Toy Cannon

Despite the pressures of racism and a troubled personal life, Jimmy “The Toy Cannon” Wynn achieved remarkable success as a major league player. In a career that stretched from 1963 to 1977, he slugged 291 home runs, 223 of them in Houston ballparks (Colt Stadium, the Astrodome) notoriously unfriendly to power hitters. A strong-armed, speedy outfielder, Wynn was also adept at getting on base (seven times in the top 10 for on-base percentage) and then swiping a bag (225 career steals). This memoir recounts his triumphs and struggles in detail.

The late Jimmy Wynn was a three-time All-Star whose number was retired by the Houston Astros. Later in life he worked for the Astros and as an analyst for Fox Sports.
Bill McCurdy is president emeritus of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame and a member of SABR. He lives in Houston.

Jimmy Wynn with Bill McCurdy
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 236
Bibliographic Info: 28 photos, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-5856-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5999-5
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Preface by Bill McCurdy      1
Introduction      7

1. The Cincinnati Kid      9
2. A Tempest in Tampa      22
3. “Houston, We Have a New Ballplayer!”      31
4. Destiny Meets the Dalton Gang      44
5. The Eighth Wonder of the World!      57
6. Violation in Venezuela!      67
7. Astro Turf Toes and Top Spins      70
8. Houston’s Toy Cannon      76
9. The Trouble with Harry      93
10. Mediocre Was as Good as We Got      108
11. Stormy Monday      117
12. Leo the Lip      137
13. Born Again in Dodger Blue!      154
14. The Day the Music Died      177
15. Rounding Third, Headed for Home      193

Appendix      215
Bibliography      217
Index      219