Back in the 1940s and 1950s, almost every small town in America had a baseball team. Most players were simply local heroes with a local following, but a few teams achieved fame far beyond their region. The Alpine Cowboys-despite being based in Texas's remote, sparsely populated Big Bend country---became stars in the firmament of semipro baseball. Lavishly underwritten by a wealthy rancher with a passion not only for baseball but, even more, for helping young men get a good start in life, the Cowboys played on a "field of dreams," Kokernot Field, whose facilitie rivaled those of professional ballparks, Many Cowboys went on to play in the big leagues, and several pro teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago White Sox, and the St. Louis Browns, came to play exhibition games at Kokernot Field.
The story of Herbert Kokernot Jr. and his Alpine Cowboys is a legend among baseball aficionados, but until now it has never been the subject of a book. DJ Stout, son of former Cowboys player Doyle Stout, presents a Hall of Fame-worthy collection of photographs and reminiscences of Alpine Cowboys players, family members, and fans to capture fifteen years (1946-1961) of baseball at its finest. Nicholas Dawidoff's introduction, originally published in Sports Illustrated, tells the fascinating tale of "Mr. Herbert," as Kokernot was called, and his determination to build a baseball team and ballpark that deserved to carry his ranch's O6 brand. Stories abound of Mr. Herbert's generosity to players, who received room and board, help with college tuition, and jobs on the O6, on top of their baseball pay and cash rewards for homers and strikeouts.
One of the most heartwarming episodes in the annals of the game, The Amazing Tale of Mr. Herbert and His Fabulous Alpine Cowboys is a fitting tribute to a man, a team, and a ballpark" dedicated to the promotion of a clean and wholesome sport, our national game, baseball.
