BASEBALL HISTORY LIKE

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Dive into the rich history of one of America’s most liked sports, featuring its evolution and legends in the dynamic city of Des Moines, Iowa.

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Pug Fireball and Company

116 Years of Professional Baseball in Des Moines, Iowa

Lifelong baseball fan Steve Dunn captures 116 years of Des Moines, Iowa, professional baseball history with a distinctive look at the players, managers, and owners who have contributed to an Iowa Sports Institution. The city’s ballparks that have hosted such stars as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Feller, Tony La Russa, Ryne Sandberg, Satchel Paige, and Buck O’Neil are also chronicled.

pug fireball and company
pug fireball and company

Meet Steve Dunn

Steve Dunn, a seasoned newspaper professional with four decades of experience, retired in 2014 and now calls Des Moines, Iowa, home. An accomplished author, he’s written eleven bios and game stories for the Society for American Baseball Research. Dunn’s self-published book, “Principal Park: A Diamond in the Rough,” delves into the history of baseball at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. His latest masterpiece “Pug Fireball and Company: 116 Years of Professional Baseball in Des Moines, Iowa” is a treat for all baseball lovers as it explores the town’s rich history intertwined with baseball.

Pug Fireball and Company

116 Years of Professional Baseball in Des Moines, Iowa

Lifelong baseball fan Steve Dunn captures 116 years of Des Moines, Iowa, professional baseball history with a distinctive look at the players, managers, and owners who have contributed to an Iowa Sports Institution. The city’s ballparks that have hosted such stars as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Feller, Tony La Russa, Ryne Sandberg, Satchel Paige, and Buck O’Neil are also chronicled.

pug fireball and company

Meet Steve Dunn

Steve Dunn, a seasoned newspaper professional with four decades of experience, retired in 2014 and now calls Des Moines, Iowa, home. An accomplished author, he’s written eleven bios and game stories for the Society for American Baseball Research. Dunn’s self-published book, “Principal Park: A Diamond in the Rough,” delves into the history of baseball at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. His latest masterpiece “Pug Fireball and Company: 116 Years of Professional Baseball in Des Moines, Iowa” is a treat for all baseball lovers as it explores the town’s rich history intertwined with baseball.

pug fireball and company

Baseball Hall of Famers

Let Dunn’s book take you on a ride through the journey of:

  • Babe Ruth
  • Lou Gehrig
  • Bob Feller
  • Tony La Russa
  • Ryne Sandberg
  • Satchel Paige
  • Buck O’Neil

And many more…

pug fireball and company

Baseball Hall of Famers

Let Dunn’s book take you on a ride through the journey of:

  • Babe Ruth
  • Lou Gehrig
  • Bob Feller
  • Tony La Russa
  • Ryne Sandberg
  • Satchel Paige
  • Buck O’Neil

And many more…

pug fireball and company

BOOK TRAILER

pug fireball and company

As a life-long baseball fanatic, the untold stories of legendary players, nail-biting games, and the profound impact of baseball on the identity of Des Moines, Iowa, captivated me, compelling me to illuminate these narratives.

– Steve Dunn

Readers’ Reviews

Here’s what readers are saying about Dunn’s latest literary marvel.

steve dunn

“Steve Dunn has presented a very detailed accounting of that long baseball history in this book. The history of professional baseball [in Des Moines] includes a long list of Hall of Famers who have played in Des Moines. It includes Des Moines’ role in Negro League Baseball. Also, this book chronicles all the different locations of stadiums throughout the Des Moines area as well lists all the different teams that have been based in Des Moines. I think you will be very surprised to learn about all the significant professional baseball events that have occurred in central Iowa. Steve gives a great accounting of all things professional baseball In Des Moines.”

Sam Bernabe
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“In the magnificent microcosm of Iowa’s capital city baseball, Steve Dunn captures the full-bodied color, quirkiness, and irresistibility of 116 years of hard ball history.”

John Busbee

If you embrace history and you adore baseball, ‘Pug,’ ‘Fireball,’ and Company: 116 Years of Professional Baseball in Des Moines, Iowa is a must-read.  Steve Dunn has accomplished what few authors have.  He has written a comprehensive, in-depth history of Des Moines, Iowa, baseball from its infancy in 1887 to its current team, the Iowa Cubs…

Judith Borwick Renoux
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“Dunn knocks it out of the park with this one.”The magazine is available at Beaverdale Books in Des Moines, every Barnes & Noble in Iowa, on newsstands or in the pockets of checkout aisles of most Hy-Vee Food Stores, and select Walmart, Mills Fleet Farm, and Hy-Vee Drug Stores.

John Busbee

WHAT'S NEW

pug fireball and company

Des Moines Baseball: Legends, Lights, and Unique Team Tales

Iowa baseball historian Steve Dunn shares the rich history of professional baseball in Des Moines, dating back to 1887. Home to the Iowa Cubs, the city has hosted legends like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Dunn explores historic ballparks, leagues, and unique team names, offering insights into the vibrant baseball legacy of Des Moines, from the first night game in 1930 to the forgotten Three–I League and the Negro League's "All Nations" club.

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Exploring 'Pug,' 'Fireball,' and Company: A Conversation with Author Steve Dunn about His Latest Book

In his latest work, author Steve Dunn engages readers in a captivating exploration of his newest book, 'Pug,' 'Fireball,' and Company. Unveiling the intriguing tales behind these evocative characters,  Discover the rich tapestry of personalities that shape the narrative and experience a literary adventure unlike any other in 'Pug,' 'Fireball,' and Company.

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LATEST NEWS AND BLOGS

Discover more about baseball history and interesting facts in our blogs.

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ARTICLES BY STEVE DUNN

"Legendary Legacy: The Remarkable Career of Eldred 'Salty' Saltwell"

Sioux City, Iowa, native Eldred “Salty” Saltwell worked in the front office of the Chicago Cubs and four minor-league teams including the Des Moines Bruins from 1950 to 2005.

On February 4, 1950, Saltwell was appointed assistant general manager of the Sioux City Soos in the Western League. Three years later, he was selected as the executive secretary of the Western League at age 29. He replaced John Holland as the Bruins’ president and general manager on January 18, 1955. One of his most decisive moves as head of the Des Moines franchise was replacing manager Les Peden with Pepper Martin, the Wild Horse of the Osage, in July 1955.

On January 9, 1957, the Chicago Cubs promoted Saltwell to concessions manager of the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. Ten months later, he was named president and general manager of the Cubs’ Fort Worth club in the Texas League. On April 12, 1958, Saltwell joined the business side of the Chicago Cubs’ front office while remaining as president at Fort Worth. Over the next 47 years under three different owners, he served as general manager, concession manager, traveling secretary, assistant secretary-treasurer, secretary, vice president and consultant. For more about Saltwell,

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"Legacy Builder: The Story of John Holland and His Impact on Baseball"

Continuing the legacy of his father Jack Holland, John Holland became president of the Oklahoma City Indians upon his father’s death on March 10, 1936. After serving in the Army during World War II, John Holland was business manager of the Visalia Cubs in the California League for two seasons. In November 1947, he was named business manager of the Des Moines Bruins in the Western League. The Bruins won the league title in 1948 and set a home attendance record for baseball in Des Moines. During John Holland’s time in Des Moines, the Bruins also won the Western League Governor’s Cup in 1953 and the Western League championship in 1954.

John Holland became president of the Los Angeles Angels in the Pacific Coast in late 1954. Two years later, the Angels finished first in the PCL with the help of Triple Crown winner Steve Bilko and future major-league manager Gene Mauch. In October 1956, John Holland was named Chicago Cubs’ vice president along with Charlie Grimm, a former Cub player and manager. Holland’s 19-year stint with Chicago started with an eight-player trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1964, he traded Lou Brock and two pitchers to the Cardinals for pitcher Ernie Broglio and two others. Brock went on to a Hall of Fame career with St. Louis; Broglio was out of baseball by 1968. Trades for catcher Randy Hundley and pitcher Bill Hands in December 1965 and for pitcher Ferguson Jenkins in April 1966, however, fueled the Cubs’ rise to pennant contender in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

John Holland permanently retired from the Cubs’ front office on November 29, 1976. Afterwards, he became a consultant for the Cubs. He served on the Cubs’ board of directors from 1963 to 1978. For more about John Holland

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