Pug, ' 'Fireball, ' and Company: 116 Years of Professional Baseball in Des Moines, Iowa

by Steve Dunn

Overview

Baseball fans in general and Chicago Cub fans in particular will enjoy author Steve Dunn's account of the 116-year history of professional baseball in Des Moines, Iowa. 'Pug, ' 'Fireball, ' and Company: 116 Years of Professional Baseball in Des Moines, Iowa, describes the teams, players, managers, owners, ballparks, and events that have entertained millions of fans at nine locations since 1887. The long list of stars that have played or managed in Des Moines includes Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Feller, Satchel Paige, Red Faber, Buck O'Neil, Ryne Sandberg, Tony LaRussa, Charlie Grimm, and Stan Hack. "It's an incredible book with some world-class firsthand information on baseball," Sarah Roger has said.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798869205506
Publisher:	Steve Dunn
Publication date:	02/22/2024
Pages:	212
Sales rank:	1,004,821
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.45(d)

About the Author

Steve Dunn had four decades of newspaper experience before he retired in early 2014 and moved to Des Moines. He worked as a reporter, sportswriter, and managing editor for daily and weekly newspapers in three states, including the last 15 1/2 years as managing editor of the Daily Gate City in Keokuk.He has written 12 bios for the Society for American Baseball Research. All the subjects either played with or worked in the front office of the Chicago Cubs. They include three with Des Moines ties: John Holland and Salty Saltwell who worked in the front office of the Bruins in the 1950s and Randy Hundley who managed the Iowa Cubs in 1981. The lifelong Cub fan has also written 11 game stories for SABR. In 2022, he self-published a book about the history of professional baseball at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers in Des Moines, "Principal Park: A Diamond in the Rough."He and former state Sen. Pat Deluhery have published a book about the latter's political career, including working for U.S. Sen. Harold Hughes of Iowa from 1969 to 1975 and briefly for U.S. John Culver of Iowa in Washington, D.C. Deluhery also served in the Iowa Senate from 1979 to 2002. The political memoir is called "Engaged: Pat Deluhery and the Golden Age of Democratic Party Activism."Dunn was an usher for the Iowa Cubs, the triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, from 2015 to 2019 and in 2022. He and his wife, Cindy, have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren. His hobbies include bike riding, playing pickleball, volunteering at an elementary school in Des Moines, playing his clarinet in the Greater Des Moines Community Band, and hanging out with his grandchildren.