Bearak’s use of first person is especially unusual in this piece about Adam Greenberg, a baseball player who, on his first day in the Majors, gets beaned in the head by a ball. Greenberg’s career is set back, perhaps for good. Bearak’s tone in relating Greenberg’s troubles is avuncular, warm. His stance is particularly human, and also writerly, explicitly interested in finding the good story. Overall it’s the kind of voice and stance that adds layers to a piece beyond plot and character.
Read “Head Trip,” by Barry Bearak