Forget the steroid-addled, overpaid, and unmotivated players: America’s pastime is still alive and well, and is still the heartfelt sport it’s always been—in the Minor Leagues. And nowhere is this truer than in Kentucky, whose rich baseball history continues to play out in the four teams profiled in this book. Following these teams through the 2010 season—the triumphs, struggles, and big league hopes and dreams—the book tells the larger story of baseball in America’s smaller venues, where the game in its purest form is still valued and warmly embraced. The story begins before the season with national-anthem singing tryouts in Lexington, then tags along with players, staffs, and fans at home, in the office, and on the field, offering a rare glimpse of the unglamorous reality of Minor League ball. From the front-office staff in Bowling Green planning kooky promotions, to a trainer grocery shopping for a team on forty dollars a day, to a new wife coming to terms with her husband’s transitory lifestyle, to a father struggling to make it back to the Majors and a Cuban defector blowing everyone away with a 100-mph-plus fastball these are the people who live to make baseball happen, in all its nitty-gritty glory. Purchase the audio edition.
Les mer
Forget the steroid-addled, overpaid, and unmotivated players: America's pastime is still alive and well, and is still the heartfelt sport it's always been - in the Minor Leagues. And nowhere is this truer than in Kentucky, whose rich baseball history continues to play out in the four teams profiled in this book.
Les mer
List of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction
Part 1. Lexington Legends: A Tale of Obsession 1: The Legend behind the Legends 2: The Man Who Would Be Alan 3: A Loyal Following 4: Past Legends and Future Stars
Part 2. Louisville Bats: A Lesson in Discontent 5: Great Expectations 6: Pitch Perfect 7: The Faithful 8: Diminishing Returns 9: The Star Who Almost Landed in Louisville
Part 3. Bowling Green Hot Rods: The Business of Baseball 10: America’s Other Pastime 11: The Startup Sprint 12: The Businessmen 13: Kings of the Road
Part 4. Florence Freedom: The Humble Life 14: Falling Down 15: Closer to Ordinary 16: Strike Two 17: A Long Way to Go 18: Back to Reality
AfterwordNotes
Les mer
"Bluegrass Baseball performs a reality check for prospective players and owners in the minor leagues."—Dorothy Seymour Mills, New York Journal of Books
Tells the larger story of baseball in America's smaller venues, where the game in its purest form is still valued and warmly embraced
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780803235359
Publisert
2012-07-15
Utgiver
Vendor
University of Nebraska Press
Høyde
216 mm
Bredde
140 mm
Aldersnivå
01, P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Forfatter