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45th out of 89 books
—
54 voters
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 represent th...more
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 th...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
May 15th 2012
by Hyperion
(first published January 1st 2012)
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At first glance, One Shot at Forever is obviously a book about baseball. Don’t let the title fool you, however, because it’s really about so much more. Set against the backdrop of the 1970 and 1971 baseball seasons, Ballard tells to stories of Lynn Sweet, the Macon High School baseball players, their families, and their town.
As a new English teacher, Sweet was already causing a stir in Macon, despite his popularity among his students. What with his long hair, bar patronage, and “dangerous readin...more
As a new English teacher, Sweet was already causing a stir in Macon, despite his popularity among his students. What with his long hair, bar patronage, and “dangerous readin...more
I've read a lot of books about sports. This one is, by far, the absolute best. It takes place in south central Illinois in the 1970's. The story is about a small rural high school (so small that basically the same athletes play all sports) that gets that once-in-a-lifetime combination of six or seven exceptional athletes together at once, playing the same sport. It was about a last-minute inexpensive hire of a hippie teacher/baseball coach and his unorthodox methods of teaching, coaching and fig...more
This is my favorite baseball related book I've read in a long, long time. Chris Ballard does a terrific job transporting the reader back to the early 1970s and in small-town Illinois as we get to know a group of players and their remarkable coach over a few years. I grew up in a various small-towns in Oklahoma [smallest was Okay] and was in love with the sport of baseball. I related. Ballard weaves in stories of the players, their parents, teachers, the differences between teams, the Vietnam War...more
In 2010, Chris Ballard, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, got a phone call pitching what was, essentially, a "Hoosiers" of baseball: Tiny Illinois high school, in an open-classification state playoff, knocks off a big-city team. The feature Ballard wrote then was widely acclaimed; this is that story, told more expansively and with rich detail.
What gives "One Shot at Forever" its hold on the reader's mind are its strong characters and the indelible moments of their remarkable run as an unlik...more
What gives "One Shot at Forever" its hold on the reader's mind are its strong characters and the indelible moments of their remarkable run as an unlik...more
"One Shot at Forever" by Chris Ballard is a true story about a 1971 small-town baseball team from Illinois. The Macon Ironmen are led by Lynn Sweet who has an unconventional way of coaching. They emerge from a group of 370 teams to make a special run to the state finals. In doing so, they became the smallest school in Illinois history to make the state finals.
I personally loved reading this book because it emphasizes the story of the underdog. I’ve been a baseball fan my whole life and this b...more
I personally loved reading this book because it emphasizes the story of the underdog. I’ve been a baseball fan my whole life and this b...more
I was primed for this story about the Macon, Illinois high school baseball team's run for state in 1970 and 71. My hometown in Illinois was about the same size as Macon, at 1200, although our school district was a bit more consolidated and had a few more students. And our team had a similar path to state, for basketball in 1976, where we faced our first Chicago-based team and fell apart, setting records for least points scored in the tournament. I was a young fan at that game, it was not fun. So...more
WOW! "One Shot at Forever" by Chris Ballard is a really, really good people book! It is also a good baseball book. It is the true story of a small High School and a bunch of farm boys with a very cool coach. Against all odds, they have a chance to win the state championship. I loved the team--what a great bunch of boys! The games are very exciting to say the least. The best part of the book is years later when the coach talks to all the guys and they look back on the year they had. I got into th...more
A number of folks recommended this book to me and my youngest son gave it to me for my birthday last year (Thanks, Sean!). It's a warm, nostalgic look back at growing up in the late 60s / early 70s -- the boys profiled were just a few years ahead of me in school.
Overall, the book is baseball's answer to the movie "Hoosiers." A team from a tiny farming town comes out of nowhere to reach the finals of an "unclassified" state tournament. The lessons are much the same: don't be afraid to be yourself...more
Overall, the book is baseball's answer to the movie "Hoosiers." A team from a tiny farming town comes out of nowhere to reach the finals of an "unclassified" state tournament. The lessons are much the same: don't be afraid to be yourself...more
One Shot at Forever is the story of the 1971 Macon Ironmen baseball team coached by Lynn Sweet and their unlikely run to the State baseball tournament. Before I go any further, I will let you know that I cannot write an unbiased review for this book. The reasons being threefold. I grew up in the town of Macon and went to Macon High School, L.C. Sweet was one of my teachers, and I was fortunate enough to marry into one of the families featured in this book. That being said, I thought this was a f...more
I've read much of Ballard's work in Sports Illustrated over the past decade, and I got an early look at his latest book, One Shot at Forever. One Shot is a book-length example of his emergence as one of the top long-form narrative writers going today. (For proof, Google his stories about Jill Costello or Mike Powell, or his National Magazine Award finalist piece about Dewayne Dedmon.)
At the highest level, the story runs much like Hoosiers, with a small-town Illinois baseball team going on an unl...more
At the highest level, the story runs much like Hoosiers, with a small-town Illinois baseball team going on an unl...more
Treat people well,
Believe in them,
Entrust them with responsibility,
Lift them up.
The whole time I was reading this book I kept picturing Matthew McConaughey as Lynn Sweet, the unprepared and unlikely coach of a baseball team from nowhere that through guts and dumb luck, made their way in a field of 371 teams to become the smallest school in Illinois state history to make it to the state final, an achievement that stands to this day.
Happily-ever-after comes in all shapes and sizes and for the Iron...more
Believe in them,
Entrust them with responsibility,
Lift them up.
The whole time I was reading this book I kept picturing Matthew McConaughey as Lynn Sweet, the unprepared and unlikely coach of a baseball team from nowhere that through guts and dumb luck, made their way in a field of 371 teams to become the smallest school in Illinois state history to make it to the state final, an achievement that stands to this day.
Happily-ever-after comes in all shapes and sizes and for the Iron...more
A charming slice of life about a team from a very small Illinois town that responded to its counterculture coach's odd methods and had two glorious seasons in 1970 and 1971. Ballard does a nice job here of capturing the time and place and telling the pleasing underdog sports story without succumbing to too many cliches. How could I resist a book with a bunch of farm boys warming up to Jesus Christ Superstar when I'm preparing to play Pilate in that show? This one ought to get made into a film: t...more
The only reason why I read this one was it kept showing up on my homepage for digital downloads for my library. One day when I needed to load up my i-pod with audio books I grabbed it, and boy am I glad.
I really liked the journey of the boys, the teacher, and baseball. It is a classic feel good sports story of underdogs. It was hard not to like the boys and wish that Sweet was your teacher. I even liked how the town finally got behind them. I was stunned to learn the outcome of the big game, I...more
I really liked the journey of the boys, the teacher, and baseball. It is a classic feel good sports story of underdogs. It was hard not to like the boys and wish that Sweet was your teacher. I even liked how the town finally got behind them. I was stunned to learn the outcome of the big game, I...more
Set in the late 60's and early 70's, this is the true story of a small midwestern town and it's little team that could. Like all great baseball stories, this one is about more than baseball. When a young, liberal teacher comes to Macon to teach English, he shakes up the conservative town and only ends up coaching the baseball team because no one else wants the thankless job.
Lynn Sweet, never intending to hang around Macon for long, ends up making a profound difference in the lives of his studen...more
Lynn Sweet, never intending to hang around Macon for long, ends up making a profound difference in the lives of his studen...more
You don't have to be a baseball fan or even a sports fan to enjoy One Shot at Forever, the wonderful story of an underdog sure to bring a smile to any reader's face. It's the story of the Macon, Illinois High School baseball team and its magical ride to the state tournament in 1971. It has everything you want in an underdog story -- small town undersized farm kids, unusual coach, the soundtrack to Jesus Christ Superstar...you name it.
Obviously the comparisons to Hoosiers abound and rightfully so...more
Obviously the comparisons to Hoosiers abound and rightfully so...more
I thought I'd hate this book, as I'm not into sports - at all. But except for all the baseball lingo which went right over my head, it was a pretty enjoyable read. It's always a joy to root for the underdog, and this small-town ultra-rural baseball team was about as much an underdog as it's possible to be. But thanks to an eccentric coach and some talented and driven players, their little team made it to state. It would have been a more exciting of course if they had won the state title. But the...more
If you're not a baseball fan, you should read this book. It's about much more than baseball. If you are a baseball fan, you'll think you've just been transported to your own personal field of dreams. Think of "Hoosiers" on a baseball diamond, but with a different cast of small town characters on a quest for an unlikely goal--a state championship--in a time--the early seventies--when Illinois high school teams weren't classified by school size. Picture "our" team, representing a rural school of f...more
Think "Hoosiers" but with baseball. The cover picture pretty much sums up the whole team and that season in 1971 - a bunch of relatively small, farmboys with no baseball budget (the uniforms don't even match) from a high school of about 250 kids, managed to start beating teams from Chicago with far greater resources. Also fascinating commentary on the times; these kids and their coach were not playing ball the way all the other teams were (they warmed up to "Jesus Christ Superstar"!), and the co...more
Best book I've read this year. As Ballard is a writer at SI I was hardly surprised that this is a fantastic sports book and baseball story. But I was delighted to discover that the book delivers so much more. The main character, a teacher and coach named Lynn Sweet, is as remarkable a character as I can recall. He's a sensitive, courageous, free thinker, who finds himself plunked down in a time and place where conformity is the rule. As a high school teacher, I found myself inspired by Sweet's s...more
I’m a sucker for a good baseball book.
I hadn’t heard of “One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season” by Chris Ballard before stumbling across it on Amazon. The Kindle price was but $2.24 (it’s since gone up to $2.99, but still a very fair price), so I thought it would be a good way to start the 2013 reading campaign.
This is more of an historical baseball book as it goes back to remember a small-school baseball team based in Illinois. They have old uniform...more
I hadn’t heard of “One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season” by Chris Ballard before stumbling across it on Amazon. The Kindle price was but $2.24 (it’s since gone up to $2.99, but still a very fair price), so I thought it would be a good way to start the 2013 reading campaign.
This is more of an historical baseball book as it goes back to remember a small-school baseball team based in Illinois. They have old uniform...more
Anyone who is either from a small town or enjoys a David and Goliath story would like this book. L.C. Sweet knows how to motivate students and athletes. He likely wouldn’t fare as well in today’s educational arena (where no Popular Mechanics magazines are allowed in English classes and standardized tests determine pay grades) or on the high school baseball diamond (where playing time, winning, and scholarships are paramount). In the early 1970s, though, when gas was a dollar a gallon, the Vietna...more
This book is a wonderfully written story about a high school baseball team in Illinois and their improbable run to the state championship game. The story highlights an unconventional coach and how is style and unique approach helped mold and shape the lives of the players and had a positive impact on a small community. The simple mantra to treat people well, believe in them, give them responsibility are all key elements to lifting people up - this is the real message of this book.
It has a nostal...more
It has a nostal...more
What a good baseball book. It is centered in the small town of Macon Illinois in 1971, and captures the small town state title search by a rag tag group of young maturing boys. This took place before the state of Illinois divided its sports teams into classes so one can imagine how hard it was for a school with a small enrollment to compete against the schools from the big cities. Truly David and Goliath stuff. Having raised my three sons in a small town that was very sports oriented I could rel...more
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This was an exceptionally well written account of the 1971 Macon Baseball team and their journey through the state tournaments...almost to first place!!! Since our daughter played highschool softball, I can identify with the work, ailments and agonies as well as the excitement and joy of playing well in a sport. Chris Ballard takes numerous interviews and research of records and news to share John Hennebery, Steve Scharzer, Dale Otto and the rest of the team along with coach Lynn Sweet. This is...more
Granted, this is a really nice story about a small school that had some incredibly talented baseball players and a coach with a unique appraoch to teaching/coaching kids. But Ballard doesn't delve into any aspects or characters in the story. He just tells you what happened. Like most stories, it's nothing without great characters and there are some interesting people and plot twists along the way that the book winks at but doesn't have the nerve to grope.
I enjoyed reading the book but the it le...more
I enjoyed reading the book but the it le...more
"...he announced that practice was optional. If any of the boys didn't want to play ball, he wasn't going to force them. Also, there would be no wind sprints, punishments, or lengthy pregame speeches... if a player felt he could steal a base, he should signal Sweet that he was going, not the other way around. And as for who played where, Sweet told them to work that out among themselves. After all, they certainly knew better than he did." Thus, the new coach of the Macon Ironmen introduced himse...more
This story of a small-town high-school baseball team in 1971 benefits from the absence of too much detail and/or history of that part of the world and its people. The peace signs some player's caps featured drew me in immediately. In 1971, on my home field, someone had scratched a large peace sign in the dirt, easy because there was not much grass. I used that peace sign to position myself, depending on the batter and pitcher. Anyone from a small town where in the past high school sports were th...more
Macon, Illinois was said to be a town stuck in the Eisenhower era. Lynn Sweet was a hippie who was hired as the English teacher by a rather progressive administrator. He ended up being asked to coach the baseball team even though he had no experience coaching. His students loved him, and so the players loved him. Administration and the parents were not in love.
Even though he had no experience and his methods were unorthodox to say the least, he got results. His students learned to love reading a...more
Even though he had no experience and his methods were unorthodox to say the least, he got results. His students learned to love reading a...more
One Shot at Forever is such a marvelous book. Chris Ballard paints a stunning picture of the Macon High baseball team, and their eclectic leader Coach Lynn Sweet. The story is fascinating. It was hard to put this book down. It was vintage. It was special. As i read I kept thinking how wonderful this book could be in movie form.
It's the story of an unlikely coach, who has an unorthodox approach not only in the classroom as a high school english teacher but especially on the baseball diamond. He l...more
It's the story of an unlikely coach, who has an unorthodox approach not only in the classroom as a high school english teacher but especially on the baseball diamond. He l...more
This was a great book for all kinds of readers. Whether you're a fan of baseball, biographies, or just a fan of the underdog in a classic David vs. Goliath match-up, this has it all. A truly engrossing story about a rag-tag group of high school players who managed to compete with the biggest schools around thanks to an unconventional "coaching" style (since the coach said he didn't "coach") and several special players.
Ballard does a fantastic job of drawing you in and painting a picture of what...more
Ballard does a fantastic job of drawing you in and painting a picture of what...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Hub Reading ...: One Shot at Forever | 1 | 2 | May 04, 2013 08:02am | |
| Goodreads Librari...: Book has 5 editions, but none of them is Hardcover! | 2 | 34 | Sep 29, 2012 09:19am |
