Books

Rob Rains is the most prolific sports author in St. Louis

Scroll down to see more about these books by Rains Media…

Books by Rob Rains & Sally Tippett Rains

Just out! From Peppertree Press

 “All Roads Lead to St. Louis”

“All Roads Lead to St. Louis” is a fun book and when it originally was published, things took a while to get it out and then the pandemic came. Once Baseball was shut down there was no more promotion and after things got back to normal– many of the places mentioned in the book had closed down due to covid.

We think it’s a fun book that families would enjoy so we revised it and added new content. Hopefully it will be ready in plenty of time for Fathers’ Day, which is Sunday June 15.

To buy “All Roads Lead to St. Louis” CLICK HERE.

Here is the blurb from Amazon.com

“In 2018 Sally and Rob Rains traveled to see all of the Cardinals U.S. – based affiliates plus spring training and the Arizona Fall League to put together this guidebook to help fans plan their own baseball trips. Whether it’s spring training; traveling to minor league town or watching the Cardinals at Busch Stadium or on the road; wherever there is baseball, memories will be made. All Roads Lead to St. Louis; A Guide to the Cardinals and Their Minor League Teams includes information about the teams, the histories of their ballparks, recommendations of restaurants, hotels and other tourist attractions in the areas-plus Adam Wainwright adds a few of his personal recommendations. The Cardinals have long relied on their player development system as their primary pipeline for players. For Cardinal fans, making road trips to see those players when they are in the minors is a fun and worthwhile experience.”

 

Albert Pujols: Simply the Best by Rob Rains, with foreword by John Rooney

Thanks to a computer generation, it takes only a few keystrokes to compile a list of statistics verifying Albert Pujols’ status as the game’s best hitter. Every fan old enough to punch out the space next to his name on the All-Star ballot can tell you that Pujols is the only player in baseball history to hit .300, hit 30 or more home runs and drive in 100 or more runs in his first eight seasons in the majors. One more statistic – Pujols does not turn 30 years old until next January. Albert Simply the Best offers a compelling portrait of this superstar’s life and career.

Intentional Walk: An Inside Look at the Faith That Drives the St. Louis Cardinals; Paperback – April 29, 2013

An inside look at the faith that guides the all-stars.

The St.Louis Cardinals have long been one of the most successful franchises in the major leagues. They have won 11 World Series titles and some of the most famous players in the history of the game have worn the storied “Birds on the Bat”uniform.

While that on-field success has been well documented, Intentional Walk is the first book which goes beyond the story of what happens on thefield to take an in-depth look at the men inside the Cardinal uniforms, andexamine how their strong Christian faith is one of the driving forces behindtheir success.

Intentional Walk features the stories of AdamWainwright, David Freese, Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran, JasonMotte and other members of the 2012 Cardinals, written as those players and therest of the team tried to repeat the 2011 world championship. The book talksabout how they became Christians and offers their testimony about what it meansfor them to have God play such a prominent role in their lives.

Playing forfirst-year manager Mike Matheny, a strong Christian as well, these men talkabout their success and failure, about the challenges that come from playingbaseball at the highest level, and how thankful and blessed they are to havethat God-given ability. In the end, however, what is far more important to themis their life-long relationship they have established with Jesus Christ

Coming Soon!

Back When We Were Colored; Helping Black Baseball Players During Segregation, And Being Helped by Some ‘Decent White Men’ Along the Way

By Virgal Woolfolk

With Sally Tippett Rains

(Working title and book cover)

Synopsis:

During the 1950’s and 1960’s when Segregation was in place in America, players like Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson would travel from town to town with their teams but the Black players were not welcome at the “white” hotels like the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis. How did the Black players survive? Local Black families, like the author, Virgal Woolfolk’s family the Holly’s would open their homes to welcome the athletes along with the famous entertainers who were also traveling for their shows.

 Lonnie and Roberta Holly converted their home on West Page Avenue to a boarding house for a time and Virgal’s family helped with the endeavor.  Virgal, who grew up in Wright City, along with his parents would gather fresh meat and vegetables and bring to the Holly’s house to serve their guests.

The book contains many celebrity connections for Virgal due to his life in St. Louis where his family knew comedian Redd Foxx and horror film star Vincent Price, to his days playing stickball with Willie Mays, being helped by Jack Danforth and even sitting next to  The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s father on an airplane. It explores the role segregation played in in the youngster’s life, and the impact working at the boarding house and as he puts it, “some decent white folks” who helped him along the way.

Beginning with his days of outdoor plumbing in rural Missouri to his subsequent success in the Navy, attending law school and even owning his own company and living in a gated community, it is a history of the times. But more than that with references to his family connections to W.C. Handy, the famous composer of The St. Louis Blues and family member who invented a famous fried chicken recipe, it is Virgal’s story told to eleven-time author and STLSportsPage.com Content Manager, Sally Tippett Rain

Coming Soon!

Finding Peace In the Rain, Revised Edition

By Sally Tippett Rains

Synopsis:

This book is a wonderful tool for anyone who is going through a tough time and could use a little encouragement. Whether they are dealing with illness, death, divorce or just being down on their luck, this book gives readers the dose of strength and encouragement they need to make it through the stormy sections of their lives. Full of comforting and encouraging words, Bible verses, motivational quotations, poetry, and stories, Finding Peace in the Rain is easy to pick up and read even when you don’t feel like reading.

 

Choose Happy

By Sally Tippett Rains with Foreword by Dream Denver

BLACK & WHITE VERSION: CLICK HERE

PARTIAL COLOR VERSION: CLICK HERE

Choose Happy; Find Contentment in Any Situation by Sally Tippett Rains with Foreword by Dreama Denver is filled with inspirational stories of people who have faced devastating situations in their lives but despite the tough times, they have found a way to live a happy life.

Throughout the pages of the book are beautiful comforting photos by award-winning photographer Allen Ahner. It was important to the author that these photos be put in the book, but very cost prohibitive to produce a completely colored book, so it was decided to offer it in two versions: a black and white version and a partially colored version.Both versions are identical in content, but the partially colored offers the first photo in most chapters plus a few more in the vivid colors that Allen Ahner shot them in.Choose Happy; Find Contentment in Any Situation is the perfect book to have by your bedside for those nights when you can’t sleep.

It is also a thoughtful gift to a friend who is going through some tough times. The stories and the contributors’ secrets of how they live a positive, happy life despite the unfortunate twists and turns that life sometimes hands us– along with motivational sayings, suggestions, and even some whimsical ideas –will help the reader who is faced with a challenge to realize that whatever you are facing, you can get through it: Choose Happy.

 

Some Additional Books By Rob and Sally Rains

(May be out of print)

ROB RAINS

SALLY TIPPETT RAINS

 

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