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Season of Shattered Dreams: Postwar Baseball, the Spokane Indians, and a Tragic Bus Crash That Changed Everything
The story of one of the most significant and overlooked seasons in professional baseball, told through the travails of the Spokane Indians On June 24, 1946, a bus carrying the Spokane Indians baseball team crashed to the bottom of a deep ravine in Washington state’s Cascade mountains, killing nine players. To this day, it remains the deadliest accident in the history of American professional sports. In Season of Shattered Postwar Baseball, the Spokane Indians, and a Tragic Bus Crash That Changed Everything, Eric Vickrey details the series of events that occurred before, during, and after the heartbreaking accident. Vickrey chronicles the often-overlooked impact that the end of World War II had on the major and minor leagues, now crowded with players returning from military service. The Spokane Indians were no exception, with several top prospects and former big leaguers arriving that season. The journeys of three Spokane players in particular—Vic Picetti, Ben Geraghty, and Jack Lohrke—reveal the impact of the war on players’ lives, the struggles of a minor-league career, and the devastating impact of that catastrophic crash. The Spokane Indians were not your average minor-league team, and though their story has been largely forgotten with time, it is one that deserves to be told. Featuring original interviews, as well as letters and photos from the personal collections of players and their families, Season of Shattered Dreams offers incredible insight into one of the most singular seasons in professional baseball.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published April 16, 2024
About the author
Eric Vickrey
5 books10 followersEric Vickrey is the author of three nonfiction baseball books: Runnin' Redbirds: The World Champion 1982 St. Louis Cardinals (McFarland, 2023), Season of Shattered Dreams: Postwar Baseball, the Spokane Indians, and a Tragic Bus Crash that Changed Everything (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024), and Before They Wore Dodger Blue: Tommy Lasorda and the Greatest Draft Class in Baseball History (August Publications, 2025). He lives in Washington state.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 22, 2024
I try not to reinvent the wheel when a book has a perfect title so I think Season of Shattered Dreams by Eric Vickrey is exactly what you expect it to be. The book looks at the 1946 season of a baseball team which is horribly derailed by a bus accident that kills multiple players. While the bus crash is the major event of the book, there is a lot more to it.
I am giving this book high marks with the caveat that this is for baseball lovers. Vickrey tells the story of multiple players and their paths through baseball. At this time, it wasn't quite what we know today with MLB and its minor league system. Free agency didn't exist and choice for the players was in short supply. As I said, for the baseball lover looking to learn a little bit more about the history of the game, this is catnip. Vickrey looks specifically at two players post-crash and that takes up the last 20% of the book. It is sad but also enjoyable.
(This book was provided as a review copy by the author.)
I am giving this book high marks with the caveat that this is for baseball lovers. Vickrey tells the story of multiple players and their paths through baseball. At this time, it wasn't quite what we know today with MLB and its minor league system. Free agency didn't exist and choice for the players was in short supply. As I said, for the baseball lover looking to learn a little bit more about the history of the game, this is catnip. Vickrey looks specifically at two players post-crash and that takes up the last 20% of the book. It is sad but also enjoyable.
(This book was provided as a review copy by the author.)
April 12, 2026
One of the most tragic dates in baseball history is June 24, 1946. On that day, a bus carrying 16 members of the Spokane Indians of the Western International League crashed on a mountain road in the Cascades. Nine team members were killed. A city, a team, and an entire league were left in shock. In Season of Shattered Dreams, Eric Vickrey tells the stories of the players who survived, the ones who didn’t, and the many people whose lives were permanently altered by the deadliest day to that point in professional baseball history. It was a finalist for the prestigious Casey Award in 2024, and after reading it, the recognition makes perfect sense.
While Vickrey devotes a chapter to the crash itself and the immediate aftermath, the strongest parts of the book are his portraits of the players and manager who made up the 1946 Indians. The pre‑crash chapters are especially compelling, particularly those on Jack Lohrke, Ben Geraghty, and Vic Picetti. After the crash, Vickrey follows Geraghty’s long, determined, and ultimately unsuccessful quest to become a major‑league manager, a journey that ended at the AAA Louisville Colonels despite his widely respected baseball mind.
The book captures everything a reader might want from baseball history of that era: the impact of World War II on rosters, the unique structure of baseball west of the Mississippi before MLB expanded, the near‑major‑league quality of the Pacific Coast League, and vivid profiles of the players themselves.
Vickrey also excels in widening the lens. He includes the stories of players who were not on the bus — Lohrke being the most famous example — and shows that their experiences were just as dramatic and meaningful as those who survived the crash. He brings in voices beyond the roster as well: wives and girlfriends, the bus driver, and even the search for the mysterious car that nearly collided head‑on with the team bus before swerving away and sending the vehicle down the ravine. These shorter narratives add depth and texture without ever feeling like digressions.
As Vickrey does in the book, it feels right to name the nine players who died, ensuring their memory endures nearly eighty years later: Freddie Martinez, Chris Hartje, George Risk, Bob James, Mel Cole, Bob Kinnaman, George Lyden, Bob Patterson, and Vic Picetti.
I wish to thank Mr. Vickrey for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
While Vickrey devotes a chapter to the crash itself and the immediate aftermath, the strongest parts of the book are his portraits of the players and manager who made up the 1946 Indians. The pre‑crash chapters are especially compelling, particularly those on Jack Lohrke, Ben Geraghty, and Vic Picetti. After the crash, Vickrey follows Geraghty’s long, determined, and ultimately unsuccessful quest to become a major‑league manager, a journey that ended at the AAA Louisville Colonels despite his widely respected baseball mind.
The book captures everything a reader might want from baseball history of that era: the impact of World War II on rosters, the unique structure of baseball west of the Mississippi before MLB expanded, the near‑major‑league quality of the Pacific Coast League, and vivid profiles of the players themselves.
Vickrey also excels in widening the lens. He includes the stories of players who were not on the bus — Lohrke being the most famous example — and shows that their experiences were just as dramatic and meaningful as those who survived the crash. He brings in voices beyond the roster as well: wives and girlfriends, the bus driver, and even the search for the mysterious car that nearly collided head‑on with the team bus before swerving away and sending the vehicle down the ravine. These shorter narratives add depth and texture without ever feeling like digressions.
As Vickrey does in the book, it feels right to name the nine players who died, ensuring their memory endures nearly eighty years later: Freddie Martinez, Chris Hartje, George Risk, Bob James, Mel Cole, Bob Kinnaman, George Lyden, Bob Patterson, and Vic Picetti.
I wish to thank Mr. Vickrey for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
January 1, 2026
What a well-written book! I’ve heard tidbits of the story before, but am grateful a writer came along and covered the full account - the baseball season, the tragedy, the ballplayers, and the aftermath. It certainly was a tragedy - a bus crash that took many lives and shortened the careers of several members of the Spokane Indians Minor League baseball team during the Summer of ‘46.
I am impressed with how well constructed the book is. So much research went into the team and the players, the history of baseball in Spokane, and how the team and the City pulled together to resurrect and rebuild. Several victims of the crash went on to have long careers in baseball including Ben Geraghty, who Hank Aaron referred to as “the finest human being I have ever known.” Geraghty went on to become a legendary coach in the Minor Leagues.
The epilogue was the perfect wrap up to this story. It was interesting to learn of what became of several of the survivors and their families. It all really hit close to home in the end. And the author summed it up with a great ending.
It’s an important piece of baseball history and such a meaningful piece of Spokane history.
I am impressed with how well constructed the book is. So much research went into the team and the players, the history of baseball in Spokane, and how the team and the City pulled together to resurrect and rebuild. Several victims of the crash went on to have long careers in baseball including Ben Geraghty, who Hank Aaron referred to as “the finest human being I have ever known.” Geraghty went on to become a legendary coach in the Minor Leagues.
The epilogue was the perfect wrap up to this story. It was interesting to learn of what became of several of the survivors and their families. It all really hit close to home in the end. And the author summed it up with a great ending.
It’s an important piece of baseball history and such a meaningful piece of Spokane history.
April 24, 2024
Two of types of books I most like to read include baseball books and books about disasters. This outstanding baseball/disaster book offers an insightful look at one of the most tragic accidents in baseball history. In June of 1946, a bus carrying 15 members of the minor league Spokane Indians team crashed to the bottom of a ravine in the Cascade Mountains, killing 9 players.
The author does a great job looking at the lives of the ballplayers pre-accident as well as at the effect of World War 2 on the players. While there was less coverage of the accident itself, the book also delves into the horrific impact of the bus accident on the survivors.
There is a particular focus on three of the Spokane Indians players, Ben Geraghty, Jack Lohrke, and Vic Picetti. One, a long-time minor league baseball manager, and one who played in the majors.
I consider myself a diehard, knowledgeable lifelong baseball fan but I had never heard about this accident. I'm very glad that this book shines a well-deserved light on a horrific baseball accident that is virtually forgotten today.
Highly recommended!!
The author does a great job looking at the lives of the ballplayers pre-accident as well as at the effect of World War 2 on the players. While there was less coverage of the accident itself, the book also delves into the horrific impact of the bus accident on the survivors.
There is a particular focus on three of the Spokane Indians players, Ben Geraghty, Jack Lohrke, and Vic Picetti. One, a long-time minor league baseball manager, and one who played in the majors.
I consider myself a diehard, knowledgeable lifelong baseball fan but I had never heard about this accident. I'm very glad that this book shines a well-deserved light on a horrific baseball accident that is virtually forgotten today.
Highly recommended!!
July 6, 2025
Eric Vickrey's poignant yet inspiring tale of the "bus crash that changed everything" is one you'll certainly want to read. You'll be impressed by his tremendously thorough research as well as the way he unfurls the narrative, but perhaps what will stick with you the most is what the tale makes you think and question about your own life and humanity more broadly.
April 21, 2024
Eric Vickrey has written a compelling story about a forgotten tragedy that impacted the lives of young men and their families.
A great deal of research went into telling this story and I consider it a must read for baseball historians or anyone interested in a great human interest story.
A great deal of research went into telling this story and I consider it a must read for baseball historians or anyone interested in a great human interest story.
April 6, 2024
Wonderfully written and assiduously researched, this story should be required reading for any fans of Pacific Northwest baseball history.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews