{"product_id":"the-baseball-whisperer-michael-tackett-9780544387645","title":"The Baseball Whisperer: A Small-Town Coach Who Shaped Big League Dreams","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom an award-winning journalist, a real\u003ci\u003e Field of Dreams\u003c\/i\u003e story about a legendary coach and the professional-caliber baseball program he built in America's heartland, where boys come summer after summer to be molded into ballplayers--and men \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Clarinda, Iowa, population 5,000, sits two hours from anything. There, between the corn fields and hog yards, is a ball field with a bronze bust of a man named Merl Eberly, a baseball whisperer who specialized in second chances and lost causes. The statue was a gift from one of Merl's original long-shot projects, a skinny kid from the ghetto in Los Angeles who would one day become a beloved Hall-of-Fame shortstop: Ozzie Smith. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Baseball Whisperer\u003c\/i\u003e traces the remarkable story of Merl Eberly and his Clarinda A's baseball team, which he tended over the course of five decades, transforming them from a town team to a collegiate summer league powerhouse. Along with Ozzie Smith, future manager Bud Black, and star player Von Hayes, Merl developed scores of major league players (six of which are currently playing). In the process, Merl taught them to be men, insisting on hard work, integrity, and responsibility. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e More than a book about ballplayers who landed in the nation's agricultural heartland, \u003ci\u003eThe Baseball Whisperer\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of a coach who puts character and dedication first, and reminds us of the best, purest form of baseball excellence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Michael Tackett\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0544387643\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780544387645\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Mariner Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/05\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.85lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.30h x 5.70w x 1.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/01\/2016 pg. 76\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/15\/2016 pg. 9\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/23\/2016","brand":"Michael Tackett","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43946769023231,"sku":"9780544387645","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_6cebac9c-1091-4d3c-8dfe-76bdbdb49307.jpg?v=1681515035","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-baseball-whisperer-michael-tackett-9780544387645","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}