Update 7-10-2025
Housekeeping and Links to This Week’s Publications
It (baseball) is a haunted game, where each player is measured by the ghosts of those who have gone before. Most of all, it is about time and timelessness, speed and grace, failure and loss, imperishable hope, and coming home.”
—Ken Burns Baseball 1994
Grandpa’s Game
In case you missed Costen Shockley in Only in Arkansas and This week’s Backroads and Ballplayers Weekly, they are linked below. Both are among my most-read publications of 2025.
My story about Costen Shockley and the “Boom Boom Travelers,” which ran in Only in Arkansas this week, seemed to resonate with readers who love the history of our game. Some had firsthand memories of those strange years when the Travs struggled to find a place in minor league baseball after the demise of the Southern Association.
One of those responding was Paul Burton, son of legendary superfan, Bulah Burton. Bulah was a regular in the ‘60s and ‘70s. She was so popular that the Travs included her in promotional gags and special presentations.
Paul recalled that his mother never missed a game, except for those nights when she was a fixture at wrestling matches at Robinson Auditorium. Do any of you have Bulah stories?
Record?
As of Thursday morning, July 10, the number of readers of this week’s Backroads and BallPlayers Weekly has passed 1,000. Facebook has recorded 689 views, and the Subscriber readers total has reached 315.
My “Facebook Insights” reveal what I expected. My work is not on the “must-read” list of teenagers, but the 35-44 crowd is surprising.
Below is a breakdown of this week’s readers provided by Substack and Facebook:
In case you missed: Costen Shockley in Only in Arkansas
Backroads and Ballplayers #113 - Departing Thoughts on College Baseball - Good News for McCann, - Of Course, that was Roy Majtyka, 1966, and a Moose in Little Rock
In case you missed: Backroads and Ballplayers Weekly #113
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Next week - Hot Springs Baseball Weekend