Practice! Practice! Practice! The History Of The King Ranch Cowboys Baseball Team by Donavan (2015-08-01)

By Donavan

INTRODUCTION Practice! Practice! Practice! is an oral history of the King Ranch Cowboys baseball team. The Ranch is located in Kingsville, Texas, roughly 200 miles south of San Antonio. The Ranch sponsored the Cowboys for thirteen years (1948-1961). At first, the Cowboys consisted of only Mexican-American employees, or Kinenos. Later, several players from outside the Ranch joined including several Anglo-Americans. The Cowboys competed against minor league and semi-pro teams from Mexico and the United States. Their most memorable games were against the San Antonio Brooke Army Medical Center teams of professionals "serving their country" as draftees during the Korean War. When men such as Bob Turley and Don Newcomb, two of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, came to Kingsville thousands of fans turned out. Today, details of the games remain etched in the memory of players and fans along with general conviction that eh Cowboys were worthy opponents for major leaguers. Along with the narrative lines, "including travel, drinking, gambling, parties and the like. The story of the Cowboys allows us to understand the complex relationships between the Ranch ownership and the Kinenos. Clearly, as the Cowboys became folk heroes in South Texas, the team changed the image of the King Ranch and their employees. This is the first attempt to relate the history of the King Ranch Cowboys. The most important sources used to develop this study were oral histories (many in Spanish) collected by the author. Other information was obtained through the Kingsville Record and the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. The book contains fifteen photographs fo player, teams, and an umpire, as well as an aerial view of Assault Park, the Cowboys home field. Also, included in the appendix are team rosters and a roster of opponents.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B01K3IB34A
• ISBN13: 9780692399804
• Release Date: January 2015
• Publisher: Captain D Publishing
• Length: 57 Pages
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.5" x 11.0"