Double Play

Book excerpt: Frank Slade could consider himself successful. At age thirty-seven, he is married to his high school sweetheart, the father of three children, and a dutiful employee at the Stag Brewery in his hometown of Ashville, Illinois. He served his country with honor in World War II. Even so, he does not feel satisfied. Success has failed to fill the emptiness within him. In high school, he was a baseball star known as one of the best players ever in Ashville. He carries that label into adulthood through the 1958 season of amateur baseball as the leader of the Ashville Champs. However, no matter how many home runs he hits, it isnt enough; his baseball dreams are bigger than the small-town team can fulfill. Plagued by never having the opportunity to play professional baseball, he wonders what elements of his game prevented him from being signed. Now, only time will tell how his baseball journey will end.