JBLN recently received a request from an author to highlight a book he has just written about a man intimately involved in Little League baseabll for 38 years! This man's entire life, however, exemplified the basic spirit of volunteerism that keeps JBLN going year in and year out.


Without those individuals willing to sacrifice some of their time and a lot of their effort to help the kids, JBLN could not continue.


The author's letter:


I'm an author and editor who has written a book, "Little League Heaven: The Legend of Odie Sweeny" (ISBN: 141376729X). It's the biography of a unique Texas man who managed a team for a record 38 years. The Houston Astros memorialized him at a game soon after his death in 1989 on the 50th anniversary of Little League Baseball.


Odie led many colorful lives. Besides being the exemplary LL manager, he also was a rodeo clown, a cowboy, a volunteer firefighter, a humanitarian who was a pioneer in welcoming minorities and girls into Little League, a volunteer at a Boy's Ranch for troubled youth, an artist, a Christian, and more.


You might say Odie set the standard for other LL volunteers and players across the nation during his time and into the future. Children and adults alike love reading about his life. The book makes a great birthday or Christmas gift.


Richard C. Wagner


For more information on The Legend of Odie Sweeny, please click here.