Seasons in Hell [Hardcover]

Mike Shropshire (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 1996

A candid, irreverent, behind-the-scenes account of two seasons with the 1973-75 Texas Rangers, called by many the worst baseball team in history, by the then-sports writer for the Fort Worth Star Telegram. 20,000 first printing. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Baseball's Texas Rangers were the Washington Senators before they were moved in 1972 by owner and political-insider Bob Short, whom the author describes as "Hubert Humphrey's bagman." In 1973, Shropshire first began covering the Rangers, a group of has-beens and never-weres, for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. No one could play ball, but everybody could drink, chase women and use "ability pills"-amphetamines. We see the likes of Rico Carty, so slow "you could time him with a sun dial"; bonus baby David Clyde, who would be finished within a year; and Jim Bibby, known for his fastball and his "apparatus of manhood." Manager Whitey Herzog, who did a fine job retooling the team and would go on to success elsewhere, was replaced by Billy Martin in 1974. Between Martin's almost daily fistfights, the rantings of Jimmy "Fear Strikes Out" Piersall and the riot that ensued at 10-Cent Beer Night in Cleveland, the Rangers overachieved and finished second in the American League West. But these guys played over 20 years ago. Only those few fans who actually read books during rain delays will want to transport themselves to the locker-room shenanigans of a lousy team of the 1970s. Photos.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The Texas Rangers baseball team is the only nonexpansion club never to appear in the postseason playoffs. Shropshire covered the team for the Forth Worth Star Telegram from 1973 through 1975, particularly notable years because the Ranger managers were Whitey Herzog and Billy Martin, two of the game's best strategists and most memorable characters. The Herzog season (1973) was awful baseball-wise, but along the way, Shropshire learned a great deal about the game at the hotel bar from Herzog, who survived the Rangers to forge a successful managerial career over the next decade. Replacing Herzog on the hotel bar stool was Billy Martin, a master at quickly resuscitating drowning teams and at starting fights with his booze-fueled tongue. He does some of both here. This is a funny, revealing, Ball Fourlike romp through mid-seventies baseball, an era whose off-field excesses are best summed up by this Latin player's account of a good day at the park: "Go two-for-two and score big blonde." Shropshire offers the perfect antidote for those weepy-eyed tributes to baseball's pastoral beauty. Wes Lukowsky

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; 1ST edition (June 12, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556114958
• ISBN-13: 978-1556114953
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #708,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesomely funny book. Ranger fan? You should read this., September 10, 2003

By 

Joseph M. Siegler (Garland, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Seasons in Hell (Mass Market Paperback)

I wasn't quite sure what to think of this one either. I bought it because of the tagline on the front about it being funny. I admit to not knowing a whole lot about the very early years of the Rangers (I didn't move here until 1992, and didn't really follow 'em until 1995), and the thought about reading a book all about them didn't thrill me.

However, I quickly found out that this was a hysterically funny book. Mike Shrophsire has a very funny wit, and isn't afraid to let it fly when talking about the Rangers of this era. His recollection of events is awesome, and makes for very funny reading. If you're a fan of the Rangers, or even if you're not, GET THIS! It's a very great read, although I don't recommend it for very small kids, as there's more than just one or two cuss words in there. Still, for adults, it's well worth it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SEASONS IN HELL, February 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Seasons in Hell (Mass Market Paperback)

This is by far the best sports book ever and probably my favorite book period.Shropshire gives an unparrelled view into the world of baseball in the early 70,s By his account, this book is a reflexion and timeline of that era,not just baseball.An essential element of a book like this is for the author to capture the lifestyle,current events,and the essance of the time in which he is writing.Having grown up following this team,the names and places are very familar,but you don,t have to be a rangers fan for this book to make sense and be a pure delight.You will never feel the same about pro atheletes again.I encourage anyone to read this book and prepare to laugh out loud and take a trip back in time to an era we will never see again

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even non-fans would love it, February 27, 2000

By 

Kevin P. Dolan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seasons in Hell (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book purely out of curiosity, because I wanted to know whay anyone would write a book about the Rangers. Within a few pages, I knew that the Rangers, important as they were to the story, were not the ENTIRE story. Shropshire is an articulate writer, and many passages are, as a previous reviewer, "laugh out loud" funny. It's a tale of bad baseball, marginal players, marginal people, and it evokes a sense of time and place that I never thought a sports book could have. even if you don't like sports, this book is worth reading just because it's well written.