Major League Bat Boy

Text and photographs follow a day in the life of a bat boy for a major league baseball team.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Heat, Travel Team and Million-Dollar Throw. Brian is living every baseball kid's dream: he is a batboy for his hometown Major League team. Brian believes that it's the perfect thing to bring him and his big-leaguer dad closer together. And if that weren't enough, this is the season that Hank Bishop, Brian's baseball hero, returns to the Tigers for the comeback of a lifetime. The summer couldn't get much better! Until Hank Bishop starts to show his true colors, and Brian learns that sometimes life throws you a curveball.

A batboy tells about his job and experiences while employed by the St. Louis Cardinals.

On the evening of March 28, 1956, Steve Garvey's father, a Greyhound bus driver in the Tampa Bay area, asked his young son if he'd like to accompany him as he drove the Brooklyn Dodgers to a spring-training game with the New York Yankees. For Garvey, a baseball card collector and an aspiring Little Leaguer, the opportunity stretched beyond his wildest imagination and marked the beginning of a legendary career and life in baseball. Garvey spent five years (1956-1961) as a bat boy, mostly for the Brooklyn Dodgers and briefly for the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. The fact that he would go on to become a first baseman with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and one of the most successful players of his era, is like something out of a Hollywood script. My Bat Boy Days is his moving collection of indelible memories, fascinating profiles, and lessons learned -- about the game and about life -- from heroes such as Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, and Mickey Mantle. My Bat Boy Days is for the generation of fans who remember the Boys of Summer and for the generation who grew up watching Steve Garvey play for the love of the game. Garvey's story is perfect for sharing with children and grandchildren who are just now getting to know and love the game.

In the winter of 1948, the Detroit Tigers host an essay contest to find their next batboy. Already a dedicated Tigers fan, young Danny Dillman enters the contest, and to his delight he wins. From 1948 to 1950 he becomes clubhouse boy, ball boy, and batboy for visiting teams at Detroit's Briggs Stadium. In these glorious years, Dillman discovers the complexities of an apparently simple game. But even more fascinating, he becomes intimately involved with the game's best players. He listens as Ted Williams explains how he became baseball's greatest hitter, witnesses the breaking of the color barrier with the emergence of black players, and sees the Casey Stengel era begin with the New York Yankees. With vivid detail, Dillman shares the often unknown events of major league baseball. Players had nicknames unheard of to fans and had their own language to describe events on the field. Dillman also discovered that his heroes were just ordinary men-some nice, some not so nice, and some hilarious. Hey, Kid! A Tiger Batboy Remembers offers a slice of nostalgia from baseball's post-World War II years. Dillman provides insights into clubhouse life and offers vignettes of players, famous and lesser-known, from the forgotten age of baseball.

A unique look at baseball's clubhouse culture through the eyes of batboys

Takes readers through the day of the Anaheim Angels' batboy.