The Grind ― Inside Baseball's Endless Season

What’s it like to live through sports’ longest season, the 162-game Major League Baseball schedule? THE GRIND captures the frustration, impermanence, and glory felt by the players, the staff, and their families from the start of spring training to the final game of the year; classy baseball writing in the Roger Angell or Tom Boswell tradition.

“There is no sport with an everydayness, a drum-drum-drum beat like baseball,” says Barry Svrluga. Players even have a name for this relentless, unmatchable rhythm: The Grind. Svrluga, a star baseball writer for theWashington Post, wrote a series about the personal toll that baseball takes, with each installment highlighting one cog in the baseball machine.

There’s The Wife, The Scout, The Starter, and plenty more characters on the field and behind the scenes of baseball. Svrluga's mini-portraits lay bare the constant toil of not just the star players, but a lineup of the supporting cast. This series is THE GRIND, a raw, intimate look at the wear-and-tear nature of baseball. It’s a sport like no other, emphasizes Svrluga, and each chapter demonstrates the unique mental, emotional, and physical costs of America’s pastime. Built upon material that appeared in theWashington Post, THE GRIND expands on these profiles and includes installments not previously published by thePost.

Barry Svrluga has worked at the Washington Post since 2003 and is currently the beat reporter for The Washington Redskins. He previously reported and blogged about the Washington Nationals and is the author ofNational Pastime, which details the franchise's history. He currently lives in Washington, D.C.