Emmet O'Neal Library Hosting Author Doug Wedge

MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL - Author Doug Wedge will make an appearance at Mountain Brook's Emmet O'Neal Library Thursday, May 31, at 2 p.m. for a discussion and signing of his new book, "Baseball in Alabama: Tales of Hardball in the Heart of Dixie."

From hardscrabble fields of the 1950s to the luxury stadiums of today, Wedge's new book traces the journeys of ten players with Alabama roots and connections and their rise to the Major Leagues. Along the way, players like Birmingham's Ron "Papa Jack" Jackson, Hall of Famer Billy Williams, and former Atlanta Brave Tim Hudson share their keys to success, career highlights and stories.

The book also examines minor league and college baseball in Alabama, looking back on the Crimson Tide's improbable run in the 1983 College World Series and the Barons' return to Birmingham in the early 1980s.

Former Auburn head coach Hal Baird writes the foreword to start the action.

In 2015, Texas A&M University Press published The Cy Young Catcher, the book Wedge co-wrote with former Major League catcher Charlie O'Brien about O'Brien's experiences working with 13 different Cy Young award-winning pitchers.

Wedge earned English degrees from the University of Tulsa and the University of South Carolina. He lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, with his wife and four children.

Image from Thrift Books