Synopses & Reviews
From Little League to the big leagues, perhaps no single athletic endeavor in the American consciousness is wrought with as much emotional significance as the game of baseball. Compared to other major professional sports, there is an inordinate number of second- and third-generation ballplayers playing in the major leagues today. And this is due to a whole lot more than just strong genetics. There is something inherently magical about the game of baseball that seems to connect families, and bring them closer together through their shared love of the game. And, as evidenced by the big-screen success of such movies as Field of Dreams and The Natural, this connection is something that the American public can relate to themselves.
In Fathers, Sons, and Baseball, author Wayne Stewart compiles dozens of exclusive, candid interviews with some of the most prominent as well as less-recognized baseball families, presenting a unique and insightful look at the way baseball has not only helped develop these familial relationships, but also how these relationships have helped to shape and nurture the lives of ballplayers.
Review
"...takes a closer look at the unique parent-child relationships of more than 20 diamond dynasties." --
USA Today Baseball WeeklyReview
". . . an interesting baseball theme. . ."--
Kansas City Star "...takes a closer look at the unique parent-child relationships of more than 20 diamond dynasties." --USA Today Baseball Weekly
Synopsis
The magic of the game that brings families together--a perfect gift for Dad.
About the Author
Wayne Stewart, the author of Baseball Oddities and Baseball Puzzlers, has been a professional sports writer for more than 25 years, and has published more than 700 articles in such publications as USA Today/Baseball Weekly, Baseball Digest, Boy's Life, and Beckett Baseball Card Monthly. A member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), he makes his home with his wife and family in Lorain, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
Chapter One: My Dad and Me 1
Chapter Two: The Boones 9
Chapter Three: The Bells 25
Chapter Four: The Hairstons 37
Chapter Five: The Griffeys 45
Chapter Six: The Ripkens 65
Chapter Seven: The Bonds Duo 79
Chapter Eight: The Alomars 87
Chapter Nine: The Seguis 97
Chapter Ten: The Spiezios 105
Chapter Eleven: The Speiers 125
Chapter Twelve: The Wrights 139
Chapter Thirteen: The Grieves 155
Chapter Fourteen: The Oleruds 173
Chapter Fifteen: The Kennedys 193
Chapter Sixteen: The Moehlers 205
Chapter Seventeen: The Franconas 215
Chapter Eighteen: The Rest of the Clans 231
Gary and Daryle Ward 231
Brian and Marcus Giles 234
The Alous 235
Mike and Andy Hargrove 238
Gregg Jefferies 240
Pete Rose and Pete Rose, Jr. 243
Randy Johnson 246
Tim Raines and Tim Raines, Jr. 249
Bob and Joel Skinner 254
Mark and Matthew McGwire 257
Jose Cruz and Jose Cruz, Jr. 261
The Stottlemyres 263
Mookie and Preston Wilson 266
Ellis and Christopher Burk 267
Chapter Nineteen: My Boys and Me 273
About the Author 287