Gene Moore

He was a baseball prodigy. At the age of fifteen, Gene Moore was a boy, playing like a man, in a game where men, play like boys.

Headed for baseball stardom with the Brooklyn Dodgers, his destiny was interrupted by
Pearl Harbor.
His life... and
maybe our
national
pastime...
would be
forever altered.

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The book debuts at Book Expo America, May 19th in Washington, D.C.

PHOENIX — Baseball legend Jim Morris, former pitcher for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, has a story every fan of baseball dreams about. When Jim Morris agreed to write the foreword for Gary W. Moore’s extraordinary new book, Playing with the Enemy, Moore was the one with a dream come true!

“Gary Moore’s touching book about his father’s baseball career, serves as a reminder that life is all about second chances and people inspiring each other to chase their dreams. . . . I loved Playing with the Enemy. You will, too,” says Baseball legend Jim Morris, Former pitcher for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Moore’s book tour, which officially begins September 15th in Chicago, is generously sponsored by Southwest Airlines. Moore will be signing autographs at the Casemate Booth, # 2248, at Book Expo America, May 19th to 21st in Washington, D.C. www.casematepublishing.com. For more information visit www.playingwiththeenemy.com or contact Moore’s publicist, Carole V. Bartholomeaux, 602 404 8018, www.b-pr.com Carole@b-pr.com (During Book Expo, contact number is 602 628 2666).

"Playing with the Enemy is based upon true events and is the story of my father, Gene Moore. As a fan of baseball, I have certainly followed Jim Morris’ career; I never imagined he would one day endorse my book. I am humbled,” Gary Moore stated.

It was true in the 1940s, and it is still true today: if you have talent, someone will notice. In Gene Moore’s case, that “someone” was the Brooklyn Dodgers.

As a teenager, Gene helped his Pop and older brother Ward on the farm, and whenever possible played baseball with the guys on the town team; some twice his age. The older fellows didn’t mind having the Moore kid on their team because he could hit a baseball farther than any of the rest of them. Gene Moore was 15 years old.

Word spread halfway across the United States about the teenager who could hit the ball a country mile. The Dodgers sent a scout to take a look at this farm kid, barely old enough to shave and still awaiting his first kiss, but brash enough to call the pitches from behind the plate and motion to his teammates as to how they should position themselves for certain batters.

Headed for baseball stardom with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Gene’s destiny was interrupted by Pearl Harbor. After playing ball for the Navy in the Azores and North Africa, Gene and his team were sent to the States for a special—and top secret—mission: guarding German sailors captured from the infamous submarine, U-505. Unable to field a team, Gene convinced his commander to allow him to teach the enemy how to play baseball while he and his teammates waited for the war to end so they could be called up to the Major Leagues. But Gene’s future changed irrevocably in Louisiana. His life, and maybe our national pastime, was forever altered.

Inspired by true events, Playing with the Enemy is the riveting story of a depression-era youth and his brush with destiny. Author Gary Moore, Gene’s son, did not learn of his father’s remarkable odyssey through World War II and the hardships of minor league baseball until the day before Gene’s death. Confronted with evidence of a possible career in baseball, Gene finally broke decades of silence and spent the next several hours relieving himself of the heavy burden he had been carrying. The stunning news sent the author on his own odyssey as he researched his father’s life and interviewed dozens of people.

The astonishing story of Gene Moore’s life in and out of baseball is an exciting and often heart-wrenching saga that will capture the heart of every red- blooded American who can still smell the fresh-cut summer grass or remember how it felt to tie on the cleats while dreaming of making it to the big leagues. Jammed with memorable characters from an extraordinary time in our country’s history, Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War and a Field of Broken Dreams is a story that will be read and reread for generations to come.

For additional media information only, photographs, etc., please contact:

Carole V. Bartholomeaux, Bartholomeaux/Public Relations, LLC, 602 404 8018 or Carole@b-pr.com (May 18th to 22nd, call 602 628 2666)

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