For every single one of the people now playing major league baseball, there are four or five guys grinding out a living in the minor leagues, hoping to make it to "the show."
As the major leagues have expanded, the minor leagues have contracted. Not long after World War II, more than 400 American cities fielded professional teams, brimming with players who had some talent... just not enough.
Longtime sportswriter Gaylon White pays homage to the heyday of the minor leagues and their players, in Left on Base in the Bush Leagues: Legends, Near Greats, and Unknowns in the Minors. He joins us to talk about his latest work.