Rick Huhn

I am a firm believer in that old adage, "Timing is everything." In my case it was an introduction by a friend to the eldest son of a deceased Hall-of-Fame baseball player. In the months that followed I revived my interest in baseball history and fulfilled a dream of writing a published work. The result: The Sizzler: George Sisler, Baseball's Forgotten Great.

For those of you who enjoy learning something about the authors of the books you read, let me provide a little background. I was born in Washington, D.C. in 1944 while my father was on military assignment at the Pentagon.

Shortly after the war my parents returned to my father's hometown, Marion, Ohio. I spent a rewarding youth in this small midwest railroad center where my father worked for the railroad and my mother the public library.

While in high school I first merged my interest in writing with my avid interest in sports, as the sports editor of the school paper. At Ohio University in Athens, where I majored in history and political science, my favorite course was a creative writing course taught by Walter Tevis, the author of the best selling book, The Hustler.

My next three years were spent, so they seemed, in the deep recesses of the library at The Ohio State University College of Law in Columbus. Upon graduation I obtained a position with the federal government, moved to the West Coast, and married Marcia May of Columbus--my single (no pun intended) best move. While we lived out west we were blessed by the birth of our daughter, Kimberly Lynn.

In the early 1970s we returned to Ohio where as an Assistant Attorney General I was in-house counsel to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. I lectured on criminal justice at the Patrol Academy and as an Adjunct Professor for Park College. I also found time to play a little tennis, run a few 10ks, and co-author the "Ohio Drug Abuse Control Act Training Manual."

In 1975 I joined a great group of people in a Columbus litigation firm where I remained for over 25 years as an associate and then partner. In private practice I specialized in representing injured railroad workers and those seriously injured by faulty products.

In the mid-1990s I began thinking more and more about a writing career. I started putting pen to paper one afternoon each week, finding the experience intoxicating. Through the enthusiastic support and assistance of a law partner I was able to slowly shift away from my law practice, in the process penning two novels.

Then the blocks fell into place. I was able to blend my interests in sports, history, and writing. As a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) I am dedicated to enriching the experience of today's baseball fan by recalling the life and times of those player's who made the game into "America's Pastime." For me it has been a most satisfying journey. I hope the fruits of my efforts to date satisfy you, the reader, as well.