Baseball's Fallen Angel: A Major Leaguer's Life Story of High Expectations, Hidden Pitfalls, and His Ongoing Fight In Recovery

by J. Douglas Williams, Eli Grba

After pitching just two seasons for the New York Yankees, Eli Grba was the first player selected by the American League's new franchise, the Los Angeles Angels, in the expansion draft of 1960. Armed with a blazing fastball and devastating slider, he was destined for major league stardom. A beautiful home and family, and a promising career in baseball were all his for the taking until the demons of alcohol addiction took them all from him. In his autobiography, Baseball's Fallen Angel, Eli candidly recalls his lonely childhood in South Chicago, his successes as a scholastic athlete and his bizarre stint in the U.S. Army. He also delivers a personal, season-by-season account of his life in professional baseball, recounting his triumphs as well as his disappointments. Baseball's Fallen Angel is the true story of a major league pitcher who fought his way back from the depths of addiction to ultimately score the most thrilling victory of them all, a come-from-behind win in the game of life.

378 pages, Paperback

Published April 12, 2016

About the author

Douglas Williams is a baseball historian whose passion for the game was launched when, as a young boy, he collected bubblegum cards and autographs. His collecting continues even today. It is just one of the avenues he uses to make connections with the players and the games of long ago. His extensive assemblage of baseball artifacts includes many rare and one-of-a-kind pieces that would place on the high end of any appraiser's scale. Williams has sifted through baseball history with a focus on the period of 1920 to 1960.His research and studies have led him to many new friendships with some of the players from that era, as well as their families. Currently, Doug is employed as a marine designer but continues to make time to collect, write, and present lectures on baseball's past to schools, civic organizations, and continuing education programs. His collection, along with his baseball-based associations, have been feature topics for Sports Collectors' Digest magazine and various newspapers.