One Shot at Forever : A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season

The Inspirational Story of a Coach, a Baseball Team, and the Season They'll Never Forget In 1971, a small-town high school baseball team from rural Illinois playing with hand-me-down uniforms and peace signs on their hats defied convention and the odds. Led by an English teacher with no coaching experience, the Macon Ironmen emerged from a field of 370 teams to become the smallest school in Illinois history to make the state final, a distinction that still stands. There, sporting long hair, and warming up to Jesus Christ Superstar, the Ironmen would play a dramatic game against a Chicago powerhouse that would change their lives forever. In a gripping, cinematic narrative, Sports Illustrated writer Chris Ballard tells the story of the team and its coach, Lynn Sweet, a hippie, dreamer and intellectual who arrived in Macon in 1966, bringing progressive ideas to a town stuck in the Eisenhower era. Beloved by students but not administration, Sweet reluctantly took over a rag-tag team, intent on teaching the boys as much about life as baseball. Inspired by Sweet's unconventional methods and led by fiery star Steve Shartzer and spindly curveball artist John Heneberry, the undersized, undermanned Macon Ironmen embarked on an improbable postseason run that infuriated rival coaches and buoyed an entire town. Beginning with Sweet's arrival, Ballard takes readers on a journey back to the Ironmen's historic season and then on to the present day, returning to the 1971 Ironmen to explore the effect the game had on their lives' trajectories--and the men they've become because of it. Engaging and poignant, One Shot at Forever is a testament to the power of high school sports to shape the lives of those who play them, and it reminds us that there are few bonds more sacred than that among a coach, a team, and a town **The Inspirational Story of a Coach, a Baseball Team, and the Season They'll Never Forget**In 1971, a small-town high school baseball team from rural Illinoisplaying with hand-me-down uniforms and peace signs on their hatsdefied convention and the odds. Led by an English teacher with nocoaching experience, the Macon Ironmen emerged from a field of 370teams to become the smallest school in Illinois history to make thestate final, a distinction that still stands. There, sporting longhair, and warming up to Jesus Christ Superstar, the Ironmen would playa dramatic game against a Chicago powerhouse that would change theirlives forever.In a gripping, cinematic narrative, __Sports Illustrated__ writer ChrisBallard tells the story of the team and its coach, Lynn Sweet, ahippie, dreamer and intellectual who arrived in Macon in 1966,bringing progressive ideas to a town stuck in the Eisenhower era.Beloved by students but not administration, Sweet reluctantly tookover a rag-tag team, intent on teaching the boys as much about life asbaseball. Inspired by Sweet's unconventional methods and led by fierystar Steve Shartzer and spindly curveball artist John Heneberry, theundersized, undermanned Macon Ironmen embarked on an improbablepostseason run that infuriated rival coaches and buoyed an entiretown.Beginning with Sweet's arrival, Ballard takes readers on a journeyback to the Ironmen's historic season and then on to the present day,returning to the 1971 Ironmen to explore the effect the game had ontheir lives' trajectories--and the men they've become because of it.Engaging and poignant, __One Shot at Forever__ is a testament to the powerof high school sports to shape the lives of those who play them, andit reminds us that there are few bonds more sacred than that among acoach, a team, and a town " One Shot at Forever is powerful, inspirational. . . This isn't merely a book about baseball. It's a book about heart." — Jeff Pearlman, New York Time s bestselling author of Boys Will Be Boys and The Bad Guys Won In 1971, a small-town high school baseball team from rural Illinois, playing with hand-me-down uniforms and peace signs on their hats, defied convention and the odds. Led by an English teacher with no coaching experience, the Macon Ironmen emerged from a field of 370 teams to represent the smallest school in Illinois history to make the state final, a distinction that still stands. There the Ironmen would play against a Chicago powerhouse in a dramatic game that would change their lives forever. In this gripping, cinematic narrative, Chris Ballard tells the story of the team and its coach, Lynn Sweet: a hippie, dreamer, and intellectual who arrived in Macon in 1966, bringing progressive ideas to a town stuck in the Eisenhower era. Beloved by students but not administration, Sweet reluctantly took over the ragtag team, intent on teaching the boys as much about life as baseball. Together they embarked on an improbable postseason run that buoyed a small town in desperate need of something to celebrate. Engaging and poignant, One Shot at Forever is a testament to the power of high school sports to shape the lives of those who play them, and it reminds us that there are few bonds more sacred than that among a coach, a team, and a town. "Macon's run at the title reminds us why sports matter and why sportswriting has such great power to inspire. . . [It's] one hell of a good story, and Ballard has written one hell of a good book." — Jonathan Eig, Chicago Tribune viii, 254 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 25 cm1000L Lexile