Marvin P. Ferguson

I was a die hard Cub fan. Born and raised on the north side of Chicago I watched the Chicago Cubs play ball on TV, and went to Wrigley Field every chance I got. Stuffing hot dogs in my mouth and drinking soda pop was fun.

Baseball was in my DNA. In my spare time it wasn't uncommon to see me with friends on a corner lot playing baseball in blue jeans, sport shirt, and tennis shoes, with tattered baseballs and splintered bats.

My knowledge about baseball fundamentals came through the college-of-hard-knocks. I read a lot of sports magazines.

I spread the wealth about my baseball expertise by coaching a little league baseball team. Those little guys learned fast and it was a joy watching them develop baseball skills in a game they grew to love.

Later in my life, I got inspired to write three baseball novels after watching "The Walton's," a TV series. John Boy, the main character, was a writer who shared his boyhood experiences growing up on Walton's Mountain.

To enhance my writing skills I attended the Write-to-Publish Conference at Wheaton College; Quad-Cities Christian Writers' Conference; am a contributing writer to The Great Blog Adventure; a former student in the Christian Writers' Guild now under the direction of Jerry B. Jenkins; tutored by Dr. Dennise Hensley, professor and director of communications at Taylor University; and a North Park University graduate. I am an avid reader.

So for you, young and old, boys and gals, here are some exciting baseball stories you may like. And happy reading to you all.