Baseball in the Lone Star State: The Texas League's Greatest Hits
(Paperback)
Publishing Details
Baseball in the Lone Star State: The Texas League's Greatest Hits
By (Author) Tom Kayser
By (author) David King
Trinity University Press,U.S.
Trinity University Press,U.S.
19th April 2005
United States
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
Social and cultural history
796.35764097
Physical Properties
Paperback
256
Width 152mm, Height 203mm
467g
Description
The Texas League chronicles the nine minor league teams in Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma that have brought America's favorite sport to local fans for more than 100 summers. In quick, lively chapters, authors Tom Kayser and David King examine colorful Texas League favorites like the San Antonio Missions and the Midland Rock Hounds, painting an epic picture of down-home America through the lens of semi-pro baseball. The story begins with a look at how the discovery of oil in East Texas provided the funds to secure the league in its core locales. The league is then brought to life with several key profiles, including those of founder John McCloskey, managers Jake Atz and Paul LaGrave, who built the Fort Worth Cats into the league's most dominant team, and players Gene "Half-Pint" Rye, who hit two home runs in an inning for Waco, and Dave Hoskins, who integrated the league five years after Jackie Robinson integrated the majors. Also featured are dozens of archival photos dating back to the league's beginnings and an appendix of statistics.
Reviews
"The book is a treasure of baseball stories that often cross the line as downright freakish records."
-- Pecan Park Eagle
Author Bio
Tom Kayser and David King Contributor residences (city, state or country if outside the US or Canada): David King is a sports writer at the San Antonio Express-News, covering topics from baseball to the Olympics. He has won national and state awards for sports and enterprise reporting, and his weekly Baseball Beat page is a summertime favorite in the Express-News. He is the author of San Antonio at Bat: Professional Baseball in the Alamo City. He lives in New Braunfels, Texas. Tom Kayser is president of the Texas League. He has had a lifelong career in baseball, beginning with the Eastern League in 1976. Along the way, he has worked with the Berkshire Brewers, Holyoke Millers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and Calgary Cannons. He lives in San Antonio.
