The record-breaking inaugural season of the Rocket City Trash Pandas and the remarkable saga of the team’s arrival in North Alabama is chronicled in a new book, Pandamonium!, from August Publications.
Written by longtime Alabama sportswriter Mark McCarter, author of Never a Bad Game: Fifty-Plus Years of the Southern League, Pandamonium! tells the story of professional baseball’s return to the Rocket City through interviews with Trash Pandas players and staff, as well as behind-the-scenes stories of the birth of the Trash Pandas’ franchise. If you have ever been curious about how a MiLB team is created–from purchase and branding to building a new ballpark–Pandamonium! has plenty of insider stories and details.
Pandamonium! is on sale for $19.99 plus tax in-person at both the Trash Pandas Emporium at Bridge Street Town Centre and The Junkyard Team Store at Toyota Field. The book is can also be pre-ordered online by clicking by clicking here. As part of a special pre-sale, those who order a book online before the end of April will receive a copy signed by author Mark McCarter.
“The 2021 Trash Pandas season was one for the history books, and we are excited that fans will be able to relive their favorite moments in Pandamonium!,” Trash Pandas Executive Vice President and General Manager Garrett Fahrmann said. “Mark McCarter does a great job of showing how the Trash Pandas came to North Alabama and the inside stories from the inaugural season.”
The book records the team’s first season by featuring memorable games and moments as well as up close and personal looks at the players that created those memories from Opening Night pitcher Reid Detmers, the first Trash Pandas player to reach the big leagues, to popular players including Torii Hunter Jr., David MacKinnon, Luis Aviles Jr., and Mitch Nay.
Pandamonium! also offers behind-the-scenes stories of the team’s acquisition, how the name Trash Pandas was selected, the team behind the creation of Trash Pandas mascot Sprocket, and the challenges that the Trash Pandas front office encountered during the cancelled 2020 season and then ramping up operations during COVID times.
A four-time Alabama Sportswriter of the Year whose work has appeared in such publications including Sports Illustrated, Fortune, The Sporting News, and USA Today, McCarter will be inducted into the Alabama Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame in June.