Ron Necciai once struck out 27 hitters in a nine-inning minor league game. Floyd Giebell beat Bob Feller to clinch the 1940 American League pennant for the Detroit Tigers. John Paciorek had three hits in three at bats in his big league debut-and never played another game in the majors.
These three players and twelve other talented men (Bill Koski, Ed Sanicki, Joe Stanka, Bill Rohr, Al Autry, Joe Brovia, John Leovich, Bert Shepard, Doug Clarey, Marshall Mauldin, Bernie Williams, and Frank Leja) reached the top of their profession only to sink back into obscurity. Through interviews with all the players and extensive research, their stories are told-from their triumphs to their swift disappointments. Major and minor league year-by-year statistics for each player are included.
Ron Necciai once struck out 27 hitters in a nine-inning minor league game. Floyd Giebell beat Bob Feller to clinch the 1940 American League pennant for the Detroit Tigers. John Paciorek had three hits in three at bats in his big league debut-and never played another game in the majors.
These three players and twelve other talented men (Bill Koski, Ed Sanicki, Joe Stanka, Bill Rohr, Al Autry, Joe Brovia, John Leovich, Bert Shepard, Doug Clarey, Marshall Mauldin, Bernie Williams, and Frank Leja) reached the top of their profession only to sink back into obscurity. Through interviews with all the players and extensive research, their stories are told-from their triumphs to their swift disappointments. Major and minor league year-by-year statistics for each player are included.
Dennis Snelling is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and the Pacific Coast League Historical Society. He lives in Rocklin, California. (Visit www.dennissnelling.com.)
“Snelling...has a feel for these baseball footnotes and relates their stories with compassion and wit...excellent”—Booklist; “an intriguing collection of character studies of players who had brilliant but fleeting major league careers”—The Yankees Bookshelf; “remind us both that anyone who reaches the level of major league baseball is extremely talented and that every player is an important part of the history of the game”—The SABR Bulletin; “his interviews reveal both the high points and disappointments”—Library Journal; “profiles in detail 15 players who had their 15 minutes of fame before vanishing in athletic obscurity”—Houston Post.
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