A Season on the Drink: A Novel

by Pat Harris

Overview

A broken team. A battle for dignity. A summer of softball that united them against the odds.

Marty’s fast-pitch softball team is far from typical. He and his unlikely teammates represent the Residence, a haven for chronic alcoholics—where forgotten men, written off by society, drown in their addictions. Yet they find something worth fighting for on a dusty Minnesota baseball diamond: their dignity.

As the men square off in a rec league against polished corporate teams with everything going for them, Marty and his gang must battle their inner demons and society’s prejudices on an extraordinary path to redemption. The teammates form a fragile bond as they discover that their magical season offers more than just wins and losses—it’s a chance to reclaim their identities and find purpose in a world that has long forgotten them.

Based on a true story, A Season on the Drink chronicles the raw, unforgettable story of redemption. Pat Harris masterfully weaves together themes of addiction, friendship, and resilience in this gripping narrative that transcends traditional sports literature. Through intimate portraits of the residents, the story reveals the transformative power of community and the unexpected joy found in life’s darkest corners.

Can the spirit of sports triumph over the crushing weight of addiction? As the season unfolds, these men discover that sometimes the greatest victories happen far from the scoreboard, in the quiet moments between pitches where hope takes root and friendship blooms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647555825
Publisher:	Adventure Publications, Incorporated
Publication date:	09/09/2025
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Pat Harris is a former elected official on the Saint Paul (Minnesota) City Council, a consultant in the public financial industry for over two decades, and a lifelong community activist and leader. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards, and he has been honored with multiple awards, including two Emmy Awards for a project he spearheaded that generated over one billion media impressions. He has a B.A. in English from Marquette Universityand an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota.

Read an Excerpt

Late Summer 1986

F— was on second and J— was weaving on first—but not because he wanted to steal second. Everyone was sweating, even though this summer day in Minnesota never went above 70 degrees.

The young pitcher took a full college windup and fired the ball past Marty’s head. Marty didn’t take notice of the brushback.

J— looked green on first base. He was listing. On second, F— gazed up at the sky, his eyes following the clouds like a typewriter cartridge.

The Residence for chronic alcoholics and the drywall company were tied. It was the final game of the season. It was also the last inning, and the ice was melting in the visiting team’s coolers. The weathered Residence squad didn’t have coolers. They had paper bags.

Except for a diminutive and lonely player in right field, the drywall team was burly and gigantic. The drywall pitcher was an intern in the sales department, and he was a ringer. He jumped the line on the summer intern list when he walked in for his interview at six feet, four inches, with arms like howitzers. His summer job immediately became softball.

The right fielder was the obligatory brother-in-law who was required to satisfy his sister by acting man-friendly to hubby’s sporty coworkers. He only drank to excess on softball night, with the beer escorting him through jokes of prowess and primordial chest-bumping.

The game was tense. The drywall team challenged a play at the plate in the second inning. It was just a game at a city park, but somehow it mattered to them as though jobs and manhood were on the line. In 1986, there were no official challenges in any league. In rec league, someone had to give. In the second-inning dispute, it was the Residence.

The drywall team was unaware that they were facing a team of chronic alcoholics. The inebriates were wiry, disheveled, and annoyingly good at softball. They angered the chiseled squad of mostly office workers.

Marty stood square in the box. It appeared that he could barely lift the chipped wooden bat. The pitcher was nervous to impress his purported future colleagues. He unleashed the ball as fast as he could. It was right down the pipe.

“Time!”

Marty jumped out of the box and looked around to see who called timeout. It quickly became obvious. J— had passed out on first base.

Marty and R— rushed to help J— off the ground, while the drywall team looked on in amazement. J— did not smell of whisky or vodka, and his breath was not medicinal. Yet R— and Marty knew right away: it was Lysol. J— had opted for a crafted cocktail as only Residence mixologists could conjure.

He was not belligerent by any stretch. By the time Marty and R— placed him on the bench, he was stoic. He didn’t know what was happening, but his environment was stable enough to settle and perhaps assess an upward trajectory.

The first baseman of the drywall team approached Marty and R—. He was the self-appointed captain. He was a towering figure in full softball regalia: headband, wristbands, and eye paint. Marty noticed that his fingernails were manicured.

“What’s the plan, boys? Looks to me like this young man is now ejected, and by my last count, you only have eight players. I would say forfeit.”

Editorial Reviews

A Season on the Drink is a story of challenge, hope, and coming together as a team to do something extraordinary that can transform—even for a moment… It’s a story of redemption, dignity, and purpose.”
—Dave Winfield, National Baseball Hall of Fame

“The best baseball stories are deeply rooted in a love for the game while also casting an unflinching eye at the world beyond the foul poles. Count A Season on the Drink among those stories. Pat Harris masterfully blends wry humor with an honest, moving portrayal of addiction to create a memorable cast of characters who keep readers rooting for them even after the last pitch is thrown.”
—Jack Heffron, author of The Local Boys

“Harris’s debut is a remarkable novel whose subject is, on its surface, a softball team made up of chronic alcoholics. Immersion in its storytelling, however, reveals greater depths, focusing on a handful of characters from the team and the Saint Anthony Residence.”
—Julia Kastner, “Maximum Shelf,” Shelf Awareness

“A Season on the Drink is a powerful and compassionate portrait of the men living at the St. Anthony Residence—fittingly named for the patron saint of lost things. While Harris offers an honest account of all they have lost—stability, relationships, health, and purpose—he also reveals what remains: moments of connection, resilience, and the hope of being seen. At its heart, this is a story about our need to belong, even in the most overlooked and forgotten places.”
—Pat Plonski, Executive Director, Books for Africa

“Finding your place in the world isn’t always a fastball down the middle. A Season on the Drink captures the hopes and struggles we all face—on the field and off. Full of heart, humor, and hard truths, this one connects. I call ’em like I see ’em: it’s a hit.”
—Tim Tschida, legendary MLB umpire

“The joy of this wonderful book is the hunt. We search for ourselves in each of the characters. Adapt, examine, identify, discard. Like a great painting, A Season on the Drink is immersive in the best sense.”
—Mike Veeck, Minor League Baseball team owner

“First pitch and you’re in. A Season on the Drink is an original cocktail of true characters, orderly chaos, broken dreams, and a shaky team of outcasts desperate for redemption. Its free-swinging narrative neatly weaves through a lineup of complicated lives that intersect through personal pain and shared inspiration. It’s a winner!”
—Dave Whitaker, author of Cabrini-Green in Words & Pictures

From the Publisher