Brooklyn Dodgers

Rookie pitcher Roy Tucker is full of hope for his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers-and hope might be what the team needs most   Roy Tucker-a small-town kid from Tomkinsville, Connecticut-has quit his job at the drugstore and packed up for Dodgers training camp in Clearwater, Florida, hoping to make the team as a rookie pitcher. He expects the field to be competitive and realizes he might not pass muster, but after just one practice, he discovers just how difficult a goal he has set.   But the Dodgers are an aging team, and owner Jack MacManus is getting tired of the smart remarks from sports reporters and the manager of the rival Giants, Bill Murphy. With a little coaching and encouragement from Dave Leonard, the oldest catcher in the big leagues, this kid from Tomkinsville might be just what the team needs.

Two brothers called up from the minor leagues try to turn around the Brooklyn Dodgers' dismal prospects   It's late in the season, and the Brooklyn Dodgers have been flagging, dropping through the ranks as the Pittsburgh Pirates take the league. When a scout brings Spike and Bob Russell up from the minor leagues, the "Keystone Kids" quickly prove their worth.   With Spike at shortstop and Bob at second base, the future starts to look a little brighter-but Spike sees the slumping team begin to fall apart again the following year, as even his own brother picks on Klein, the new Jewish catcher. Exasperated and tired of being in last place, owner Jack MacManus unexpectedly promotes Spike to manager, hoping to shake his team of its losing habit.

Roy Tucker left the Dodgers to become a war hero-and now he's fighting to get back onto the baseball diamond   Roy Tucker was one of the best prospects the Dodgers had-first as a pitcher, then as an outfielder when he injured the elbow of his throwing arm. Then he went off to serve in World War II, where a plane crash over France left him with pain in his hips and back.   The war is nearly over, and players are starting to return from the front to play ball again. If the Dodgers aim to have any chance at the pennant, the kid from Tomkinsville will have to fight his way back into the game once more.

Cecil "Highpockets" McDade is known for his ego, his ambition, and his batting average-but a freak accident may help him discover what's really important   A rookie right fielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cecil "Highpockets" McDade shows plenty of promise. But his high opinion of himself (and low opinion of the city) lands him in hot water when a sportswriter makes news out of the Dodger who hates Brooklyn, turning Highpockets into the most despised man on the team overnight.   But Highpockets remains relentless in his pursuit of fame and fortune-until a car accident brings a boy named Dean Kennedy into his life. Dean doesn't care about the Dodgers, or baseball, or anything other than his stamp collection. Consumed by guilt over his part in the collision that may cost Dean his leg, Highpockets must try to turn his own life around-before it's too late.

A special edition of three of John R. Tunis's novels about the Brooklyn Dodgers, engrossing stories of integrity and strength against all odds In The Kid from Tomkinsville, Roy Tucker-a small-town kid from Tomkinsville, Connecticut-has quit his job at the drugstore and packed up for Dodgers training camp in Clearwater, Florida, hoping to make the team as a rookie pitcher. He expects the field to be competitive and realizes he might not pass muster, but after just one practice, he discovers just how difficult a goal he has set. But the Dodgers are an aging team, and owner Jack MacManus is getting tired of the smart remarks from sports reporters and the manager of the rival Giants, Bill Murphy. With a little coaching and encouragement from Dave Leonard, the oldest catcher in the big leagues, this kid from Tomkinsville might be just what the team needs. In Keystone Kids, the Brooklyn Dodgers have been flagging, dropping through the ranks as the Pittsburgh Pirates take the league. When a scout brings Spike and Bob Russell up from the minor leagues, the "Keystone Kids" quickly prove their worth. With Spike at shortstop and Bob at second base, the future starts to look a little brighter-but Spike sees the slumping team begin to fall apart again the following year. Exasperated and tired of being in last place, owner Jack MacManus unexpectedly promotes Spike to manager, hoping to shake his team of its losing habit. And in World Series, the Brooklyn Dodgers have finally made it to the World Series, after years of losing seasons and disappointments. Roy Tucker, the kid from Tomkinsville, is excited about the series, and also about the prospect of a little extra money to send home to his grandmother in Connecticut. The Cleveland Indians are now all that stands between the Dodgers and their first-ever championship. But this seven-game series could be the longest they've ever played, plagued by injuries, setbacks, and early losses. Will Tucker and his Brooklyn teammates finally have their moment of glory?