Our Daily Show Interview: Mike Pinto & John Simmons: Always A Miner- Out Now!
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
MARION - The Southern Illinois Miners baseball team, based in Marion, Illinois, was the stuff of legends. Now, owner John Simmons and manager Mike Pinto have come together to immortalize the Miners legacy in a new book.
“Always A Miner: The Journey of Creating Joy, Entertainment, and Legacy Through Professional Baseball” tells the story of the independent professional baseball team from 2007 through 2021. Pinto and Simmons are proud of the team they created and eager to share more about the behind-the-scenes of professional baseball and the history of Southern Illinois.
“It's just a good story about baseball and Southern Illinois and the Miners,” Simmons said.
The decision to develop a professional baseball team in Southern Illinois was not linear. Simmons previously owned the Savannah Sand Gnats, based in Georgia. He wanted to continue working with affiliated baseball, but he was looking for something “more convenient” that would benefit the people of Illinois, where he lived.
They eventually landed in Marion, where they built a field at Rent One Park. Pinto remembers that first game, when their players had to change in the banquet room and take showers at home because they didn’t yet have a clubhouse. He believes it was a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“We didn’t care,” he said. “We had 6,000 people out there waiting. They let us onto the field in old Toyota trucks. The crowd is standing. You’re carted onto the field. It was a magical moment that I don’t think I could ever see captured again.”
Pinto and Simmons emphasized that there was something special about the Miners. They held their players to a high standard and pushed them to be the best they could. This attitude is evident in the book, which details how the players came together for every game.
“We had a way that we wanted to do things. We called it the Miners way,” Pinto said. “We had some standards that we expected our players to uphold — how we played the game, how we would be on the field. I got a note from one of our guys the other day, he had just finished the book, and he said, ‘I’m so glad you kept the Miners legacy going.’”
They added that the Miners athletes are still “memorable” as players and people. One of their best memories is a record-breaking 20-game winning streak that earned them a spotlight on ESPN.
Simmons reflected that his life has totally changed over the course of the Miners story. His 7-year-old son used to play in the dugout; now, Simmons has 12 grandkids. He wanted to write the book in part so they would understand the significance of what the Miners did.
Pinto and Simmons worked together to craft “Always A Miner: The Journey of Creating Joy, Entertainment, and Legacy Through Professional Baseball,” and they hope readers find it as inspiring and fascinating as it was for them to live through.
In many ways, they believe they caught lightning in a bottle, and they’re proud of the work they did and the players they collaborated with.
“Most players and most teams, when they sign independent players, it’s treated like a one-off. They’re there for a couple of months and then off they go, and that’s how the players feel about it as well,” Pinto added. “We wanted this to be special. We wanted them to be connected to something that, when they look back years later, they say, ‘I didn’t just play professional baseball. I played in Southern Illinois.’”
For more information about “Always A Miner: The Journey of Creating Joy, Entertainment, and Legacy Through Professional Baseball,” including how to order your own copy, click here.
