The Baseball Miracle of the Splendid 6 and Towny Townsend
The Baseball Miracle of the Splendid 6 and Towny Townsend: Heartbreak, Inspiration, and How Baseball Can Be
By Patrick Montgomery, Foreword by David Wright, Seven-Time MLB All-Star and Member of the Splendid 6.
Marvin "Towny" Townsend, a baseball coaching legend in Hampton Roads Virginia, once was a budding young baseball prodigy. A college All-American, drafted four times by Major League Baseball, including being a #1 Pick by the Boston Red Sox. Big and strong at 6'2" and playing shortstop in the minor leagues, he looked ready for baseball stardom until racism reared its ugly head from within the baseball dugout and ultimately putting to an end of a promising career.
Towny Townsend went on to be a college coach, being an NCAA Coach of the Year Finalist, earning a Master's in Education, and taking his Alma Mater, an underserved, urban, and predominantly African-American school in Norfolk, VA to multiple District championships.
Towny and his baseball friends possessed unique viewpoints, methods, and leadership qualities helping to ignite a baseball revolution in Virginia. His coaches were a former MLB All-Star, the first player he recruited to play for his college team, a player he drilled as a pitcher to teach a lesson the first time they met ultimately ending with a brawl at home plate, an athletic prodigy with two sons who became baseball superstars, and a dude more likely to be in flip-flops and discussing mental exercises for baseball than having batting practice.
The Coaches formed two separate Amateur Athletic Union baseball organizations, the Blasters and Drillers, always bitter rivals, but friends off the field.
A group of players emerged from the controlled chaos of Towny and his friends. The Splendid 6 of Michael Cuddyer, David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, Mark Reynolds, B.J. and Justin Upton took Major League Baseball by storm and each had a long successful career.
The Splendid 6 played 8,370 MLB games, 35,420 at-bats, 9,346 base hits, 1,509 home runs, and 5,282 RBI across 85 MLB seasons through 2021. 15 All-Star nods and a World Series Championship.
As the Splendid 6 began to see their MLB Stardom take-off, Towny was diagnosed with cancer. Surgery after surgery and multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy could not stop Towny from coaching, mentoring, and showing others how to fight to the end with hope and dignity. Towny Townsend died in 2007 just as all the Splendid 6 were all playing in the Major Leagues.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"This isn't a book, but a love letter to a game that means as much as breathing to Patrick Montgomery. Folks say baseball is dying, but 'The Baseball Miracle of the Splendid 6 and Towny Townsend' makes a day at the ballpark feel very much alive." -Jeff Pearlman, Ten-Time, New York Times Best Selling Author. His latest offering is The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson.
"This is a beautifully written throwback to the summer days of pure baseball, and Patrick has given us a splendid read." -Marty Appel, a New York Yankees historian and best-selling author of Pinstripe Empire, Munson, and Casey Stengel.
"One thing I always admired about David Wright is how he has not forgotten his Virginia Roots. I think Patrick Montgomery's insightful book gives you a great look into how David started his All-Star career and hasn't forgotten the guys who played with him in the beginning." -Jay Horwitz, Vice President, Media Relations for the New York Mets, 2019 Recipient of the 2019 William J. Slocum/Jack Lang Award for long and meritorious service, awarded by the Baseball Writers, Association of America.
"What an engaging origin story for some of the generation's most notable players. Any baseball fan will love this book." -Jesse Dougherty, baseball writer for the Washington Post.
"Every baseball player should have a coach like Towny Townsend, and Patrick Montgomery does an excellent job his love of the game and the love his players had for him. A fun read that reminds you of the importance of great coaches and great people in the success of every athlete." -J. Daniel, author of Phinally, The Phillies, the Royals and the 1980 Baseball Season that Almost Wasn't.