Throwing Bullets: A Tale of Two Pitchers Chasing the Dream

by Rowan, Roy

• ISBN13: 9781589793675
• ISBN10: 1589793676
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-06-30
• Publisher: Natl Book Network

Summary

"The minor leagues never looked so major. In this story of competition and sportsmanship, long time journalist and baseball enthusiast Roy Rowan takes the reader inside the hearts and locker rooms of two of minor-league baseball's hottest pitching prospects, pitching for the same team but against each other." "On one mound, there is Justin Olson, a product of Big Ten baseball and an adademic star. Olson's talent exists both on the off the field as an accomplished student whose fastball tops out at 94 miles an hour. On the other mound, there is Francisco Liriano. Taken from the sandlot ball fields of the Dominican Republic, he possesses one of the most threatening arms in the minors. Widely considered to be the best pitcher outside of the big leagues, Liriano has an arsenal of pitches that humbles and awes the hitters he faces." "On on hand, they are teammates, pitching to get the New Britain Rock Cats to the postseason. But on the other, they are adversaries, pitching for their futures and locked in a head-to-head competition for the same opportunity - a chance to be one of the starting five for the Minnesota Twins." "Together they form a story of big dreams and big heartbreak, as celebrated author Roy Rowan follows them through the drama and pressure of life in one of the best farm systems in Major League Baseball. With a deft poeticism, Rowan captures these boys of summer, traveling with the team through the small towns and ballparks of America, exploring the culture that has reinvigorated the national interest in minor-league baseball."--BOOK JACKET.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 Justin versus Francisco	1	(12)
CHAPTER 2 More Disney Than Doubleday	13	(10)
CHAPTER 3 Legends to Build On	23	(10)
CHAPTER 4 Call from Jim Rantz	33	(12)
CHAPTER 5 A Star Is Lost	45	(14)
CHAPTER 6 The "Middle-Innings Guy"	59	(12)
CHAPTER 7 A Scout's Report	71	(10)
CHAPTER 8 Two Bad Pitches	81	(10)
CHAPTER 9 The Road to Rochester	91	(12)
CHAPTER 10 They Call Him the "Zero Hero"	103	(12)
CHAPTER 11 Appointment in Syracuse	115	(12)
CHAPTER 12 Bad Day at Frontier Field	127	(8)
CHAPTER 13 Good-bye Rock Cats	135	(8)
CHAPTER 14 The Real McCoy	143	(12)
CHAPTER 15 Rookie of the Year	155	(10)
CHAPTER 16 "Welcome to the Big Leagues"	165	(14)
Epilogue	179	(4)
Acknowledgments	183	(4)
Index	187