Edward C. Godnig
Journey To Williamsport Memories of a Little League World Champion 104 pages, soft cover, b/w photos, 6" x 9" $14.95 |
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Synopsis
Long before becoming a Doctor of Optometry with a flourishing practice in Maine and later in the Last Frontier of Alaska where he and his family now reside, Edward Godnig was a 12-year-old right fielder for the 1964 Little League World Champions from Staten Island, New York.
Little League baseball hasn't changed much since Godnig and his 13 teammates from the Mid-Island Little League made their way through Staten Island, New York State, and finally the Eastern Regional tournaments. After that, they were on their way to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the championship.
They swept by Weisbaden, West Germany, 8-1 in a series opener where Godnig pitched as a reliever. The Mid-Islanders then edged a well-disciplined Japanese team in the semi-finals. In the final game, watched by some 20,000 fans in the seats and many more on national television, they faced tournament favorite Monterey, Mexico – a team that had won in 1957 and 1958 and was going for an unprecedented third World Championship. But they were no match for the Mid-Islanders who won 4-0 with a no-hitter pitched by Dan Yaccarino.
Godnig said his team became known as "Williamsport's first machine," with errors being rare and confidence high. "We were just hanging in there, playing good ball and had a lot of luck. In a single-elimination tournament you need a lot of luck and we had the breaks going our way," he says. In this book, Edward shares the thrill of baseball, win or lose, and the triumph of a championship that reverberates throughout his and his teammates' beings, even when separated by years and miles. He also writes on life before and after baseball, lessons learned through Little League play, and the value of sports vision optometry to enhance a player's natural abilities.
Edward C. Godnig
Mid-Island Little League team at beginning of champion season. Edward C. Godnig front row, right.
Table of Contents
PART I
Baseball Beginnings
The 1964 MILL Baseball Season
Let the Games Begin - July 1964
Eastern Regional LL Tournament
The 1964 Little League World Series
The Celebration
Lessons Learned
PART II
The Formative Years
Back to School
Out in the World
The Profession of Optometry
Parenthood
Little League - The Next Generation
PREVIEW SECTION
Edward Godnig's next book - "New Eyes On Old Alaska" *
Excerpt from:
Journey To Williamsport
CHAMPIONS!
Danny quickly regained his composure, struck out the next batter, and ended the game and kept his no-hitter intact with a bounce back to the box.
WE WON AND HOW SWEET IT IS! We had just completed a perfect tournament season, were the new LL World Champs and Danny joined an elite group of pitchers to hurl a no-hitter in the final game. Nice work Yac! Great work team! Thank you Manager Rogers and Assistant Manager Klee for guiding us to the promised land and a 4-0 victory. We all were jumping on one another, yelling and shouting cries of joy! Our ultimate dreams were fulfilled as we released our emotional feelings of being on the top of the world. Miracles do happen!
New Eyes On Old Alaska A Bush-Wise Optometrist's View 392 pages, soft cover, b/w photos, 6" x 9" $16.95 |
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Synopsis
Dr. Edward C. Godnig, Optometrist, arrived in Alaska in 2003 and began his next adventure. After a period of introductory trips with experienced opticians, he founded The Eye Guys based in Wasilla, Alaska. He regularly travels to over seventy remote Alaska villages by plane, boat, and snowmobile to serve the vision care needs of a very diverse and isolated population of Alaska Eskimo, Indian, and classic "Sourdoughs" living in bush Alaska.
New Eyes on Old Alaska is written in diary form as Edward recounts his interesting meetings with the First People of the land, the fun times, and the downright dangers when navigating the trails of Alaska. His perspective on the still remote and wild lands of bush Alaska will have readers seeing this land through new eyes as he transitions his personal and professional life from the civilized East Coast to life on the Last Frontier.
He has this to say upon completing his new book...
"Three years of Bush travel have reshaped my life and enabled me to learn much about this diverse and complex state called Alaska. I hope readers can appreciate some of my excitement recalling first impressions of the people and places of Alaska that few outsiders get a chance to experience. Perhaps my impressions will motivate you to explore Alaska."
Journeys of Edward C. Godnig, O.D. 2003-2006
Alaska Extremes
Windchills of minus-fifty degrees,
Exposed skin begins to burn,
Cold penetrates the lungs,
Breath becomes visible fog.
Whiteout snowstorms,
Visibility limited to arm's length,
Time and space become frozen,
Hallucinations spontaneously begin.
Twenty-four hours of continual darkness,
Wondering what happened to the sun,
Wishing light would emerge again,
Dark emotions rise from within.
Bering Sea storms,
With monster waves,
Ice forming on the deck,
Breath becomes visible fog.
Frozen rain blowing horizontal,
As if stuck in a horror movie.
Hiking in the Alaska range,
Looking for the perfect sight,
Startling a protective mama grizzly,
Imagine how the claws penetrate.
Yes, Alaska can feel extreme.
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