From semipro sandlots to the big league World Series, if your ball club needed a victory you put out the call for Win Ballou. For more than a quarter century this quirky relief pitcher from Appalachia consistently lived up to his name. […]
Category: Los Angeles Angels
Steve Bilko: The Legend of Stout Steve
The energy-sapping weight loss programs the St. Louis Cardinals’ coaches insisted on seemed to block any success Steve Bilko hoped to achieve in baseball – that is until a minor league manager left him alone to do what he did best: hit the ball. […]
Tommy Lasorda: The Fight of ’56 and the Birth of a Hall of Fame Manager
This is a piece I wrote about ten years ago. I included an abbreviated version in my book, The League of Outsider Baseball, and always liked by illustration of the young Tommy. So, without further yapping, here’s my story of Tommy Lasorda’s early career as a southpaw who dreamed of playing for his beloved Dodgers. […]