Description
Book SynopsisNamed a Best Baseball Book of 2023 by
Sports Collectors Digest It’s 1984. Minor League Baseball mogul Larry Schmittou needs a new home for his Southern League Nashville Sounds franchise. Walt Jocketty, an Oakland A’s executive, searches for a new town for his Double-A club. Fate brings them together in Huntsville, Alabama, a city in need of an outlet to unite its residents. Thus the Huntsville Stars are born.
One Season in Rocket City brings to life the baseball renaissance that shook up Huntsville, a city many doubted would support professional baseball.
Named after Huntsville’s celebrated space industry, the Stars electrified the town with baseball fever to become one of the biggest attractions in Minor League Baseball that first season. Composed of Oakland’s top prospects, who later fueled the A’s championship run in the late 1980s, the Stars were the hottest ticket in town. Visiting teams called Huntsville the &ldq
Trade Review"If you thought that below the Mason-Dixon line, the only sport Southerners would line up to see was football, think again."—SABR Southern New England Newsletter
"A most decidedly worthwhile read for anyone interested in how the 1990s A's became the team they were—and in how the minor leagues figure into the general landscape of American baseball."—Deb Seymour, ballnine.com
“An engaging and colorful moment, unique in Minor League Baseball history. Dale Tafoya recounts how larger-than-life characters and future big-league stars from the A’s system descended on Huntsville, bringing that city a dream season in the club’s inaugural year. This is a story that will inspire any baseball fan.”—Billy Beane, senior advisor to the managing partner for the Oakland Athletics
“I love Minor League Baseball: it is filled with fun, magic, and untold stories. Dale Tafoya provides a fascinating look at a famous Minor League team, the Huntsville Stars, an Oakland A’s affiliate that won the Southern League championship in its inaugural season. It is clever, cool, and captivating; I learned something on every page. All A’s for Dale.’’—Tim Kurkjian, writer and analyst for ESPN
“A wonderful look back on a very special team that tells the story of the players, life in the Minor Leagues, and an amazing era of baseball that is slowly fading away. Those Stars were a tough team filled with future Major Leaguers. I know firsthand, as my Charlotte team played them in a most memorable Southern League championship game. Dale Tafoya expertly captures the essence of that place and time, and if you love baseball, this book is a must-read.”—John Hart, former MLB executive and MLB Network analyst
Table of ContentsForeword by Sandy Alderson
Prologue: Musical Chairs
1. Music City’s Field of Dreams
2. The Phenom
3. Albany Takeover
4. Rocket City
5. New Kids on the Block
6. Huntsville Stars
7. The Huntsville Kid
8. Falling Stars
9. Huntsville Lumber
10. Southern Comfort
11. Boys of Summer
12. Champions
Epilogue: Season for the Ages
In Memory
Acknowledgments
Notes on Research and Sources
Bibliography
Index
