A Fan's Folklore: Six Seasons of Triumph, Tragedy and Tough Luck
Book Details
Author(s)Dean T. Hartwell
ISBN / ASIN1479352888
ISBN-139781479352883
MarketplaceFrance 🇫🇷
Description
Dean T. Hartwell writes about his favorite sports teams and some of the games he enjoyed watching back in the 1970s. In football there was the rivalry between the Oakland Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers. In baseball there was the rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.
He writes about the ups and downs the teams went through, the tough games, the tough losses and the unexpected breaks and uncovers truths about himself. Here are two of them:
His hero is Lyman Bostock. In 1978, Bostock signed a huge contract to play baseball for the California Angels. He was a lifetime .300 batter but in April 1978 he batted a paltry .147. The author played Little League baseball and had batting problems batting hinself at this time, so he started to identify with Bostock.
The Angel outfielder stunned the sports world by telling the team owner Gene Autry that he would not accept his salary for the month! He said he had not earned it so he would not take it.
Autry said the team could not take the money back. Bostock gave the money to charity instead. Professional sports has produced many spoiled athletes, steroid users, and others who felt entitled to everything. But it also gave us Lyman Bostock, an example of true integrity.
The other truth is that the author likes underdogs. He discusses his favorite football team, the Oakland Raiders, and how he rooted for them even after they lost big games several times. The Raiders finally won the Super Bowl after the 1976 season, but the author shows the many lessons he learned in Raider losses, including the renowned "Immaculate Reception," throughout the book.
A Fan's Folklore emerges as a new kind of sports book that appeals to fans and non-fans alike. The author writes a legend of how everyone can find inspiration in life in the games we play and watch.
He writes about the ups and downs the teams went through, the tough games, the tough losses and the unexpected breaks and uncovers truths about himself. Here are two of them:
His hero is Lyman Bostock. In 1978, Bostock signed a huge contract to play baseball for the California Angels. He was a lifetime .300 batter but in April 1978 he batted a paltry .147. The author played Little League baseball and had batting problems batting hinself at this time, so he started to identify with Bostock.
The Angel outfielder stunned the sports world by telling the team owner Gene Autry that he would not accept his salary for the month! He said he had not earned it so he would not take it.
Autry said the team could not take the money back. Bostock gave the money to charity instead. Professional sports has produced many spoiled athletes, steroid users, and others who felt entitled to everything. But it also gave us Lyman Bostock, an example of true integrity.
The other truth is that the author likes underdogs. He discusses his favorite football team, the Oakland Raiders, and how he rooted for them even after they lost big games several times. The Raiders finally won the Super Bowl after the 1976 season, but the author shows the many lessons he learned in Raider losses, including the renowned "Immaculate Reception," throughout the book.
A Fan's Folklore emerges as a new kind of sports book that appeals to fans and non-fans alike. The author writes a legend of how everyone can find inspiration in life in the games we play and watch.
More Books by Dean T. Hartwell
