Shine the Light

How Sandlot Baseball Connects People in a Disconnected World

Jim Matthews

• Publisher: Sports Publishing
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN:
  9781683584933
• Edition: 0

The sandlot movement is a different animal, drawing players of all ages back to their roots. If you remember playing baseball in yards and alleyways or an open field, you'll be glad to know the tradition continues in grownup leagues across the nation. A lifelong fan of baseball—both from a watching and a semi-pro player—author Jim Matthews spent his professional days as a television newscaster and sports broadcaster in Austin, Texas. After what he thought would be his last semi-pro game, ending with a home run, he pondered what could fill the void of playing the game he loved. Pondering this conundrum, Matthews and lifelong friend (and former Nike president) Elliott Hill decided that going back to their roots—sandlot baseball—might be just what they needed. Testing the waters with a few different teams and leagues, including future rivals the Texas Playboys, they decided to create their own team: the Austin Moontowers. But when it comes to playing on the sandlot, as it was as a child, the key was not if you won or lost. Camaraderie, not rivalry, spurs you. Shine the Light includes glimmers of friendships resurrected half a century later and new friendships with interesting and sometimes high-profile players, now part of the "sandlot nation." It shares a personal backstory about my dual heritage (Hispanic and Scot-Irish), the parents who shaped Jim's character, and tragedies mixed with soaring milestones. Most of all, this is a book about cross-country adventures that landed Matthews back home to Austin, and onto sandlots despite arthritic knees and a hip replacement. It's about passion and esprit de corps that can only be found on base or in front of the pitching mound—on a field that may be full of weeds or fire ants. But when you're able to play the game you love, in its purest form, the small things that might bother most just come with the territory. Find the Moontowers Baseball Club at instagram @austinmoontowers and www.moontowers.co.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword: A Love Letter to Sandlot Baseball and Boyhood by Anne R. Keene
• Author’s Note
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Pinnacle
• Chapter 2: Doesn’t That Look Like Fun?
• Chapter 3: Squid
• Chapter 4: Stir Crazy
• Chapter 5: Ball Four
• Chapter 6: Is This Heaven?
• Chapter 7: Get in There
• Chapter 8: Whiskey and Leather
• Chapter 9: End of Something
• Chapter 10: A Lucky Intern
• Chapter 11: Central Casting
• Chapter 12: Playboy Debut
• Chapter 13: Spring Training
• Chapter 14: Hello, Goodbye
• Chapter 15: Pulling Together
• Chapter 16: Home and Home
• Chapter 17: Opening Day
• Chapter 18: Journey to the End?
• Chapter 19: Fathers and Sons
• Chapter 20: Law School for Dummies
• Chapter 21: Legends of Sandlot
• Chapter 22: Forever Family
• Chapter 23: Meaning and Purpose
• Chapter 24: Sandlot Revolution
• Epilogue: Sweatpants
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author