There’s a Field of Dreams ambience about Brent Ducey’s book about a major Edmonton sports figure, but there, sadly, the resemblance ends.

Ducey, a former newspaper reporter, attempts to bring together two parallel histories: a history of baseball in Edmonton from 1892 to the 1980s and the story of his father’s connection to the game in that city. But, ultimately, he’s caught stealing between these two bases, and never quite makes it home.

The author acknowledges several known and not-so-known baseball writings in his overview of the founding and origins of the game in Canada, and how it followed the railroad across the country, attracted by boosterism and profit making, in all its manifestations.

But Ducey’s attempt to interweave the history of his father, a Canadian who went from player to umpire coach to baseball entrepreneur – is less successful.

Given the twin subject matter, The Rajah weighs in as a slugger of a book. But the author’s penchant for including masses of insignificant detail slows the pace of the narrative and deflects the focus of his dual purpose. We are not given the box score of every game ever played in that northern city, but it sure feels that way. Perhaps there are two books here; the decision to make them one is an error of ballpark dimensions.

In sum, there’s no joy in this story. The Rajah has struck out.