of a group of orange-clad outcasts on their futile two-decade quest for softball glory. Part softball team. Part social club. Part mythology. But mostly failure. Nobody loses better than the Chico’s Bail Bonds softball team–the forever doormats of adult softball in a college town in the hills of West Virginia.
205 pages, Paperback
Published September 15, 2025 by Pump Fake Press
“Hilarious, warmhearted, bite-sized stories of a cult softball team from West Virginia…a dash of the tall tale, the frenzied sports announcer, and the romantic writer who can memorialize the most insignificant moments, lift up failure, laugh at it, and love it…it’s difficult not to get swept up in the mythology of this rambunctious team“
INDEPENDENT BOOK REVIEW – Reviewed by Warren Maxwell, September 24, 2025
“…More a social club of drinking buddies than a competitive squad, the Bonders, its teams a mix of long-timers and players who came and went over the years, have racked up a 161–450 record through the 2025 season. The upside is, they pretty definitely had more fun than anyone else on the diamond. What made this book possible—and makes it a fun read—are the self-deprecating post-game summaries players have written from the beginning. Early entries set the part-lampoon, part–trash-talk tone…Beyond the tongue-in-cheek summaries of every game except for the lost 2003–2006 season write-ups, the book is chock full of photos, player bios, and statistics as well as a record of team culture: bands the players played in, fan art, fashion on the ballfield, and of course, beer.“
morgantown magazine, december 2025
“tracing the evolution of the forlorn team of beautiful losers and misfits. In doing so, they remind us of the importance of community, friendship, and the restorative joy of senseless play”
GOODREADS REVIEw, NOVEMBER 2025
“more than a game: a story of community…Chico’s is different from other softball teams in that it was a team for those who wouldn’t ordinarily have a team — the misfits, bartenders and musicians — where winning isn’t always the most important outcome“
BOOKTRIB REVIEW – Reviewed by Joanna Poncavage, October 20, 2025
silver award winner for humor-nonfiction from readersviews.com
