Small-Town Heroes: Images of Minor League Baseball [Hardcover]

Hank Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1997

In 1993 successful psychologist and journalist Hank Davis undertook an epic journey exploring the atmosphere and culture of both minor league baseball and the small towns that embrace it. Davis shows us the warmth, quirkiness, and desperate energy of minor league ball, from encounters with future stars to those who would never make it to the “show”; from the kids selling Cracker Jacks outside the park to the aging coaches who persevere out of sheer love for the game. As Davis says, “the minor leagues are full of stories,” and he tells some of the best of them here. A new afterword by the author dis-cusses where the minor league players are now.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Mr. Davis has written a remarkable chronicle of life in the minor leagues, a lighthearted, bittersweet paean to the purest form of the national pastime. -- The New York Times Book Review, Charles Salzberg

Over 350 pages of magic...pure entertainment. It ranks right up there with the best works of W. P. Kinsella. -- Kalona Iowa News; January 1, 1998

Small-Town Heroes is the best baseball book I've read since "The Boys Of Summer." -- Al Kern, National Public Radio; June, 1997

From the Inside Flap

"Davis has written a remarkable chronicle of life in the minor leagues, a lighthearted, bittersweet paean to the purest form of the national pastime."—New York Times Book Review.

"Small-Town Heroes is a winding, pleasant journey through the minor league ballparks of North America. Davis’ vehicle is baseball, but his destination is an America that many might believe was lost forever."—Miles Wolff, president of Baseball America.

"A must-read for any baseball-lover. Small-Town Heroes is the Ball Four of minor league baseball books."—Curt Schilling, pitcher.

"Small-Town Heroes is the best baseball book I’ve read since The Boys of Summer."—Al Kern, National Public Radio.

"Davis has a good eye for arresting detail, a good ear for the message behind ritualistic sportspeak, a nose for ambience, and a sense of the ironic. . . . A book to be savored."—Choice.

"The essence of the book . . . is the people, and Davis portrays them with understanding and compassion but without sentimentalizing them."—Publishers Weekly.

In 1993 successful psychologist and journalist Hank Davis undertook an epic journey exploring the atmosphere and culture of both minor league baseball and the small towns that embrace it. Davis shows us the warmth, quirkiness, and desperate energy of minor league ball, from encounters with future stars to those who would never make it to the "show"; from the kids selling Cracker Jacks outside the park to the aging coaches who persevere out of sheer love for the game. As Davis says, "the minor leagues are full of stories," and he tells some of the best of them here. A new afterword by the author dis-cusses where the minor league players are now. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 357 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Iowa Pr; 1st ed edition (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877455791
• ISBN-13: 978-0877455790
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,052,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars (POP!) ...and you can tell that one goodbye!, September 13, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Small-Town Heroes: Images of Minor League Baseball (Hardcover)

Well, beat the drum and hold the phone-the sun came out today! We're born again, there's new grass on the field.........Well, I spent some time in the Mudville Nine, watchin' it from the bench............. Hank Davis has a hit! Reading Small-Town Heroes gives one much the same feeling as listening to Fogerty belting out Centerfield.

Davis does an excellent job of exposing the heart, soul, and emotions of those immersed in making a minor league team a reality. The struggle of emotions and the psychic battles faced by players, managers, coaches, mascots, fans, vendors, and other personnel involved in making the game "come off" are, many times, missed by the typical fan. Davis puts you "in the head" of the new kid just getting off the bus in eastern Tennessee. He then gives you a tour of the mind, emotions, and ego of the 27-year-old coming down from The Show for a last trip through the minors.

Davis's style makes you cheer for guys and teams that you have never seen-nor, in many instances, heard of. You feel the sense of urgency in getting the next hit or lowering the ERA with the next strike out. You feel the humanity of men ready become superstars as well as those about to plunge into "the agony of defeat". Hank Davis distinguishes and translates the subtleties of conversation in the dugout and batting practice that are concealed or ambiguous for most. His understanding and empathy flow clearly and viv-idly through to the pages of Small-Town Heroes.

Hank Davis leaves the reader with his opinion of the state of the baseball, and the minors in particular. He has an explicit assessment and is not hesitant about sharing it. He is the kind of guy I would like to sit next to and share a beer with at Graniger Stadium in Kinston, North Carolina on a hot August night!

Tours of small towns, minor league parks, and geography are accurately and realistically portrayed for the reader. Local flavor, as illustrated by Davis, can almost be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, and felt. He presents all the characters-those not likely seen by a visitor and those taken for granted by the locals. From "Mom" and the "Mountain Man" to the groupies, mascots, ground crew, hotel desk clerks, waitresses, and guards-"the whole cast"--Davis introduces you to each. Others have attempted tours similar to Davis only to commit error after error-Davis gets a hit!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great look at life in the Minor Leagues!, May 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Small-Town Heroes: Images of Minor League Baseball (Hardcover)

Hank Davis has done a marvelous job in this view of life in (and around) the minor leagues. His sense of humor comes through many times. This was probably the easiest reading book of this length (354 pages)that I've encountered. It just flows! One of the things that I liked most about the book was not only the liberal use of photographs, but their placement. Every photo was within a page of the corresponding verbage. In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Each and every page was interesting, entertaining, or informative. As a visitor to approximately 30 minor league parks myself, Davis enabled me to "revisit" many of those parks. Job well done, Mr. Davis!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't Put It Down, March 8, 2000

By 

JMS (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Small-Town Heroes: Images of Minor League Baseball (Hardcover)

This is an excellent read from start to finish. Davis really captures the essence of the minor league experience from the perspective of players, employees and fans. Baseball fans will love it, and non-fans will still be caught up in the many personalities profiled here.