Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II
Product ID: 205687469
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In 1943, while the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals were winning pennants and meeting in that year's World Series, one of the nation's strongest baseball teams practiced on a skinned-out college field in the heart of North Carolina. Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, and Johnny Sain were among a cadre of fighter pilot cadets who wore the Cloudbuster Nine baseball jersey at an elite Navy training school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In this spirited Field of Dreams-insipred father-daughter account, author Anne R. Keene opens with a story about her father, Jim Raugh, who suited up as the team batboy and mascot. He got to know his baseball heroes personally, watching players hit the road on cramped, tin-can buses, dazzling factory workers, kids, and service members at dozens of games, including a war-bond exhibition against Babe Ruth's team at Yankee Stadium. Jimmy followed his baseball dreams as a college All-American, but was crushed later in life by a failed major league bid with the Detroit Tigers. He would have carried this story to his grave had Anne not discovered his scrapbook from a Navy school that shaped America's greatest heroes, including George H. W. Bush, Gerald Ford, John Glenn, Paul "Bear" Bryant, and John Wooden. With the help of rare images and insights from World War II MLB baseball veterans such as Dr. Bobby Brown and Eddie Robinson, the story of this remarkable team is brought to life for the first time in The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II. Review: Great historical baseball book. - Great book for any reader who enjoys reading his historical fiction and also likes baseball. My son really enjoyed this book and thought that it was similar to some of the Gratz books that he has read. Easy read. Review: Book review - Enjoyed the book. Good reading for a baseball fan.
| Best Sellers Rank | #14,285 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in Teen & Young Adult Baseball & Softball #4 in Sports Essays (Books) #14 in Baseball (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,791 Reviews |
M**N
Great historical baseball book.
Great book for any reader who enjoys reading his historical fiction and also likes baseball. My son really enjoyed this book and thought that it was similar to some of the Gratz books that he has read. Easy read.
R**.
Book review
Enjoyed the book. Good reading for a baseball fan.
R**N
Baseball Meets War
An interesting story of baseball players who served in WW II. Most of the story revolves around their training in a school in North Carolina. A big focus on Ted Williams and his pre flight training.
R**T
Readable and a very personal WWII era history
As a retired Marine Aviator, I thoroughly enjoyed and deeply appreciated “The Cloudbuster Nine". Ms Keene’s personal connections with many of that era and her thorough research opened insights into the Navy’s WWII V5 program I had never known. She bravely shares her family’s challenges while simultaneously and meticulously explaining the creation of the V5 program; the two are tightly woven together in this tale of citizens gearing up for war, military as well as home front families. Her description of the intenseness of the cadets' physical training is eye-opening. On top of the daily challenges and competitions as V5 Cadets, they played intense ballgames to raise funds for War Bonds and other charities; and, of course, they played to win against the other teams. This book is not a usual “inside baseball” account. Rather it gives a detailed story of young men who were determined to become Navy and Marine pilots: Naval Aviators. The memories of Ted Williams are particularly noteworthy, be they news clippings or anecdotal remembrances. Red Sox fans and Marines have a predisposed fondness for stories about him and his peers. This book contains a valuable history that was nearly lost forever. Ms Keene has blessed us with a treasure. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
S**E
Fascinating story of sports and WW2
This is an interesting book if you are into either WW2, sports, or the training programs of the US in WW2.
S**.
DULL
I like war books, and I watch baseball. However, this book was rather dull, in my opinion. Very slow moving. I'll be donating this book versus keeping it to read again or pass it to family/friends. There were a bunch of facts but no real interesting narrative or deep dive into any characters. Just some facts.
A**R
How to produce teamwork
This story reviles how it combined baseball and military's success of teamwork during WW11 I had a touch time to stop reading more each time I sat down to read. GREAT BOOK
J**R
Good story.
Good story.
C**Y
A great book for baseball enthusiasts!
My husband was told about this book by a staff member at the Louisville Slugger museum. He loved it!! A great book for baseball enthusiasts!
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