Esten "Dummy" Hanson was born deaf.  He couldn't hear the applause or the jeers.  But he sure could pitch a baseball.  He was one of Minnesota's premier amateur baseball pitchers in the early 1900s.

About the Author

Jim Johnson, a native of Kerkhoven, MN experienced sandlot, American Junior Legion, and town team baseball.

Graduating from Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) in 1954, he taught high school history and coached athletics at Elbow Lake, MN.

After receiving his Juris Doctor from the William Mitchell College of Law (St. Paul, MN) in 1961, he practiced law in St. Cloud, MN, and in Benson, MN, during which time he was also elected to the office of Swift County Attorney.

Jim is a member of the Halsey Hall Chapter of The Society for American Baseball Research and is a contributing columnist the Kerkhoven Banner. 

Retired, he and his wife, parents of two daughters, live in Minneapolis.

What's being said

"A thoroughly researched and well-told story of Esten Hanson and his experiences.  Jim Johnson does a masterful job of describing what 19th - century life was like for Minnesotans, particularly the experiences of immigrants and those with disabilities.  This is a baseball book and much more that readers will find touching and inspiring."

-Stew Thornley, author of On to Nicollet: The Glory and Fame of the Minneapolis Millers and Baseball in Minnesota:  The Definitive History.

"A great read, especially for the Minnesota Amateur Baseball fan"

-J. T. Bruett, former Minnesota Twin and Minnesota Gopher baseball players.

"A wonderful historical baseball read that includes a courageous story of a young baseball player who overcomes his fear of living with a handicap to become a very talented baseball player. Success is not a destination, it’s a journey. Dummy Hanson was brave enough to risk failure, and to experience it too. His success was not one smooth unmarred road, it never is. Persistence is the toughness of spirit and ‘Dummy” had spirit. Success is measured by the effect you have in people with whom you interact and for this reason Dummy will always be viewed as a success in life."

-John Anderson, Head Baseball Coach, University of Minnesota