Waterloo Diamonds [Hardcover]

Richard Panek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1995

A portrait of the end of an era in baseball, industry, and an American town is the story of the minor league team from Waterloo, Iowa, based on travel with the Diamonds and talks with players, owners, managers, and citizens.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Only a fraction of minor league baseball players ever make it to the major leagues. The trip starts in places like Waterloo, Iowa, a town of "working-class and poor," that is the home of the Waterloo Diamonds, a San Diego Padres farm team in the Class A Midwest League. Freelance writer Panek here takes us through the 1992 season, on the field and off, in a city in trouble. Industry has deserted Waterloo; the Diamonds, on the other hand, are a franchise worth about $1 million, and the team brings some $2.495 million into the local economy. City and team need each other to survive, and each is wary of the consequences if the other fails. The team comprises players who aren't likely to be recruited into the major leagues; they are "battle fodder," i.e., players kept on the job so the talented few will have someone to compete with. There are only a handful of prospects this season: Cameron Cairncross, an Australian with a live fastball; Jason Hardtke, a second baseman and all-star; and pitcher Robbie Beckett, a former first-round draft pick with good stuff, if no control. Panek concentrates on the business of minor league baseball, how it flourished into big business in the 1980s, and how it now virtually blackmails municipalities into underwriting it. This is a gritty and unsentimental portrait of the bush leagues.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 373 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (June 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312132093
• ISBN-13: 978-0312132095
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,141,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like the business side of sports, this is for you., August 31, 2010

By 

ChicagoRushFan - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Waterloo Diamonds (Hardcover)

If you find what goes on in the front office just as interesting as what happens on the field, you will enjoy this book. If you have any knowledge of the Midwest League, the stadiums and locals will be very familiar and add to the enjoyment of the book. The most interesting part of the book is what has changed and hasn't since 1992. The book talks about the state of the art stadiums built by Fort Wayne, South Bend and Quad City making it tough for Waterloo. However by the mid 2000s, stadiums built in Dayton, Lansing, etc. made Fort Wayne and Quad City build newer stadiums for their teams and almost cost South Bend their franchise.

I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same. However despite almost 20 years old, this book remains relevant and an entertaining read.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Diamonds meet their Waterloo, May 6, 2005

By 

James Lyons "PC Doctor Dude" (East Stroudsburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Waterloo Diamonds (Hardcover)

Waterloo, Iowa is about 65 Miles from where the movie "Field of Dreams" was filmed. This book tells a story of a town that is trying to hold onto their little piece of the dream.

This is an engrossing, behind the scenes look at a minor-league team struggling to survive in a city that had "pro ball" for 95 years. I found it to be a real page-turner, in the sense that I was rooting for the town of Waterloo to hold on to their piece of the Major Leagues (by the way - the Minor Leagues are "pro-ball", in case you didn't know - I didn't!).

I must confess I could not take the suspense, and searched on Google to see if Waterloo still had a minor-league franchise.

It also provides a great look at the life of a minor-leaguer in the early 90's - gritty Bull Durham style!

Highly recommended!