Lyman Bostock Jr. had baseball in his blood. The son of a former Negro
League standout, Bostock began his professional career with the
Minnesota Twins in 1975. Two years later, he became one of the first
players in major league baseball to cash in on the new era of free
agency, signing with the California Angels for more than $2 million--one
of the richest contracts in sports history at that time. But Bostock's
true potential would never be known. On September 23, 1978, Bostock was
shot and killed in Gary, Indiana. He was just 27 years old. In Lyman
Bostock: The Inspiring Life and Tragic Death of a Ballplayer, K. Adam
Powell tells the story of Bostock's humble beginnings in Birmingham,
Alabama, his coming-of-age in Los Angeles, his involvement in the Black
Power movement, his brief yet impactful baseball career, and his
senseless murder in 1978. Those who knew Bostock and played alongside
him believed he was good enough to win multiple batting titles, and
perhaps even make the Hall of Fame some day. More than just a
ballplayer, Bostock was known as a stand-out citizen who never forgot
where he came from, investing hours of his time giving back to his
community, visiting with local youth, and hosting baseball clinics.
Lyman Bostock captures a remarkable era in professional baseball, an era
when ballplayers such as Bostock still engaged closely with their fans
even as power shifted from management and owners to the players. Through
careful research, exclusive interviews, and rarely-seen photographs,
Bostock's life and the times in which he lived are conveyed in intimate
detail. For baseball fans of all ages, Lyman Bostock's biography is a
poignant and inspiring story of an upcoming star whose life was cut much
too short.
