SKU: 35050514770

One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season

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Description

One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season"One Shot at Forever is powerful, inspirational. . . This isn't merely a book about baseball. It's a book about heart." Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of Boys Will Be Boys and The Bad Guys Won In 1971, a small town high school baseball team from rural Illinois, playing with hand me down uniforms and peace signs on their hats, defied convention and the odds. Led by an English teacher with no coaching experience, the Macon Ironmen

"One Shot at Forever is powerful, inspirational. . . This isn't merely a book about baseball. It's a book about heart." -- Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of Boys Will Be Boys and The Bad Guys Won

In 1971, a small-town high school baseball team from rural Illinois, playing with hand-me-down uniforms and peace signs on their hats, defied convention and the odds. Led by an English teacher with no coaching experience, the Macon Ironmen emerged from a field of 370 teams to represent the smallest school in Illinois history to make the state final, a distinction that still stands. There the Ironmen would play against a Chicago powerhouse in a dramatic game that would change their lives forever.

In this gripping, cinematic narrative, Chris Ballard tells the story of the team and its coach, Lynn Sweet: a hippie, dreamer, and intellectual who arrived in Macon in 1966, bringing progressive ideas to a town stuck in the Eisenhower era. Beloved by students but not administration, Sweet reluctantly took over the ragtag team, intent on teaching the boys as much about life as baseball. Together they embarked on an improbable postseason run that buoyed a small town in desperate need of something to celebrate.

Engaging and poignant, One Shot at Forever is a testament to the power of high school sports to shape the lives of those who play them, and it reminds us that there are few bonds more sacred than that among a coach, a team, and a town.

"Macon's run at the title reminds us why sports matter and why sportswriting has such great power to inspire. . . It's] one hell of a good story, and Ballard has written one hell of a good book." -- Jonathan Eig, Chicago Tribune

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Hachette Books
Published: 04/30/2013
ISBN: 9781401312664
Pages: 255
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 0.80d
Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 163042 / One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season
Reading Level: 7 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 12
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SKU: 35050514770

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4.8 ★★★★★
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Verified Purchase
Jason G
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 1
Do not buy
Color: Green/Black
Do not buy. When I received the watch it did not work and the battery was dead. I bought a new battery and it killed that one as well after about a month.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2026
M
Verified Purchase
Miles Connell
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
Inexpensive doesn’t mean cheap.
Color: Black/Orange
After 10 months, zero complaints. Well, I got rid of the horrible NATO strap 🙄. That’s a personal preference. Easy to swap out to whatever you like. Keeps accurate time meaning it’s the same time. I’m not micro analyzing it and the seconds gained/lost. It has a confident look and feel and makes you feel good when wearing it. Sure it’s not high priced but it’s not cheap. Very comfortable, light and not unincumbered. If this is what you’re looking at, you’d be satisfied. Great looking, durable and simple watch. Full confidence.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2025
B
Verified Purchase
Buyer
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 3
Budget Seiko Prospex this is not
Color: Black/Orange
Bought this as a cheap work watch, but I guess all the budget went into the solar technology. No date adjust feature, gotta crank the crown over and over to adjust the date. (Also no screw-down crown, but that's expected at this price) Fake diver bezel. Lol why? Cringe as heck. Should of just put a compass bezel on there instead tbh. Cheap plastic crystal, scratches and mars just by looking at it. Okay NATO strap. Falls apart quickly, but it's easily replaceable with a better quality one. Decent lume on the hands, but none on the hour markers even though it looks like there is. Looks cool.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2025
M
Verified Purchase
Michael Miracle
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
Simplicity
Color: Black/Orange
This watch was received exactly as advertised. First off the watch is economical compared to other watches that advertise the same details. I will say that I have gone through numerous Luminox watches only to be disappointed. This watch fits the bill. It does have solar cells which mean it needs to be exposed to light to keep running, not a problem. Three minutes under my surefire light I am golden. The bezel doesn't rotate actually no big deal for me. I have always required that the bezel moves not anymore after having a bezel that rotates I use it next to never. Here's why, the more I rotate the bezel the more the numbers wear off. The strap on the watch with the catches for the strap are perfect. They actually hold the watch strap in place in lieu of like other big name brands that just flop and slide. As far as everyday use goes this watch is my go to. To be honest I have purchased three. This is the only watch I will wear moving forward, yeah the glass my scratch but even the big names like the Luminox I spoke of earlier scratches too.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2026
B
Verified Purchase
Bryan
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Favorite watch / solar
Color: Green/Green
I'm partial... I have bought Timex my intire life, they no doubt make the best watches... They take a licking, but keep on ticking is there old commercials.. True.. Great quality, keeps going after many year's... I never bought a solar watch from them prior I have to mention... It should hold up I'm thinking like their battery watches, I hope so. My favorite watch, I own a handful. Watch looks better in person... Downfall, they are trying a new band out of recycled plastic, I don't like it as much as the older bands it's soft, but feels a little strange...
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Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2026

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