Baseball in the Lone Star State: The Texas League's Greatest Hits

In short episodic chapters, Kayser and King create a history of this storied minor league, providing a broad picture of the shifting character of baseball operations over the past century or so. Portrayed are the many and varied and often colorful owners, managers, and players who did so much to give this league a powerful place in Texas culture.

Accompanying the text are dozens of B&W photos, dating to the founding of the league, and an appendix of baseball statistics, essential information for the true aficionado.

With nine teams in states from Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma, the Texas League has brought America's favorite sport to local fans for more than 100 summers. Baseball in the Lone Star State chronicles those games, their players, and will delight the legions of diehard fans of teams like the San Antonio Missions or El Paso Diablos or the Midland Rock Hounds who devotedly cheer loudly and boo lustily.

Tom Kayser is president of the Texas League. He has had a lifelong career in baseball, beginning with the Eastern League in 1976. Along the way, he has worked with the Berkshire Brewers, Holyoke Millers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and Calgary Cannons. He lives in San Antonio.

David King is a sports writer at the San Antonio Express-News, covering topics from baseball to the Olympics. He has won national and state awards for sports and enterprise reporting, and his weekly
Baseball Beat page is a summertime favorite in the Express-News. He is the author of San Antonio at Bat: Professional Baseball in the Alamo City. He lives in New Braunfels, Texas.