Illinois, winter, 1958. Eleven-year-old Michael Carmello lives with his parents and five siblings in a small house in Hardscrabble, Illinois. His father ekes out a living driving a cab, while his mother works part time at the local hospital. Michael wants to tryout for Little League in the spring, and dreams of someday being a Major League ball player. But dreams don't find a lot of support in Hardscrabble; that is, not until Michael meets Cornelius (Neely) Brown, a former pitcher with the Negro League, and a terminal patient at the hospital. Down Clark Street, Michael Panno's latest novel, takes us on a young boy's heartwarming journey from childhood into adolescence as he learns a little about baseball and a lot about life.