{"product_id":"the-cloudbuster-nine-the-untold-story-of-ted-williams-and-the-baseball-team-that-helped-win-world-war-ii-9781683583622","title":"The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II","description":"In 1943, while the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals battled for the World Series title, another legendary team was taking the field on a scrappy diamond in North Carolina. The Cloudbuster Nine wasn't just any baseball team. They were big-league pros turned Navy fighter-pilot cadets, including Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, and Johnny Sain, training to become America's heroes. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt the heart of it all was Jim Raugh, the team's batboy. From cramped buses to war-bond exhibitions--even a game at Yankee Stadium against a Babe Ruth-led squad--Jim witnessed baseball history firsthand. He chased his own dreams as a college All-American, but life threw him a curveball: a career-ending injury that dashed his major-league dreams. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNow, Jim's daughter, Anne R. Keene, uncovers an untold story from his long-lost scrapbook, revealing memories from a sports-based training program that shaped some of America's greatest leaders: George H. W. Bush, John Glenn, Bear Bryant, and John Wooden among them. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Cloudbuster Nine\u003c\/i\u003e tells, for the first time, the thrilling story of this patriotic baseball team with legends like Ted Williams who played for pride, country and the war-effort--and helped win World War II.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnne R. Keene\u003c\/b\u003e has published work in \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eDallas Morning News, \u003c\/i\u003e the\u003ci\u003e Raleigh News \u0026amp; Observer\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eand magazines such as \u003ci\u003eThe Saturday Evening Post\u003c\/i\u003e. A finalist for the prestigious Casey Award, \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eCloudbuster Nine\u003c\/i\u003e was recognized by \u003ci\u003eNewsday\u003c\/i\u003e magazine as a \"Top 12 Baseball Read for the Season.\" Keene began her career as a speechwriter on Capitol Hill. She is a graduate of the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who resides in Austin, Texas.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eClaudia Williams\u003c\/b\u003e is the last surviving child of Ted Williams. She penned a loving and forthright memoir, \u003ci\u003eTed Williams, My Father. \u003c\/i\u003eAs the daughter of a Marine combat pilot in World War II and Korea, and one of the greatest athletes who ever lived, Claudia strives to inspire future generations with examples of the courage and principles that her father exhibited his entire life.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Sports Publishing LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50610063180050,"sku":"9781683583622","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8a7ea568-f9db-4a4a-aa16-ab3c59e24209.jpg?v=1765356666","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-cloudbuster-nine-the-untold-story-of-ted-williams-and-the-baseball-team-that-helped-win-world-war-ii-9781683583622","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}