The latest, greatest, high-tech thrill ride for Tom Clancy's legion of young fans.

The amateurs are beating the pros in this year's spatball playoffs-and some big bettors plan to lose a fortune. When they threaten a star player, the Net Force Explorers are called in to protect America's newest pastime.

A little more than thirty years ago Tom Clancy was a Maryland insurance broker with a passion for naval history. Years before, he had been an English major at Baltimore’s Loyola College and had always dreamed of writing a novel. His first effort, The Hunt for Red October, sold briskly as a result of rave reviews, then catapulted onto the New York Times bestseller list after President Reagan pronounced it “the perfect yarn.” From that day forward, Clancy established himself as an undisputed master at blending exceptional realism and authenticity, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp suspense. He passed away in October 2013.