One Man's Dream: My Town, My Team, My Time. Hardcover - 2012

From the publisher

When the Kansas City Royals appeared in the 1985 World Series, manager Dick Howser had to make a difficult, and controversial, call. Because the series started in the National League city of St. Louis, there would be no designated hitter, which meant that Hal McRae would be relegated to the role of a reserve player coming off the bench.

Before the start of the I-70 Series, which featured Howser's Kansas City Royals and Whitey Herzog's St. Louis Cardinals, the veteran manager called Frank White into his office. He asked White to do something that stunned the baseball world. White was asked to hit cleanup for the Royals.

White played a key role as Kansas City rebounded from a 3 games to 1 deficit to claim the lone championship in the history of the proud American League franchise.

For 18 years, White was the gold standard by which every Major League Baseball second baseman was judged. His fielding range was uncanny and his ability to make a pinpoint throw to first base defied description. Yet, near the end of his career, he left the Royals with a bad taste in his mouth. He served as a coach for the Boston Red Sox for a brief stint, but returned to Kansas City with renewed optimism, hoping that one day his dream of becoming a Major League manager would become a reality.

Yet, when it came time to name a new field manager, he was always overlooked. He never made his disappointment public, but he would confide to close friends that he was heartbroken by the Royals decisions concerning his future.