STEVE FLAIRTY: Hall of Fame Broadcaster Chuck Mraz Aims to Foster Children's Love of Reading with New Book

By Steve Flairty

NKyTribune columnist

As a child, I read voraciously, biographies of noted Americans were my first pick, but I also enjoyed reading relatable fiction stories, especially baseball. I enjoyed playing the game and following my beloved Reds.

Absorbing baseball stories piqued my imagination, and being a former fourth-grade teacher, I noticed the same by some of my students, especially boys. So, when I heard about radio sportscaster Chuck Mraz’s book, Baseball Stories for Kids, I jumped at the chance to get a copy. Glad I did, because it quickly captured my interest and brought back happy memories.

Mraz is a Kentucky Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame member and the longtime radio voice of the Morehead Eagles’ basketball and football teams. Perhaps his first love, though, is baseball, and he currently also serves as an assistant coach for the Rowan County High School baseball team. Playing the game as a child fostered his interest for coaching and authoring the book.

That passion shows, starting with Chuck’s first story, “The New Kid,” one of five in the 220-page collection. In it, 10-year-old Billy is secure in his position as shortstop for Strong’s Real Estate sponsored team, of which his father is the coach. Billy becomes disconcerted when a new kid joins the team and beats him out for the position. Hard feelings develop; Billy, the new kid, and Billy’s father must navigate the situation.

The focus is on an older “new kid” in the second story, called “The Veteran.” What happens when a long-time, respected ball player sees his performance drop with diminishing skills? Major leaguer Al Maxson found out when he was cut from his team. He secured an agent to help him find a new home to play with an organization who believed he still had quality days left. Maxson did latch on to a new team, but despite his age and experience, he had to prove himself again, not an easy task. Readers will find themselves rooting for the old veteran, and there are some special moments.

In “The Legend of Pogo,” the author tells of Rufus “Pogo” Jackson, a newcomer to town back in 1953 “carrying a large cardboard suitcase” who had a disarming friendliness and cocksure confident way about his ability to accomplish about anything, including the ability to pitch a baseball and get batters out. This story, said Chuck, was written “in my head in an hour one day while mowing my lawn.” I’ll leave it at that and promise you it’s a fun story.

Chuck Mraz (Photo submitted)

The mischievousness of a couple boys is the theme of “A Big League Mistake.” When young Hank is rebuffed by his father in his desire to attend a Redbirds game, he hatches a plan with his friend Curly to stow away on a flour delivery truck to get to St. Louis to see a game, then come back on the same truck—all without their parents’ knowledge. It’s a light but compelling story ending with a valuable lesson learned for all involved.

Chuck concludes his collection with “But She’s a Girl,” and as one might expect, deals with the chauvinistic attitudes of young boys pushing back on females participating in a sport they believe was meant for them only to play. The account is riveting and reminds readers of a past culture that they may know well.

Summarily, Chuck Mraz has produced a wholesome, easy-to-read book that should fit in any elementary school or family library but can also be a pleasant read for adult baby boomers, many of whom can identify with the situations presented (I can!). It’s packed with good value teaching and mostly happy outcomes.

I had an opportunity to discuss the book with Chuck, and he provided good insights about Baseball Stories for Kids.

“I hope that I can convince kids that reading actually can be enjoyable, and hopefully, they might be motivated to read more,” he said. He cited a literacy problem in America and the need to improve as a “foundation for academic careers.”

Chuck also noted that he integrated the stories with positive messages, with such virtues as persevering, trying hard, and believing in oneself. “There’s also the message that you shouldn’t judge others based on how they look or what they might initially appear to be,” he said.

His wife, Joni, and daughter, Megan, helped edit the book. Additionally, Megan created the front and back cover art and design, along with the page layouts. He is “forever grateful” for her help.

“With a full-time job, freelance work, a family that includes a young son, she’s a busy gal,” he said, adding that “I could not have done this project without her help.”

I couldn’t wait to ask Chuck if the book was autobiographical in any way.

“There are pieces in me in some of the stories,” he explained, “particularly in the first one and last one. My life as a youngster growing up and loving baseball in the ‘60s and early ‘70s very much resembled things seen in the movie, The Sandlot. My brother, Jim, and some of my friends from back then also make ‘cameos’ in the book.”

And what about that earlier mentioned story, A Big League Mistake? Did Chuck ever make one? He didn’t, he explained, “but that doesn’t mean I didn’t plot ways in my head to do something similar to get down to Wrigley Field to see Ernie Banks and the rest of my Cubs’ heroes. If you knew my schoolteacher mom, though, you know why I didn’t. If I tried something like that, I might not be here today to tell these stories.”

Chuck has recently experienced the death of his father, and I asked if his dad’s likeness appeared in Baseball Stories for Kids.

“My dad is not in the book,” he said. “The fathers in the book are more like composites of my friends’ dads and the youth baseball coaches I had. My mom and dad divorced when I was five and I only spent every other Sunday with him, along with certain holidays, so I did not really grow up around him, which I regret greatly. As I got older and into adulthood, I found out what a great guy my dad really was. He died just after the book was published and never got to see it, but I know he was proud of me for completing it.”

Baseball Stories for Kids on Amazon.com or by emailing Chuck Mraz at cmraz240@yahoo.com.

Steve Flairty is a teacher, public speaker and an author of seven books: a biography of Kentucky Afield host Tim Farmer and six in the Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes series, including a kids’ version. Steve’s “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes #5,” was released in 2019. Steve is a senior correspondent for Kentucky Monthly, a weekly NKyTribune columnist and a former member of the Kentucky Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. Contact him at sflairty2001@yahoo.com or visit his Facebook page, “Kentucky in Common: Word Sketches in Tribute.”