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About Alex
Alex Murphy is a teacher and lawyer from Indiana. He writes, plays piano and guitar, and records original music with various artists. He taught English in the Indianapolis Public Schools for four years, before attending law school. His Moot Court team won the school championship and competed in the National finals. While a private attorney, he was recruited to join the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps. He served in Panama, Korea, Germany and Iraq, and somehow survived the Army's Air Assault School at Fort Campbell. After retiring, stories he had accumulated along the way became novels.
In addition to writing, Alex volunteers legal services for Veterans. He also assists high school students in the legal education program known as "We The People." At one time he was a youth hockey referee, but now tends to less strenuous endeavors.
He is a struggling woodworker, and spends time on home remodeling. He and his wife have three grown children and two grandchildren. Visits with your organization, especially veterans’ groups, are available.
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The Lost Innings
Jack Ridley was destined to become a sports icon. But fate intervened on the way to the game. The loves of his life were taken from him. One was baseball - another was about to be discovered. Both were gone forever. Jack Ridley searches for a second chance in life and love that may never arrive. He is a former player who finds that a rookie's talent is being wasted. Jack discovers that his own love for the game must overcome his fear of returning to the world that crippled his spirit. Five years ago, Jack was about to step into baseball's highest echelons. He hoped he had found love with the daughter of the team owner, but bad luck destroyed both dreams.
Review by Kenneth Salzman
The devastating tragedy that sent young baseball phenomenon Jack Ridley into “baseball purgatory” and years of personal struggle was none of his own doing. But he paid a huge price for that life-changing moment, losing his place in the major leagues. Such random moments that shape a life are the norm in Alex Murphy’s The Lost Innings, a baseball novel in every sense, but also one that delves deep into the personal stories of its compelling characters, in and out of the game. Five years into his exile from the top reaches of the game he loves, Jack happens upon Duncan, a teen with major league talent but limited opportunity. Acting on both his own unresolved relationship with the game and his kind and generous nature, Jack determines to work with Duncan to prepare him for a shot at “The Show” and a path to get there. That path proves to be littered with obstacles, but it’s also one that is rich in human connection as Jack not only teaches Duncan the nuances of pitching but is learning himself how to fully re-enter into life, a process that illuminates the subtitle of the book, A Baseball Redemption.
In The Lost Innings, Alex Murphy has created a story steeped in the fine points of baseball but has done so with skill and graceful humanity that will hold the interest of readers of all stripes, whether they have—or want to have—a background in baseball or not. Fans of the game will relish his intricate knowledge of pitching mechanics and strategies, but these are rendered so comfortably that anyone can enjoy the interplay between teacher and student. If there’s a flaw in this 450-page book, it might be that it could be tightened in spots, especially where previous scenes are recounted more fully than necessary, or where the same character traits are emphasized again and again, long after the reader has come to know what makes the characters tick. But those are small matters, and ones that are open to discussion. If they can become somewhat repetitive, they can also, for another reader, only deepen our understanding of Jack, Duncan, and the rest. In the end, Alex Murphy has hit a home run with The Lost Innings.
Review by Tammy Ruggles
The Lost Innings: A Baseball Redemption by Alex Murphy is a powerful and poignant sports fiction novel. Centering on baseball but extending into a character-driven contemporary drama, this story unfolds through lead character Jack Ridley whose whole life has been defined by baseball, from childhood to adulthood. He loved everything about baseball, and it was more than a way of life. It WAS his life. On his way to becoming a legend, destiny threw him a curveball that changed everything in a drastic way. Losing baseball and love in one fell swoop, he thought the game was over until a second chance showed up in his life in the form of a young ballplayer and his mother.
This is a solid debut novel. It has a lot to offer fans of baseball without being cliched, but even more to those who like heartfelt stories of redemption. The author's crafting of Jack Ridley is perfect in that Ridley feels like a walking, breathing man who is at the top of his game and loving every minute of it, but suffers a setback. Murphy seems to have a natural gift for character building, story arcs, and a meaningful plot. While reading through the chapters, you get the feeling you know people like Jack, Duncan, and Danielle, and understand their situations and how they feel. The author writes with emotion, drawing the reader in on a personal level with his finger on the pulse of Americana itself. Besides baseball and relationships, you have themes of music and humor. The inside-baseball information will appeal to avid baseball players and fans, and the book as a whole has a wide appeal. If you like stories such as Field of Dreams or The Natural, you will love The Lost Innings: A Baseball Redemption by Alex Murphy.
Award winning 5 star reviews from Readers' favorite
Reader Reviews
Murphy is a consummate storyteller, and blends his understanding of human nature, music, and small town America together with an expert’s command of the National Pastime in a tale of redemption and relationships without a hint of salaciousness or vulgarity.
Amazon Customer