Shortened Seasons recounts the stories of some of the baseball players who never made it back for the next game, who died with the suddenness of a walk-off homerun. For them, there was no next year. From Hall of Fame caliber players such as Roberto Clemente, Thurman Munson, and Ed Delahanty to players who were still finding their niche in the game like Ken Hubbs, Lyman Bostoc, and Darryl Kile, this book explores the lives and deaths of ball players of all categories and abilities who were struck down at the height of their careers.
Fran Zimniuch has found his journalistic niche writing books about sports in general and baseball in particular. Having written numerous articles, feature stories and opinion columns for various newspapers and magazines for more than 25 years, he began writing books in 2004 with "Phillies: Where Have You Gone?" and "Eagles: Where Have You Gone?" Philadelphia natives are passionate about their teams and he is no different.
Researching, interviewing and learning about his favorite athletes has been a fascninating journey that led to the publication of "Richie Ashburn Remembered." Having the desire to expand his work to a more national scene, the Ashburn book was followed by "Shortened Seasons: The Untimely Deaths of Major League Baseball's Stars And Journeymen," "Going, Going, Gone? The Art Of The Trade In Major League Baseball," "Ph-ANTASTIC! The 2008 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies," "Crooked: A History Of Cheating In Sports," and new in 2010, "Fireman: The Evolution Of The Closer in Baseball," with a foreward by Lee Smith.
Born in Philadelphia and also having lived in East Greenwich, RI, Zimniuch now lives in Southern New Jersey with his sons, Brent and Kyle.
