Grinders: Baseball's Intrepid Infantry - Softcover

Capps, Mike; Hartenstein, Chuck

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1736839047 ISBN 13: 9781736839041

Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing Group, 2022

Synopsis

Grinders: Baseball’s Intrepid Infantry is a revealing look at the pro players you DON'T remember--the ones who took the hard knocks road, bouncing between the Show and obscurity, never quite achieving their dreams, all for a chance to play the game they love.

As a child, author Mike Capps became fascinated with sports journeymen--the players who take the field every week and slip off into obscurity at the end of their careers. As his beloved Grandfather reminded him, "You’ll even see their names in the box scores. They aren’t stars, but they're the engine that drives baseball’s bus.”

What his grandfather called baseball’s “engine” we now call “grinders.” The back-and-forth roller coaster ride between professional baseball’s minor leagues and its nirvana, Major League Baseball, remains perplexingly difficult for countless great players and their families.

Players like Deacon Jones, Brian Mazone, and Lorenzo Bundy fought tooth and nail for a shot at the big leagues and held on for as long as they could. Grinders—those relentless, hardworking players—fill every roster at every level, season after season. Without their grit, determination, and persistence, the stars wouldn’t shine as brightly.

It’s time they got the recognition they deserve. A must-read for every aspiring athlete, youth coach, and passionate sports fan—Grinders is a tribute to the heart and soul of the game.

About this title

About the Author

Mike Capps has been the play-by-play voice of the AAA Round Rock Express for 21 seasons. He’s worked for the Texas Rangers, the Houston Astros and ESPN Radio. He worked in radio and television news for 22 years at ABC, CNN and stations in Dallas and Houston, covering the first Gulf War, the Branch Davidian siege and 16 Space Shuttle missions, including the Challenger disaster. Capps is also the co-author, with Red Murff, of The Scout: Searching for the Best in Baseball.
Chuck Hartenstein pitched for 15 years as a reliever for the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. He later worked as a pitching coach and scout in both the minor and major leagues and was voted into the University of Texas Athletics Hall of Honor in 24.

Edition details

• Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1736839047
• ISBN 13: 9781736839041
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368