Tulsa World: Book captures life in the minor leagues

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Book captures life in the minor leagues

By BARRY LEWIS World Sports Writer
Published: 6/28/2009 2:20 AM
Last Modified: 6/28/2009 5:00 AM

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED writer S.L. Price's book "Heart of the Game: Life, Death and Mercy in Minor League Baseball," has been well received by reviewers and those involved in the sport since being released last month.

The death of Drillers coach Mike Coolbaugh during a 2007 game at Arkansas when he was struck by Tulsa player Tino Sanchez's foul ball is the focal point of the book that gives an in-depth look at all aspects of minor league baseball.

"I didn't want to write just about the deaths," Price said during his visit to Tulsa last month. "I wanted to take the interest people had about the nature of how Mike died and to illuminate how Mike and Tino lived and talk to other (minor league) 'lifers' about how they lived because its fascinating."

Price had a passion for minor league baseball before joining Sports Illustrated.

"I worked for the Albuquerque Dukes, handling the (score) ticker for a summer," Price said. "I handed the out-of-town scores to the radio announcer, and my pay was a Coke and hamburger. A few years later I spent a lot of time with the Memphis Chicks."

Price knew soon after he was assigned the story that there was the potential for a book. His article for Sports Illustrated was twice the length that the magazine originally planned.

"They started off saying it would probably be a three or four-page story," Price said. "I was the first one who really talked to Tino. He was so incredible, there's no other way of putting it. He was like a raw wound and then at the end of it, he basically thanked me because as it turned out he really hadn't spoken to anybody about it at his home. When I wrote the story there was a passage about the people at the ballpark that night, there might have been two paragraphs, and I thought all those people had incredible stories that really speak to what minor league baseball is all about.

"Its the first time I've ever written a story in my 15 years at SI where I felt there wasn't enough space in the magazine to deal with the story as well as it could have been dealt with. So basically I really felt the idea of looking at minor league baseball through these two lives was a real opportunity because I love minor league baseball and most of the time the world doesn't really pay attention."

Sanchez's reaction to Coolbaugh's death convinced Price that the book should be written.

"If Tino was just kind of a young player and said, 'That's baseball, its terrible, but let's move on' and was kind of flip about it, I probably wouldn't have been interested. Even though it's a dark tale, as I'm reporting it I find myself feeling great and I'm thinking this is really strange because this a tale of woe and I had gone through some wrenching interviews. But it's just that everybody did the right thing over and over again. When a story whipsaws between emotions like that, you know you have something worth writing about."

During Price's research for the SI story and book, he contacted then-Drillers radio broadcaster Mark Neely many times.

"Mr. Price reported accurately what I experienced," Neely said on Saturday. "It was very good. In some ways I didn't want to read the book, but I'm glad I did."

Drillers fan Guy Vincent, who is referred to only by his first name in the book, was at the fateful game and praised the book although he found it tough to read.

"It was very emotional," Vincent said.

Arkansas radio broadcaster Phil Elson said, "It's tremendous. He (Price) does a great job of weaving the story and does a great service to all involved."

Drillers owner Chuck Lamson added, "It's very well done. It makes you appreciate who Mike Coolbaugh was and what an extraordinary young man he was. His relationship with his wife and family was a very moving part of the book. That's very uplifting."

Deja vu for Drillers: Tulsa's 10-2 loss to Springfield in the Texas League's North Division first-half tiebreaker on Friday was reminiscent of the only other time the Drillers played a game at home in Drillers Stadium's 29-year history when a win would have guaranteed them a half-title.

In 1996, Tulsa lost to Shreveport 10-3 to lose the first-half title on the final day.

In both cases, Tulsa had its most highly touted pitching prospect on the mound (2009: Jhoulys Chacin; 1996: Jonathan Johnson).

The current Drillers can be encouraged that the '96 team rebounded from that disappointment to win the second half.

Power show: Former Oklahoma State first baseman Rebel Ridling won the Midwest League All-Star Game's home run derby on Tuesday. Ridling is batting .264 with eight homers and 45 RBIs for Single-A Peoria (Cubs). By BARRY LEWIS World Sports Writer

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