Is your definition of Carolina the beauty of the ‘Horseshoe’ on a warm spring afternoon – followed by the crack of an aluminum bat at ‘the Sarge’? Do you remember the miraculous five runs in the ninth-inning of the 2002 Super Regional comeback over the Miami Hurricanes to advance to Omaha? How about the “Third-Base Hecklers,” who reigned supreme for decades at legendary Sarge Frye Field? Can you imagine a coach with 900 wins, or a home-run king who is living proof that where there's smoke, there's fire? Or how about a pitcher with a temper hotter than his fastball?
Do you even know what the sound of a famous fan yelling “Oot, oot,” even means?
Can you imagine a city of just 117,357 (and a state not much bigger) proving to the entire world that baseball is still the nation’s pastime? Or a university proving to the mighty Southeastern Conference that baseball would refuse to just step aside to the supreme god of football and build its own $40 million stadium, one that would rival that of any baseball experience in America?
Are you kidding me?
Have you ever wished the outstanding success of the South Carolina Gamecocks’ baseball team could be found inside a single cover, replete with powerful photographs that document the eras, people and places that converged to build this program into a baseball superpower? Are you among those who think Coach Ray Tanner is the Lou Boudreau of college baseball history, and that he has built a team that – bar none – can compete at the highest levels?
The wait will soon be over. Coming soon is Carolina Baseball: Pressure Makes Diamonds. This book, says baseball experts, will string together the greatest story ever told in the history of college baseball. Yankee legend Bobby Richardson … the irascible but ridiculously consistent June Raines … and now the irreplaceable Ray Tanner, who – with more than 900 wins under his belt – will soon become the winningest coach in college baseball history … reveal the secrets, stories, and personalities that make South Carolina baseball – oot, oot! – what it is today.
Renowned author and storyteller J. David Miller says this undertaking might just be the book of his life, in spite of the rampant success of his latest – and ninth book – Hawaii Warrior Football: A Story of Faith, Hope and Redemption, an award-winning and best-selling book unto itself, already 70,000 readers strong.
“Just when I thought I’d seen and heard it all,” says Miller, “I met Coach Tanner and got to see, first-hand, what all the fuss was about at South Carolina -- and how the baseball program was attracting so much national attention. Trust me when I say the entire nation will sit up and take notice when they discover how this program was built; how it has been sustained; and how Coach Tanner has taken it to a level that most programs only dream about. And here’s the best part – he wants credit for nothing, choosing only to win games and let his players, success and the program’s legacy speak for him.
“Trust me when I say the latter three speak volumes, all of which are detailed in these amazing stories, which I just had the good fortune of sharing with the world. Whether or not you teach your children that the alphabet begins with U-S-C; whether or not you've romanced baseball ... you will still find life lessons in this book that will make you rejoice.”
The book, which will be available by summer, can be pre-ordered to ensure you receive one from the initial print run. And the news only gets better: Coach Tanner and author Miller have agreed that all proceeds will be used to build a special baseball park – Miracle Field – where handicapped children of all ages, issues and physical challenges will be able to hear, enjoy and engage when they hear these words:
“Play ball!”
$99.95 – Limited edition (hard cover), individually numbered (1-100) copy, hand signed by Ray Tanner, Bobby Richardson and J. David Miller.
$29.95 – Unsigned (hard cover) copy
To make a donation to the Ray Tanner Foundation to help build a “Miracle Field” in the Midlands ~ Please Click Here ~
