Customer Reviews

A Six-Gun Salute: An Illustrated History of the Houston Colt .45s

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This book was thoroughly researched, well written and nicely bound. It should be a cherished asset to anyone, especially a Texan, who likes baseball.

The author probes the efforts of Houston's movers and shakers as they lobby baseball powers,in the mid-50's, for expansion of the major leagues.

When their efforts finally bore fruit, and Colt Stadium was a reality, the very first game, a win over the Cubs, was detailed, down to the last out.

The book continues with highlights and statistics of the Colts' three year existence, accented by individual stories of players and events of interest to baseball fans. Maneuverings of the managers to make the best of the expansion draft roster were exposed. Several stories of baseball "characters" liven up the presention.

Finally, the author wrote a touching requiem for the short lived Colt .45 team and stadium.

It is gratifying that the author finished this book while some of the principals are still alive to savor it. Especially noteworthy is Mr. Craig F. Cullinan, Jr., who is the last survivor of the original advocates of major league baseball in Houston.

Texas coastal heat, tropical humidity and giant mosquitoes; those are my memories of Colt Stadium. But I also remember the excitement of going to a real major league game in Houston. This book brings back all those memories and tells things I never knew about the screwball cast of characters who made up the team and the giant personalities who labored to bring big league baseball to Houston. The Colt .45s included major talent such as Joe Morgan, Rusty Staub, Jim Wynn and Larry Dierker. But they also had "colorful" players such as Richard "Turk" Farrell. A must for any collector of Texana, baseball or Houston history.

Find out the story about how Houston, Texas, got into the National League. Stifling heat and giant mosquitoes were the norm for Colt Stadium, a park which made the concept of indoor baseball seem like genius. The Colt .45s weren't as bad as the expansion Mets but they made more history, including tossing two no-hitters and only winning one of them. Read how stars like Joe Morgan, Rusty Staub, Jim Wynn and Larry Dierker made their major league debuts. Read how colorful Richard "Turk" Farrell became the staff ace as well as the staff's ace prankster. Read how Hall-of-Famers like Stan Musial, Warren Spahn, Willie Mays, Lou Brock, Don Drysdale and Juan Marichal responded to the South's first major league city. Want some baseball with a human touch? Relive the story of an infielder who befriended a blind boy and did feats of Ruthian legend for him. Learn about the pitcher who faced his death with remarkable courage. It's all in Robert Reed's book which features highlights from all three Colt .45 seasons as well as never-before-published photos that are true gems (hint: there's even a photo that relates to the Kennedy Assassination!). This book would be a welcome read for any baseball fan, particularly those from Texas who, like me, grew up in Houston and get wrapped up in the history and nostalgia, not to mention the great baseball stories.

I stumbled on this book at a bookstore in upstate NY, a far cry from the Houston area. As a baseball fan, it caught my eye although I had very little knowledge of Houston's MLB origins. What sold me-- at least during that quick perusal in the bookstore -- was its treatment of how Houston and NY both came into the league at the same time. After reading it, though, I'm astounded at the history and story of baseball's first major-league team in the south. The no-hitters, the futility, the tear-jerker about Jim Umbricht .... this story reeks of everything that baseball is -- good things, such as colorful characters, true fans, baseball as a game first and business second, and tragedy as well -- the real "Love of the Game" story, not that Kevin Costner tripe. Whether you know anything about Houston, the Colt 45s, or Texas, do yourself a favor and read this book. Heck, it's a human story, not just a sports story. The younger fan may not "get it," but those of us who grew up with those hot summer nights listening to baseball on transistor radios -- no matter were you lived of what team you claimed -- will enjoy the trip back.

as someone who grew up in Houston and recalls the Buffs, as well as the emegence of 'major' league baseball in Houston, this book re-kindles numerous lost memories. In addition, the "inside" information on Houston's acquisistion of the frnachise is enlightening and entertaining. For someone with an interest in Houston baseball, this book is obviously a must. Easy to read, with a wealth of information, fun to look through as well as a good read, what else is there?

Unlike most of the other reviewers, I grew up in Indiana but the Colt .45s were my team. When I first started following sports I wanted my own team, not the Yankees, Cubs or Reds so I picked Houston. Yes, I paid for it my entire life.

In a word, the book was amazing. I would have been the ideal subject for a Norman Rockwell painting, as I sat outside the local drugstore anxiously awaiting The Sporting News to get delivered so I could read everything about my Colts. The book filled in so many of the missing pieces for me especially on the planning before they took the field. The photographs brought to life a lot of what was only mental images of my youth.

I would highly, highly recommend this book. I know my Sixshooter Club card is around here somewhere.

An excellent and detailed history of the Colts and their origins in the planned Continental League, the National League expansion of 1961-62, and their colorful early days until they became the Astros. Lots of great photos of players, now-defunct ballparks, and memorabilia, and the real inside story of the name changes from Colts to Colt .45s to Astros. A winner all around.

Anyone who enjoys reading about the history of baseball will love this book whether one is a Houston fan or not. It is a history book and a human interest story all rolled into one.

One get's the feeling after reading this book a feeling of a little sorrow of not having the opportunity to have known some of the unusual personalities depicted in the book, especially pitcher Dick "Turk" Farrell whom obviously was an under rated but solid major league pitcher and a man of a thousand pratical jokes.

The power struggles between the men who helped bring major league baseball to Houston is a story that is almost too intriguing to be true yet is a story that is factual in every detail.

To the fan of the Houston Astros baseball franchise, this is the ultimate book on the history of the origin of the team.

Author Robert Reed definitely did his homework on this one.