Backroads and Ballplayers #26

Stories of the famous and not-so-famous men and women from the days when baseball was "Arkansas' Game." Always free and always short enough to finish in one cup of coffee.

Hard Times and Hardball in the Democrat-Gazette

Meet me at Bookish Books in Fort Smith!

On Monday, October 2, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ran a very favorable review of Hard Times and Hardball. I have included the clipping below. I hope you will take the time to read it.

I am humbled to be telling these stories and honored that our state newspaper thought this part of our heritage was worth promoting. The men and women who made baseball “Arkansas’ Game” in the first seventy years of the 20th century deserve to have their lives remembered. It was our grandparent’s game and a diversion from some of our state’s toughest times.

With encouragement from my family and my buddy Mike Dugan, I decided to put my self-doubt aside and record the history of baseball in Arkansas from the turn of the century until about 1970. I chose that period because it represented the days when Arkansas baseball meant Sunday afternoon picnics, town teams, and an inordinate number of pro-baseball stars for a state with a mostly rural population.

With some good advice from folks who had traveled this path, I decided to use professional editors and experienced formatters to make a self-published book that looked attractive and was professionally proofed. This would allow me to publish something I could be proud to share and sell it for under $20.

Specifics

Hard Times and Hardball usually retails for under $20. It can be found at most local bookstores such as Dog Ear Books, in Russellville, Bookish Emporium, in Heber Springs, Wordsworth Books in Little Rock, All Things Arkansas, in Hot Springs, and at our favorite coffee shop, Petit Jean Coffeehouse and Mercantile.

Of course, you can order it from Amazon or purchase signed books from our website. You can also meet me in person at the book signing events listed below:

Fort Smith, Arkansas, Bookish Book Store, October 13, 12:30 - 2:00

Clarksville, Arkansas, Library, October 24, 4:00 -5:00 p.m.

Arkansas Tech Library special presentation Thursday, October 26, Arkansas Baseball Players in the World Series 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. third floor)

Ozark, Arkansas, Library October 28, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Below is the review in the October 2, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette