VAN NUYS, Calif., Dec. 1, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Remember the famous line, "There's no crying in baseball!"? Well, now you can find out how that line originated and hear many other baseball and personal stories in the brand-new entertaining sports autobiography "Dirt in the Skirt."
"Dirt in the Skirt" tells the life story of Lavone "Pepper" Paire Davis, a top-notch catcher and a 10-year veteran of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League of the '40s and '50s with five championship titles.
The book was written entirely by Davis, with forwards by Penny Marshall and Tom Hanks. She was Marshall's first choice as chief adviser on the film "A League of Their Own" and in 1944 wrote the league's baseball song used in the movie. She will share her life story with you as she grew up in the heart of the Depression and suffered through two world wars. A little girl with a big dream -- an impossible dream -- to play baseball and be in Cooperstown, baseball's Hall of Fame. She will take you with her through her warm, wonderful, innocent world. You will laugh with her, cry with her, love with her and play baseball with her as she shares her unusual life with you.
If you are a fan of baseball and remember the movie "A League of Their Own," you'll see where the movie came from as "Pepper" shares her insider "scoop" on the making of the film. Penny Marshall's popular 1992 movie showed a little-known chapter of American sports history with its story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The league was formed in 1944 when men were sent off to serve in World War II, which resulted in a shortage of men's baseball teams, and it continued even after the war, until 1954.
Penny Marshall and Tom Hanks have both written forwards for the book. Marshall said in her forward, "Though you might not want to hit the dirt in a skirt, the pages of this book will fly right off into your heart." Hanks said: "Pepper knows baseball, because she played real baseball. For that reason, she has stories to tell as rich as any in the game and Pepper knows how to tell them." There are also many wonderful old-world pictures and original memorabilia included in this one-of-a-kind book.
"My life has been entwined with famous people. I have met three presidents, as well as numerous movie stars and famous sports figures. I think readers will enjoy the events and encounters in and out of the sports world, as I take them back," stated Davis. "Young people, as well as people of all ages should find it suitable and enjoyable reading. I think women especially and young girls will find it inspiring to know they can do it if they try hard enough."
The book retails for $26.95 for the softcover version and $36.95 for the hardcover edition and can be personally autographed by Davis.
For more information on "Dirt in the Skirt" and how to purchase it, or to arrange an interview with Davis, call 909-702-4349 or e-mail pepperpairedavis1@yahoo.com.