Perfect Game USA and the Future of Baseball

Les Edgerton is a writing teacher and author of nine books, including Surviving Little League: For Parents, Players, and Coaches. He lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Foreword by Wally Lubanski      Preface      1. It’s Not Your Father’s Game Any More: The Rapidly Changing Landscape of Youth Baseball      2. How the Stage Was Set for the “New” Field of Dreams: A Time of Innocence      3. The Birth and Early Growth of Perfect Game USA Showcases      4. The Professional Scout’s View      5. High School Baseball and How It Lost Its Luster      6. The “If You’re Good, They’ll Find You” Fallacy      7. Dominican and Other Latin American Players      8. Steroids, HGH, and Other Performance-Enhancing Substances      9. The Early Years      10. Financial Woes      11. Watershed Moments      12. The Parts of the Perfect Game Organization      13. The Cultural Impact of the New Era: A New Philosophy      14. Select and Travel Teams: The Other Major Force at Work in the New World of Baseball      15. Perfect Game’s People      16. The Negatives      17. A Prescription      18. Perfect Game and Its Future      19. Developing a Sound Plan      20. Preparation for a Showcase      21. Interesting stories, interesting people      Epilogue: What a Journey      Sources      Index

“convincing...revealing”—Choice; “this book is a revealing history about a youth baseball organization that has created fundamental changes in how baseball talent is exposed”—Nine.