Publisher's Note Not so long ago every town in the United States that had an ounce of pride had a baseball team. The whistle stops and crossroad market towns had their teams too, and they were treasured institutions. This was the golden age of local baseball, and it was remarkable while it lasted. Hobe Hays has written a careful, warm, and evocative account of his days as a serious player on serious teams in middle America. His sketches bring alive a vanished era.