LaPorte’s baseball history gets published
Eight state championships, eleven Semi-State championships, 21 regional wins, and 35 sectional wins, there is a reason why LaPorte High School is known as the state capital for baseball for good reasons. LaPorte’s baseball has plenty of history within the community, and those who have been a part of the sport have been immeasurably impacted. Inspired by the history and impact of this sport, Paul Condry, author, wrote Slicer Baseball, A Cut Above early this December.
“The hope is that Slicer Baseball is just one of many positive attributes of the city of La Porte. By no means do we feel Slicer Baseball is more important than any other positive attributes of our city, we just hope there are many people out there that believe Slicer Baseball has been a positive contributor to our community,” Scott Upp, assistant Principal and head coach, said.
This book features 248 pages of Slicer baseball history from 1919 to 2016. Each year, will receive its own page and will display pictures and memories from those who have been impacted by baseball at LPHS. It is certain to display that, throughout the years, the community has grown to support the baseball team just like any sport at the high school.
“More than anything else is the historical perspective the book gives readers. Whether it be a person who was a part of the program or someone who was not part of the program, the history is in the book,” Upp said.
The idea was first created by Condry because he also created a book about Hobart’s Football team a few years ago. Mr. Gilliland, Athletic Director at LPHS, agreed to this project and really started the beginnings of the book’s creation. Along with Gilliland, former Slicers who either played or coached, were used as resources for the major project. This book is the first book to be published about one of LaPorte’s sports, and only the second to be created by Condry. Even though it was a large task, Condry and his staff were able to get it published and ready for the public before the holiday madness on December 7.
During the holidays, this book picked up on sales. Being advertised on Twitter, on the school website, on the radio, and during basketball games, the Athletic Department has sold about 150 books during break. As a perfect addition to any Slicer baseball fan, it was the perfect gift this holiday season.
Slicer baseball will be memorable to those who have been a part of it, but now, with the publication of this book, it will be memorable to the future generations of La Porte and players of the team. It is important that we teach the history of the area and show that anything is possible, even in a small town like La Porte. Slicer Baseball, A Cut Above does this and provides a time capsule of information for those in the future.
If one is interested in purchasing Slicer Baseball, A Cut Above, it is available at LPHS’s Athletic Department for $35.00, or online at goslicers.com for $35.00 and $10.00 shipping. Get a piece of Slicer history while it is still available.