Out of the Park: Memoir of a Minor League Baseball All-Star

by Ed Mickelson

Overview

During the Golden Age of baseball, as many as 59 minor leagues operated in a single season, and hundreds of G.I.s returning home from World War II competed in them for the big break that would land them one of only 400 spots on 16 teams in the majors. These were truly the days when athletes played purely for the love of the game, motivated by goals that seemed always just beyond their fingertips.

Among the many men who endured shocking extremes in pursuit of that diamond-plate dream was first baseman Ed Mickelson. This book relates the entirety of his 11-year struggle against the odds of success. A talented athlete from his early youth, Mickelson followed the game he loved across continental America, winning some and losing some, but always persevering. While a recruit for Lynchburg in the Class B Piedmont League, Mickelson maintained a league-leading .393 batting average.

When traded to the Southeastern League in Montgomery, Alabama, he scaled his previous statistic to achieve an average of .417. In his first major league start, an ailing Stan Musial provided the opportunity for Ed to get one of only two hits against Hall of Famer Warren Spahn. After batting .335 and driving in 139 runs at Shreveport, Louisiana, in the Texas League, Ed was honored to become first pick among 8500 players in the Minor League draft in 1954, making him a Portland Beaver in the Pacific Coast League. This book captures the fierceness of his struggle throughout his career before the man who drove in the last run of the St. Louis Browns would eventually hand over his bat and go home. Despite his impressive statistics--the second highest batting average in the Pacific Coast League and the best fielding percentage among first basemen--Mickelson traded in professional baseball for a career of high school counseling and coaching young athletes, some becoming professionals themselves. His story is told here for veterans, scholars and fans alike, revealing first-hand the both difficult and rewarding challenges of the big game.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786482795
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	02/18/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Retired professional baseball player Ed Mickelson was also an administrator, counselor, coach and teacher. He lives in Chesterfield, Missouri.
Retired professional baseball player Ed Mickelson was also an administrator, counselor, coach and teacher. He lives in Chesterfield, Missouri.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Foreword by Lowell Reidenbaugh     

1. The Beginning     
2. The Rook     
3. Pokie     
4. The Bird-Doggers     
5. Be a Good Soldier     
6. The Lost Season     
7. Around the Horn     
8. Farewell Brownies     
9. Gaedke’s Gardens     
10. The Pacific Coast League     
11. The Neon Twins     
12. Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo     
13. April Fool     
14. Extra Innings     

Index     

Editorial Reviews

To this day, minor league teams mean much to small-town America, and there has been a renewed interest in capturing their histories. The minors flourished after World War II, when there were over 50 leagues and returning GIs filled the lineups, looking for a big break. Mickelson was a star first baseman in the Piedmont, Southeastern, Texas, and Pacific Coast leagues. He only got 37 major league at bats, including some shining moments for the St. Louis Browns in 1953. This is his anecdotal, simply told tale. Recommended for larger collections.

—Bob Cottrell, Margaret Heilbrun, Paul Kaplan, Gilles Renaud Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Library Journal

recommended”—Library Journal; “unique”—The SABR Bookshelf; “skillfully crafted...nimbly unravels the mystery of the lure of the National Game...a keen insight on life as a pro ballplayer”—Prime Life Circuit; “As one of the premier minor league players of his era, Ed Mickelson’s recounting of his career is a welcome addition to the history and lore of America’s favorite sport.”—Tom Kayser, President, Texas League; “Ed Mickelson enjoyed three of the finest years of his career in Portland of the Pacific Coast League, and he is fondly remembered by old time Beavers fans. These pages tell the story of his career in a very lively fashion and give the reader a real feel for what it was like to be a ballplayer in the days before expansion and free agency”—Dick Beverage, President, SABR; “Out of the Park is more than a collection of personal anecdotes, it’s an exceptional first-person history of the grit and glory of mid–20th century professional baseball from one of the good guys of the game.”—Ryan Chamberlain, Senior Communications/Media Relations Manager, SABR.

From the Publisher