I Should Have Quit This Morning: Adventures in Minor League Baseball

I Should Have Quit This Morning is jam packed with the personal experiences of minor league baseball players in their own words. The author’s personal relationship with the players drew out a level of honesty and self-reflection that is very refreshing. It’s like I climbed right alongside these young athletes in their journeys and I got to hear them tell their own stories. The experiences these kids go through are a long way from the glamour on display with the big names in the famous stadiums. Any baseball fan has heard the stories about the bus rides with no air conditioning. This brings it all to life — the draft, spring training, housing nightmares, living broke, bad food, and the craziness that results from kids from diverse backgrounds all thrown together…

Baseball aficionados, minor league sports junkies and parents of high school baseball players should devour this book. As should anyone trying to decide between a college opportunity and signing out of high school. Definitely a treat.

The author is the mother of 3 boys who played baseball while growing up. She estimates she has seen 2100 games her boys have played in. One was drafted out of Stanford into the minor leagues and that provided the inspiration to write this book. It is a look at the life and trials of a minor leaguer.

To tell this story Kathy, interviewed at least 25 minor league players who had also come out of the Standford baseball program her son did. I would bet the interviews took several hours each. From there she had to slice and dice the interviews to fit into the chapters she organized in the book. For instance, the first chapter was what it was like to get drafted. So, she has that perspective from a 25 people she interviewed, – what the experience was like all the way from someone drafted in round one to someone drafted in round 32. In the chapters she may go back to some of the 25 people a couple of times for stories. There are chapters on what it is like to find housing when you go to a new team, what the travelling is like, what its like to be released etc. Each perspective on these subjects is only 2 or 3 paragraphs, so the book feels like it is moving fast.

The book was also good from the standpoint that I read about a third of it, set it aside and read a couple other books from the library, then went right back and finished her book. The format the book is written in made that easy.

I have seen some reviews critical of the length or the amount of stories from each of the 25 participants. Actually, the way the book is done, if you think youve read enough perspectives on what minor league travel is like you can skip over a couple of the individual narratives until your interest in caught again.

I would heartily recommend this book. It is great for anyone who was young and had a dream. Im currently semi-retired but I work out on the flight line at a local private airport. Almost all the young people I work with are aviation enthusiasts, getting their certifications, studying, taking flight instructions, while they work at the airport in order to finance their career goals which are generally to become airline, charter, freight pilots. This book gave me the same kind of vibe.

I followed the author on Amazon and then typed her name into google and was shocked to learn that she had died in 2021 from cancer. It is obvious from this book that she loved her family and was very accomplished, I think this book is well worth your time to read.

What an enjoyable and educational read! Through acquaintances who have had sons in the minor leagues I’ve heard some stories, but now realize I didn’t know half of what I thought I understood about the system.

Ms. Diekroeger brings unique experience to the subject and passes it along smoothly as she brings anecdotes that run the gamut of emotions, intuitively supplying hard facts to answer questions that will arise in your mind.

What I realized most after reading “I Should Have Quit….” is that the on field experience is really only a minor (no pun intended) part of the life of a minor leaguer. As you get to know the players you see that these incredible experiences prepare them for not only baseball, but life in general.

I highly recommend this book for just about everyone who is looking to broaden their perspective of the world and how it works.

This is a terrific book. The author provides an in-depth look into the life of minor league baseball players by utilizing the voices of 28 former and current players. From describing the day they were drafted to game situations to all night bus rides to the dreaded day they were released, this book effectively documents a lifestyle that is unique to baseball players trying to make it to the big leagues. It also gives us very entertaining stories from the players themselves. Whether youre an avid baseball fan or you merely enjoy reading insights into the daily challenges of young men trying to succeed in a unique industry with colorful characters, this book is worth reading.

I read a lot of books, on US History and baseball, about 10 per year. Many of the books have been in the minors.
I bought this book as it was a Amazon Suggested read and the ratings were high. It was a disappointment, since it had very little author content. Just quotes from some selected players, of the life cycle in the minors. Had I know it was a book of mainly quotes of their life as a player from draft pick to the end, of either getting cut or getting called up, I would of passed on this book.

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