< div> From < i> Seasons in Hell< /i> & #8220; Defensively these guys are really substandard, but with our pitching, it really doesn& #8217; t matter.& #8221; & #8212; Rangers manager Whitey Herzog.< br> < br> < br> < br> & #8220; Even before the start of spring training, Herzog had said, & #8216; If Rich Billings is the starting catcher again, we& #8217; re in deep trouble.& #8217; When that evaluation was passed along to Billings, he simply nodded and said, & #8216; Whitey, obviously, has seen me play.& #8217; & #8221; < br> < br> < br> < br> In early 1973, gonzo sportswriter Mike Shropshire agreed to cover the Texas Rangers for the < i> Fort-Worth Star-Telegram< /i> , not realizing that the Rangers were arguably the worst team in baseball history. < i> Seasons in Hell< /i> is a riotous, candid, irreverent behind-the-scenes account in the tradition of < i> The Bronx Zoo< /i> and < i> Ball Four< /i> , following the Texas Rangers from Whitey Herzog& #8217; s reign in 1973 through Billy Martin& #8217; s tumultuous tenure. Offering wonderful perspectives on dozens of unique (and likely never-to-be-seen-again) baseball personalities, < i> Seasons in Hell< /i> recounts some of the most extreme characters ever to play the game and brings to life the no-holds-barred culture of major league baseball in the mid-seventies.< br> < br> < /div>

(USA Today)

(Booklist)

“Even before the start of spring training, Herzog had said, ‘If Rich Billings is the starting catcher again, we’re in deep trouble.’ When that evaluation was passed along to Billings, he simply nodded and said, ‘Whitey, obviously, has seen me play.’” In early 1973, gonzo sportswriter Mike Shropshire agreed to cover the Texas Rangers for the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram, not realizing that the Rangers were arguably the worst team in baseball history. Seasons in Hell is a riotous, candid, irreverent behind-the-scenes account in the tradition of The Bronx Zoo and Ball Four, following the Texas Rangers from Whitey Herzog’s reign in 1973 through Billy Martin’s tumultuous tenure. Offering wonderful perspectives on dozens of unique (and likely never-to-be-seen-again) baseball personalities, Seasons in Hell recounts some of the most extreme characters ever to play the game and brings to life the no-holds-barred culture of major league baseball in the mid-seventies

Mike Shropshire is a longtime journalist who has written for numerous newspapers and magazines such as Sports Illustrated and is the author of several books, including When the Tuna Went down to Texas: How Bill Parcells Led the Cowboys Back to the Promised Land. He lives in Dallas, Texas.