Grinders: Baseball's Intrepid Infantry
Grinders: Baseball’s Intrepid Infantry is a revealing look at the pro players you DON'T remember—the ones who took the hard knocks road, bouncing between the Show and obscurity, never quite achieving their dreams, all for a chance to play the game they love.

As a child, author Mike Capps became fascinated with sports journeymen—the players who take the field every week and slip off into obscurity at the end of their careers. As his beloved Grandfather reminded him, "You’ll even see their names in the box scores. They aren’t stars, but they're the engine that drives baseball’s bus.”
 
What his grandfather called baseball’s “engine” we now call “grinders.” The back-and-forth roller coaster ride between professional baseball’s minor leagues and its nirvana, Major League Baseball, remains perplexingly difficult for countless great players and their families.

Players like Deacon Jones, Brian Mazone, and Lorenzo Bundy fought tooth and nail for a shot at the big leagues and held on for as long as they could. Grinders—those relentless, hardworking players—fill every roster at every level, season after season. Without their grit, determination, and persistence, the stars wouldn’t shine as brightly.

It’s time they got the recognition they deserve. A must-read for every aspiring athlete, youth coach, and passionate sports fan—Grinders is a tribute to the heart and soul of the game.
 
1141385903
Grinders: Baseball's Intrepid Infantry
Grinders: Baseball’s Intrepid Infantry is a revealing look at the pro players you DON'T remember—the ones who took the hard knocks road, bouncing between the Show and obscurity, never quite achieving their dreams, all for a chance to play the game they love.

As a child, author Mike Capps became fascinated with sports journeymen—the players who take the field every week and slip off into obscurity at the end of their careers. As his beloved Grandfather reminded him, "You’ll even see their names in the box scores. They aren’t stars, but they're the engine that drives baseball’s bus.”
 
What his grandfather called baseball’s “engine” we now call “grinders.” The back-and-forth roller coaster ride between professional baseball’s minor leagues and its nirvana, Major League Baseball, remains perplexingly difficult for countless great players and their families.

Players like Deacon Jones, Brian Mazone, and Lorenzo Bundy fought tooth and nail for a shot at the big leagues and held on for as long as they could. Grinders—those relentless, hardworking players—fill every roster at every level, season after season. Without their grit, determination, and persistence, the stars wouldn’t shine as brightly.

It’s time they got the recognition they deserve. A must-read for every aspiring athlete, youth coach, and passionate sports fan—Grinders is a tribute to the heart and soul of the game.
 
19.99 In Stock
Grinders: Baseball's Intrepid Infantry

Grinders: Baseball's Intrepid Infantry

Grinders: Baseball's Intrepid Infantry

Grinders: Baseball's Intrepid Infantry

Paperback

$19.99 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    In stock. Ships in 1-2 days.
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

Grinders: Baseball’s Intrepid Infantry is a revealing look at the pro players you DON'T remember—the ones who took the hard knocks road, bouncing between the Show and obscurity, never quite achieving their dreams, all for a chance to play the game they love.

As a child, author Mike Capps became fascinated with sports journeymen—the players who take the field every week and slip off into obscurity at the end of their careers. As his beloved Grandfather reminded him, "You’ll even see their names in the box scores. They aren’t stars, but they're the engine that drives baseball’s bus.”
 
What his grandfather called baseball’s “engine” we now call “grinders.” The back-and-forth roller coaster ride between professional baseball’s minor leagues and its nirvana, Major League Baseball, remains perplexingly difficult for countless great players and their families.

Players like Deacon Jones, Brian Mazone, and Lorenzo Bundy fought tooth and nail for a shot at the big leagues and held on for as long as they could. Grinders—those relentless, hardworking players—fill every roster at every level, season after season. Without their grit, determination, and persistence, the stars wouldn’t shine as brightly.

It’s time they got the recognition they deserve. A must-read for every aspiring athlete, youth coach, and passionate sports fan—Grinders is a tribute to the heart and soul of the game.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781736839041
Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing Group
Publication date: 07/18/2022
Pages: 368
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

MIKE CAPPS has been the play-by-play voice of the AAA Round Rock Express for 21 seasons. He’s worked for the Texas Rangers, the Houston Astros and ESPN Radio. He worked in radio and television news for 22 years at ABC, CNN and stations in Dallas and Houston, covering the first Gulf War, the Branch Davidian siege and 16 Space Shuttle missions, including the Challenger disaster. Capps is also the co-author, with Red Murff, of The Scout: Searching for the Best in Baseball.
CHUCK HARTENSTEIN pitched for 15 years as a reliever for the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. He later worked as a pitching coach and scout in both the minor and major leagues and was voted into the University of Texas Athletics Hall of Honor in 2004.
 

Table of Contents

What's a Grinder 13

Introduction: The Idea 19

Meet the Infantry 27

Chapter 1 Twiggy Chunks Rocks 31

Chapter 2 Dugout 41

Lorenzo Bundy 41

Jackie Moore 52

Deacon Jones 60

Jack McKeon 67

Dr. Tom House 81

Chapter 3 Bump 89

Jerry Reuss 89

Scipio Spinks 101

Brian Mazone 111

Joe Slusarski 117

Chapter 4 Pen 123

Darren Oliver 123

Chuck Crim 128

Travis Driskill 135

Kelly Wunsch 146

Chapter 5 Gear 157

Chris Gimenez 157

Alan Zinter 164

Chris Tremie 174

Chapter 6 Dirt 181

Bill Lucas 181

Kevin Millar 185

Jeff Frye 192

Fred Patek 198

Bill Mueller 205

Adam Rosales 213

Elliot Johnson 218

Chapter 7 Grass 227

Ron Swoboda 227

Brian Downing 237

Dave Clark 253

Jason Lane 264

Chapter 8 Family 271

Three Hairston Generations 271

Mike Jirschle and Sons 277

Jim and Jim Adducci 282

John and Ryan Langerhans 290

Ray Crone-Senior and Junior 298

Chris and Russell Chambliss 305

Chapter 9 Ivy 313

Ross Ohlendorf, Princeton 314

Ryan Lavarnway, Yale 325

Chapter 10 Asia 337

Chase Lambin 337

Spencer Patton 343

Jared Hoying 352

Ryan Feierabend 358

Chapter 11 Combat 363

Hank Bauer-World War II 366

Bobby Jones-Viet Nam 374

Chapter 12 The Closer 383

Jackson Ryan 383

Meet the Authors

Mike Capps 399

Chuck Hartenstein 402

Acknowledgments and Thank You's 404

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews