{"product_id":"strike-four-the-crankshaft-baseball-book-paperback","title":"Strike Four!: The Crankshaft Baseball Book - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBatiuk\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eChuck Ayers\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eJamie Farr\u003c\/b\u003e (Foreword by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Toledo Mud Hens--a farm team for the Detroit Tigers--once had a budding pitcher named Ed Crankshaft. At least that's how partners in cartooning, writer Tom Batiuk and artist Chuck Ayers, scripted the main character in \u003ci\u003eCrankshaft. \u003c\/i\u003eThis enjoyable volume collects all of Crankshaft's baseball-themed exploits. Fans will enjoy revisiting Crankshaft's reminisces about his minor league pitching career and his comic attempts to recapture his youthful successes on the diamond. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003ci\u003eStrike Four! \u003c\/i\u003eportrays Crankshaft's greatest triumph when, on a sultry summer night in 1940, the Tigers came to town for an exhibition game against the Mud Hens. Pitching for the Mud Hens, Ed faced the top of the Tigers lineup--Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, and Rudy York--and struck out all three. The next year, the Tigers called Ed up to the major leagues, but unfortunately, so did Uncle Sam. After his service, Crankshaft returned home, but not to play baseball. He married and had two daughters. His grandson Max was his last chance to reprise his baseball career, but it was not meant to be.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003ci\u003eStrike Four! The \u003c\/i\u003eCrankshaft \u003ci\u003eBaseball Book \u003c\/i\u003eallows Batiuk and Ayers to explore a man's life and humorously and touchingly to examine how only barely touching the brass ring shaped it--and left him a little cranky.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Toledo Mud Hens--a farm team for the Detroit Tigers--once had a budding pitcher named Ed Crankshaft. At least that's how partners in cartooning, writer Tom Batiuk and artist Chuck Ayers, scripted the main character in \u003ci\u003eCrankshaft. \u003c\/i\u003eThis enjoyable volume collects all of Crankshaft's baseball-themed exploits. Fans will enjoy revisiting Crankshaft's reminisces about his minor league pitching career and his comic attempts to recapture his youthful successes on the diamond. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003ci\u003eStrike Four! \u003c\/i\u003eincludes Crankshaft's greatest triumph when, on a sultry summer night in 1940, the Tigers came to town for an exhibition game against the Mud Hens. Pitching for the Mud Hens, Ed faced the top of the Tigers lineup--Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, and Rudy York--and struck out all three. The next year, the Tigers called Ed up to the major leagues, but unfortunately, so did Uncle Sam. After his service, Crankshaft returned home, but not to play baseball. He married and had two daughters. His grandson Max was his last chance to reprise his baseball career, but it was not meant to be.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e In \u003ci\u003eStrike Four!\u003c\/i\u003e Batiuk and Ayers humorously and touchingly examine how only barely touching the brass ring shaped Crankshaft's life--and left him a little cranky.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTom Batiuk\u003c\/strong\u003e is a graduate of Kent State University. His \u003ci\u003eFunky Winkerbean \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eCrankshaft \u003c\/i\u003ecomic strips are carried in more than 600 newspapers worldwide and have an audience of more than 60 million readers. \u003ci\u003eCrankshaft \u003c\/i\u003ewas syndicated in 1987. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFollowing graduation from Kent State University, \u003cb\u003eChuck Ayers \u003c\/b\u003e became the editorial cartoonist for the \u003ci\u003eAkron Beacon Journal\u003c\/i\u003e. He's been the artist on \u003ci\u003eCrankshaft \u003c\/i\u003esince its inception and is a huge fan of the Cleveland Guardians and Akron RubberDucks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 240\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.59 x 9.15 x 7.52 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 15, 2014\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAward:\u003c\/strong\u003e Independent Publisher Book Awards (2015)\u003c\/div\u003e\n                ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53062616973619,"sku":"9781606351925","price":33.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/PLAVFip6uF9781606351925.webp?v=1771441810","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/en-ca\/products\/strike-four-the-crankshaft-baseball-book-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}