Chris Ballard, the author of The Art of a Beautiful Game, The Butterfly Hunter, and Hoops Nation, is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated.
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In 1971, a small-town high school baseball team from rural Illinois playing with hand-me-down uniforms and peace signs on their hats defied convention and the odds. Led by an English teacher with no coaching experience, the Macon Ironmen emerged from a fi... SEE MORE