Baseball was everything and everywhere in the 1950s on the east side of Brockton, Massachusetts. In "The Eastside Kid, " author John DeCosta tells what it was like growing up in that era and what the game of baseball has meant to his life. This memoir describes DeCosta's baseball experiences both as a youngster and as an adult, and it shows how this passion shaped him. With photographs included, "The Eastside Kid" shares DeCosta's life story from 1957 to 2007, including details about his Catholic family, his love for animals, his first job, serving in the military in Korea, dealing with heart problems, and his continued participation in baseball. From the sandlot to Little League to adult amateur baseball, "The Eastside Kid" provides an inside view of how deeply baseball beats in the heart of John DeCosta.