Seasons in Hell; With Billy Martin, Whitey Herzog and "The Worst Baseball Team in History", the 1873-1975 Texas Rangers

Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2005. First Nebraska paperback printing [stated]. Trade paperback. Good. Linda Kaye (Cover photograph). viii, [2], 245, [3] pages. Illustrations. With an afterword by the author. Index. Several pages have highlighting (169-177, 238 and 239). Mike Shropshire (born May 22, 1942), is an American sportswriter who has written for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, Playboy, and Sports Illustrated. He has also authored several books, including Seasons in Hell, an account of his tenure writing about the Texas Rangers baseball franchise during its early years. "Even before the start of spring training, Herzog had said, 'If Rich Billings is the starting catcher again, we're in deep trouble.' When that evaluation was passed along to Billings, he simply nodded and said, 'Whitey, obviously, has seen me play.'" In early 1973, gonzo sportswriter Mike Shropshire agreed to cover the Texas Rangers for the "Fort-Worth Star-Telegram," not realizing that the Rangers were arguably the worst team in baseball history. "Seasons in Hell" is a riotous, candid, irreverent behind-the-scenes account in the tradition of "The Bronx Zoo" and "Ball Four," following the Texas Rangers from Whitey Herzog's reign in 1973 through Billy Martin's tumultuous tenure. Offering wonderful perspectives on dozens of unique baseball personalities, "Seasons in Hell" recounts some of the most extreme characters ever to play the game and brings to life the no-holds-barred culture of major league baseball in the mid-seventies.