Description
Book SynopsisThere was a time when no town was too small to field a professional baseball team. In 1949, the high point for the minor leagues, there were 59 leagues and 464 cities with teams, two-thirds of them in so-called bush leagues classified as C and D. Most of the players were strangers outside the towns where they played, but some achieved hero status and enthralled local fans as much as the stars in the majors. Left on Base in the Bush Leagues: Legends, Near Greats, and Unknowns in the Minors profiles some of the most fascinating characters from baseball’s golden era. It includes the stories of players such as Ron Necciai, the only pitcher in history to strike out 27 batters in a single game; Joe Brovia, one of the most feared hitters to ever play in the Pacific Coast League (PCL), who had to wait 15 years for a shot in the majors; and Pat Stasey, a mellow Irishman who “Cubanized” minor league baseball in Texas and New Mexico, helping to bring down the walls of segregation. Compelling and timeless, their stories touch on many issues that still affect the sport today. Left on Base in the Bush Leagues provides an entertaining glimpse into a time when baseball was a game and the players were regular guys who often held second jobs off the field. Featuring hundreds of personal interviews with the players, their teammates, managers, and opponents, this book creates a colorful tapestry of the minor leagues during the 1950s and 60s.
Trade ReviewMeticulously researched and compellingly presented, Left on Base in the Bush Leagues is the best book on 1950s minor league baseball ever, a milestone worthy of sharing the same bookshelf with The Glory of Their Times. -- Jim McConnell, former sports columnist for the San Gabriel Valley News Group, two-time recipient of the SABR Research Award, and author of the critically-acclaimed biography Bobo Newsom: Baseball's Traveling Man
Once again Gaylon White brings to life forgotten heroes of baseball as only he can tell. A captivating read. -- Ransom Jackson Jr., two-time Major League Baseball All-Star, Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers
I love the stories in this book. They provide great insight on the life of pro baseball players in the fifties and early sixties. -- Jack McKeon, two-time National League Manager of the Year, Cincinnati Reds and world champion Florida Marlins
Ron Necciai and I are long-time friends. In 1955 at Hollywood in the Pacific Coast League, I played with Carlos Bernier and against Joe Taylor, Joe Brovia, and Bob Dillinger. Left on Base in the Bush Leagues stirs fond memories of those days by taking you back to the fifties. It’s a trip worth taking. -- Bill Mazeroski, 10-time National League All-Star second baseman, Pittsburgh Pirates, and National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, 2001
Exhaustive research always gets my attention. It signals the author demands accuracy. Gaylon White's storytelling and writing are excellent and his attention to detail nails it. -- Bob Wirz, former chief spokesman for two Major League Baseball commissioners and author of the autobiographical The Passion of Baseball
Having played in the minor leagues for eleven years from 1947–1957, I knew many of the players covered in Gaylon White’s book personally and could relate with fondness to life in the minors. Reading Left on Base in the Bush Leagues was exciting and brought back many great memories and recollections of awfully good players. -- Ed Mickelson, former St. Louis Cardinal, St. Louis Brown, and Chicago Cub and author of Out of the Park
Baseball fans love a good story about those who once played the game. In his book, Gaylon White has captured this in the short biographies of some of these most colorful and unique individuals. I had the pleasure to play the game with and against these men in my eleven year baseball career. Enjoy! -- Paul Pettit, baseball’s first $100,000 bonus baby, Pittsburgh Pirates
