Mexican American Baseball in Houston and Southeast Texas
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Mexican American Baseball in Houston and Southeast Texas pays tribute to the baseball and softball players and teams from Houston, Sugar Land, Texas City, Richmond, and other surrounding communities in the region. Since the early 1900s, this game has had an important role in the lives of area Mexican Americans. In the Houston barrios, when entrenched discriminatory practices obstructed city unity, the diamond brought people together. In the Sugar Land region, Mexican Americans, African Americans, and Anglos worked and played together, blurring racial lines. Baseball and softball built community pride and connected generations of Mexican American families. The wonderful stories and breathtaking images in this book help resurrect the rich and little-known history of Mexican American baseball and softball in this key part of Texas.
Mexican American Baseball in South Texas
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Mexican American Baseball in South Texas pays tribute to the former baseball teams and players from Edinburg, McAllen, Mission, Pharr, Donna, Alamo, San Juan, Brownsville, Harlingen, and other surrounding communities. From the late 19th century through the 1950s, baseball in South Texas provided opportunities for nurturing athletic and educational skills, reaffirming ethnic identity, promoting political self-determination, developing economic autonomy, and reshaping gender roles for women. Games were special times where Mexican Americans found refuge from backbreaking work and prejudice. These unmatched photographs and stories shed light on the rich history of baseball in this region of Texas.
Mexican American Baseball In East Los Angeles
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Mexican American Baseball in East Los Angeles highlights the unforgettable teams, players, and coaches who graced the hallowed fields of East Los Angeles between 1917 and 2016 and brought immense joy and honor to their neighborhoods. Off the field, these players and their families helped create the multibillion-dollar wealth that depended on their backbreaking labor. More than a game, baseball and softball were political instruments designed to promote and empower civil, political, cultural, and gender rights, confronting head-on the reactionary forces of prejudice, intolerance, sexism, and xenophobia. A century later, baseball and softball are more popular than ever in East Los Angeles. Dedicated coaches still produce gifted players and future community leaders. These breathtaking photographs and heartfelt stories shed unparalleled light to the long and rich history of baseball and softball in the largest Mexican American community in the United States.
Sacramento Baseball
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Sacramento has enjoyed baseball since the Gold Rush. As early as 1869, the first professional baseball team in America, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, came to Sacramento and played against a locally organized team. A few years later, the Sacramento team joined the California League to compete against those from San Francisco and Oakland, becoming a charter member of the newly formed Pacific Coast League in 1903. All the while, children and adults alike were picking up the sport in the many parks, sandlots, and schoolyards throughout the city. In the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, amateur and sponsored teams competed against each other for trophies and bragging rights. Then, in the 1950s, Little League, Babe Ruth League, and American Legion Baseball flourished.
Baseball in Hot Springs
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Hot Springs, Arkansas, with its thermal water baths, attracted its first big-league outfit when the National League champion Chicago White Stockings traveled south for spring training in 1886. The baseball colony grew as dozens of other clubs followed. Individual players flocked here as well to hike, golf, and "boil out" in bathhouse steam cabinets prior to leaving for training camps elsewhere. Nearly half of Cooperstown's Hall of Famers made the pilgrimage to this baseball mecca. Major- and minor-league aggregations, legendary teams, players of the Negro Leagues, and baseball schools for budding players and umpires all come to bat in Images of Sports: Baseball in Hot Springs.
Mexican American Baseball in Ventura County
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Mexican American Baseball in Ventura County pays tribute to the legendary teams and players from Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Santa Paula, and other surrounding neighborhoods. From the early 20th century through the 1950s, baseball in Ventura County safeguarded opportunities for nurturing athletic and educational skills, asserting ethnic identity, promoting political self-confidence, developing economic autonomy, and redefining gender roles for women. Outside the ball field, these players and their families helped create the multibillion-dollar agricultural wealth that relied heavily on their backbreaking labor. These extraordinary photographs and remarkable stories shed unparalleled light on the long and rich history of baseball and softball in this celebrated region of California.
Mexican American Baseball in El Paso
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Mexican American Baseball in El Paso chronicles the vibrant and colorful history of baseball in the El Paso-Juárez border region. For more than a century, baseball along the border has served as a means of bringing together people of all backgrounds, races, and nationalities, from the fly-by-night teams of the Pancho Villa era to the fabled semiprofessional clubs of the Lower Valley League. For the area's Mexican and Mexican American citizens, storied teams like the Juárez Indios, Fabens Merchants, 1949 Bowie Bears, and El Paso Diablos served as both community rallying points and signposts of cultural identity. From the legendary semiprofessional players of decades past to the most recent major leaguers, this book presents the photographic history of baseball in America's largest border community.
Baseball in Memphis
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Auto Zone Park, arguably the best minor-league baseball park built in the past 25 years, is nestled in a corner of downtown Memphis. Located across the street from the historic Peabody Hotel and two blocks from Beale Street, Auto Zone opened in 2000 to rave reviews. It is the phoenix that rose from the ashes of Russwood Park. Baseball enthusiasts remember Russwood and the players who roamed the field, like Dazzy Vance, one-arm Pete Gray, Big Klu, and Moonlight Graham. Images of Baseball: Baseball in Memphis highlights the history of the Chicks and the Redbirds and pays homage to the original amateur Chickasaws, the Red Sox, and the Blues.
The Cincinnati Reds
1900-1950
Part of the Images of Baseball series
In the first half of the twentieth century, the Cincinnati Reds--though only rarely dominant on the field--exerted considerable influence over the world of organized baseball. The creation of the World Series, baseball's first "de facto" commissioner, nighttime baseball beneath the lights, radio broadcasts, and modern groundskeeping--all innovations in major league baseball that can be attributed to the Cincinnati Reds. The 1919 Reds played in one of the most infamous sporting events ever, winning the World Series over the scandal-ridden Chicago "Black Sox." They returned to the Fall Classic in 1939 and 1940 without controversy, winning the championship in '40. This is the era of The Palace of the Fans and Crosley Field, of a 15-year-old pitcher turned Cincinnati legend, and of Hall of Famers Ed Roush, Eppa Rixey, and Ernie Lombardi.
The Cincinnati Reds
1950-1985
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Imagine crouching 15 feet from home plate during a Cincinnati Reds baseball game with a camera at eye level. A major league player like Ted Kluszewski comes barreling towards the plate as you flash the bulb while the catcher makes the tag. That was one of Jack Klumpe's experiences for over a quarter century (1950-1985) covering Reds baseball for the Cincinnati Post. Jack followed the Reds from spring training to the World Series, from Crosley Field to Riverfront Stadium. He witnessed-and captured-some of the greatest players and events in franchise history, and nearly every day of every summer of his career, Jack shared his view with the fans.
The Pawtucket Red Sox
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Before players like Carlton Fisk, Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, Mo Vaughn, and Nomar Garciaparra starred at Fenway Park, they were Pawtucket Red Sox. Over the past thirty years, the PawSox have evolved into one of the most successful franchises in all of minor-league baseball. Millions of fans have packed McCoy Stadium to watch everyone from superstars like Fisk, Boggs, and Clemens to career minor-leaguers like Chico Walker and Pork Chop Pough. The Pawtucket Red Sox examines the history of the PawSox from their origin as a Double-A affiliate of Boston to their ascension to Triple-A status in 1973, right on through the ownership years of Ben Mondor. More than two hundred photographs chronicle the players, managers, and other key figures behind the franchise's success, as well as the defining moments in PawSox history: the 1977 International League championship, the longest game in professional baseball history, the unveiling of the new McCoy Stadium in 1999, and many others.
The 1919 Black Sox Scandal
Part of the Images of Baseball series
All kinds of spurious rumors had swirled around the 1919 World Series. Allegations about a fixed game between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies on August 31, 1920, began a chain of events that led to a grand jury indicting eight White Sox players for conspiring to throw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds the year before. Outside the courtroom, Shoeless Joe Jackson, just coming off his best overall offensive season with .382 average, was reportedly confronted by a young fan pleading for a denial from his hero. Jackson would later deny the encounter ever occurred and also deny any guilt in the World Series fix. In the almost 100 years since eight White Sox players were banned for life, there has been little historical closure due to a fleeting consensus on a scandal that almost took down Major League Baseball.
Chicago Cubs
Tinker to Evers to Chance
Part of the Images of Baseball series
It has been a long time. Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance--that "trio of bear cubs" immortalized in poem and enshrined as a unit in Cooperstown--formed the core of a ball club that brought Chicago baseball fans back-to-back World Series championships 100 years ago. And fans are still waiting for victory number three. Chicago Cubs: Tinker to Evers to Chance brings the reader back to the not so halcyon days of spitball pitchers, inside the park home runs, and an era when raucous fans lined the foul lines, often a little too close for comfort for the visiting ballplayers. Beginning in 1898 with the acquisition of a green Frank Chance and following the team's exploits through the 1916 season, the last for Joe Tinker in a Cubs uniform, this is the story of Wrigleyville's favorite tenants, before there was a Wrigleyville.
Baseball in Springfield
Part of the Images of Baseball series
It has been more than half a century since Springfield last hosted minor league baseball. That draught will end at downtown's newly constructed Hammons Field in the spring of 2005, when the Springfield Cardinals of the AA Texas League bring professional baseball back to the Queen City of the Ozarks. The new team will have quite a legacy to fulfill, as the Springfield Cardinals of the Western Association won several pennants those many years ago, and brought to town such legendary baseball names as Branch Rickey, Joe Garagiola, and Stan Musial. Before the Cardinals came teams like the Midgets, Reds, and Merchants, and a rich tradition of professional and semi-pro baseball dating back to the mid-1880s. Drawing from a wide range of primary sources and complimented by over 100 vintage images, Baseball in Springfield is must-have for those ready to discover the historic connection this city has to the national pastime.
Red Sox Legends
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Through a combination of player interviews and historical narrative, Red Sox Legends is a tribute to the great players of the past. This book, a partnership between the Boston Public Library and the Boston Red Sox, is part of an effort to bring Red Sox history to life. Large format prints of most of the images included here are hung inside Fenway Park. The images shown are a sampling of the over 750,000 photographs in the library's collection and the tens of thousands of images in the Red Sox archives.
New York Sluggers
The First 75 Years
Part of the Images of Baseball series
New York City was the original hotbed of baseball, so it is not surprising that fans in the five boroughs are very knowledgeable about the game. It did not take long after baseball was established in the city in the late 1850s for heavy hitters to rise in popularity. New York has continued to set the standard. When thinking about hitting, or better yet, smashing or crushing a baseball, the first team to come to mind is always the New York Yankees. Slugging was actually invented by the Yanks and was most prominently demonstrated by Babe Ruth. When Lou Gehrig joined the team in 1923, a one-two punch was established that set a standard seldom equaled in major-league history. Meanwhile, across the East River, the Giants manufactured lots of hitting, and the New York Nationals rattled the walls in the Polo Grounds. This book is a pictorial story of the sluggers that made history in New York, in both the American and National Leagues.
Baseball in Wichita
Part of the Images of Baseball series
The art of baseball is evident at Wichita State University's Eck Stadium. The bronze sculpture, "Put Me in Coach," overlooks the stadium entry. Behind it a 70-foot mural, the longest of its kind at any university ballpark, depicts WSU's storied baseball history. The art of baseball has also been evident on Wichita's playing fields for well over a century. During and after the Civil War, baseball quickly spread across the nation. When Wichita was incorporated in 1870, the town and the game were ready for each other, and Wichita had its first professional nine the following decade. Baseball in Wichita tells the story of local baseball at all levels-amateur, collegiate and pro-in words and images dating from the 19th century to the present day.
Chicago Cubs
Baseball on Catalina Island
Part of the Images of Baseball series
It's not quite like today's spring training: one might find a rookie ballplayer (nicknamed Hack) uprooting trees with his bare hands or a future president of the United States getting into a barroom brawl with some grizzled sportswriters. The team was the Chicago Cubs, and the place was Santa Catalina Island-through the Roaring Twenties, Great Depression, and World War II. William Wrigley owned both island and ballclub; from 1921 to 1951, they came together. There were movie stars, like Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe. There were grand steamships, big bands, hopes and dreams, and World Series rings. It's Chicago Cubs: Baseball on Catalina Island, and it's a trip like no other.
Mexican American Baseball in the Pomona Valley
Part of the Images of Baseball series
This volume pays homage to the wonderful teams and players from Azusa, La Verne, Claremont, Pomona, Chino, Cucamonga, Ontario, and Upland. A common thread of all these diverse communities was the establishment of baseball teams and, later, softball teams. Baseball played a critical role in advancing civil and political rights, labor reform, gender equality, educational integration, and cultural legitimacy. These remarkable photographs revive the often-overlooked history of Mexican American baseball in the Greater Pomona Valley.
The Minneapolis Millers of the American Association
Part of the Images of Baseball series
The Minneapolis Millers graced the fields of the American Association for six decades, from 1902 to 1960. Known as a high-level training ground for professional ballplayers, the Millers were also famous for their heated rivalry with the neighboring St. Paul Saints. Drawing on the extensive array of photographs from the Hennepin County Library Special Collections and the author's private collection, Images of Baseball: The Minneapolis Millers of the American Association presents the history of these "boys of summer."
Chicago Aces
The First 75 Years
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Al Spalding was the first of many Chicago aces, leading the city's 1876 club to an inaugural National League Pennant with a 46-12 record and a whopping 528 innings pitched. Among the legendary pitchers to follow were Larry Corcoran, owner of two no-hitters with the White Stocking dynasty of the 1880s; Clark Griffith, who had six 20-win seasons in a row for a mediocre Orphans/Colts club in the 1890s; and "Rube" Foster, who dominated the Negro leagues of the early twentieth century. Also featured are Mordecai "Three Fingers" Brown, Eddie Cicotte, Ed Walsh, Grover Cleveland Alexander, and many others. In Chicago Aces: The First 75 Years, readers will discover the compelling stories of these great pitchers, highlighted by over 100 rare and striking images.
Baseball in Reading
Part of the Images of Baseball series
On a crisp April evening or a sizzling August afternoon, before a handful of friends or a throng of thousands, on a playground sandlot or in one of America's storied minor-league stadiums-whenever and wherever baseball is played in Reading, Pennsylvania, it is played with passion. Baseball in Reading captures for the first time the images of the teams, players, and ballparks that have made the city one of minor-league baseball's true legends. Claiming the title Baseballtown in 2002, Reading has a baseball legacy that dates back to the late 1800s. Only three other minor-league teams have remained in the same location for a longer period of time. Players such as Charlie Wagner, Roger Maris, and Rico Petrocelli have contributed to the rich history that unfolds in Baseball in Reading.
1975 Red Sox
American League Champions
Part of the Images of Baseball series
The 1975 American League Champion Boston Red Sox squared off with the Cincinnati Reds in what is widely recognized as one of the best World Series ever played. The Major League Baseball Network has named its sixth game "the greatest game ever played." The Red Sox were led by two rookies, 21-year-old Jim Rice and 22-year-old Fred Lynn, who formed a rookie duo the likes of which baseball had never seen. They combined with a budding superstar in Carlton Fisk and his aging counterpart Carl Yastrzemski to lead the Red Sox attack, while a wily Luis Tiant anchored the pitching staff. After a first-round sweep of the three-time World Champion Oakland A's, they advanced to a Fall Classic that echoes through the ages, and in the words of Carlton Fisk, the Red Sox won "three games to four.
As Good As It Got
The 1944 St. Louis Browns
Part of the Images of Baseball series
World War II threatened to ruin Major League Baseball. By 1945, over 500 major leaguers and 3,000 minor league prospects had been enlisted for the war effort, leaving a dearth of talent for the Big Leagues. The St. Louis Browns, like other AL and NL clubs, would be forced to fill holes in their roster with scrubs-4-F players (those dismissed from the military due to physical ailments), retired major leaguers, and youngsters not yet ready to leave the minors. But there were still some top level players to be had, and 1944 Browns manager Luke Sewell assembled the franchise's most successful team ever, taking the St. Louis ball club to its first and only Fall Classic.
Baseball in Long Beach
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Organized baseball in Long Beach dates to 1910, when the Long Beach Clothiers of the Southern California Trolley League played opponents wherever a streetcar could take them. Exhibition games later featured Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, and other Major League barnstormers. Homegrown talent includes Baseball Hall of Famers Bob Lemon and Tony Gwynn. Pioneering entrepreneur Bill Feistner built the first accommodating baseball park in 1922 at Redondo Avenue and Stearns Street in the shadow of oil-rich Signal Hill. When ballplayers weren't on the Shell Park diamond, they worked the derricks.
Baseball in Birmingham
Part of the Images of Baseball series
The Birmingham Barons were a charter member of the old Southern League in 1885. Built in 1910, Rickwood Field, longtime home of the Barons, is recognized as the oldest surviving, professional baseball park in the nation. The Barons now play at the newly remodeled Regions Park in Hoover, Alabama. In spite of the popularity of football in Alabama, Birmingham continues to be a leader in minor league baseball, winning the prestigious Bob Freitas Award in 2008. This award is given annually by Baseball America to the most outstanding franchise in each classification.
Detroit Sluggers
The First 75 Years
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Ever since the city was granted its first major-league team, the Wolverines in 1881, Detroit baseball fans have packed the parks to loyally cheer for their favorite sluggers at the plate. Big Dan Brouthers helped the Detroit ball club win its first National League pennant with 12 home runs, 101 RBIs, and a league-leading 153 runs scored in 1887. Twenty years later, a rookie named Ty Cobb, at the start of a hall-of-fame career, led the league in batting and the Tigers to three successive American League pennants. Hank Greenberg, Rudy York, and Al Kaline joined the ranks of Motor City sluggers in the coming decades who thrilled fans with the long ball in pennant race after exciting pennant race. Written from the perspective of an old-time fan, Detroit Sluggers: The First 75 Years is a fun read for any Motor City baseball enthusiast.
The Philadelphia Phillies
Part of the Images of Baseball series
The Philadelphia Phillies, one of the oldest teams in Major League Baseball, have maintained a strong, loyal fan base for over 125 years. Despite historic setbacks, the franchise has proven resilient and evolved into a perennial contender with consistently large attendance figures. In fact, the Phillies claim 37 Hall of Famers, two World Series championships, seven National League pennants, and nine division titles. The Philadelphia Phillies chronicles the greatness of Grover Cleveland Alexander, the remarkable career of Richie Ashburn, the perfection of Jim Bunning, and the teams of success and luster as well as those shining stars of the less successful eras.
Detroit Aces
The First 75 Years
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Ever since the city was granted its first major league team, the Wolverines in 1881, Detroit baseball fans have packed the parks to loyally cheer for their favorite hurlers on the mound. In 1887, Charlie Getzein, nicknamed "Pretzels," led the Detroit ball club to its first National League pennant with 29 wins. The rubber-armed "Wild" Bill Donovan led the Detroit Tigers to the city's first American League pennant in 1907, notching up an astounding .862 winning percentage despite a legendary lack of control. More great pitchers were to follow in the coming decades, and, written from the perspective of an old-time fan, Detroit Aces: The First 75 Years is a fun read for any Motor City baseball enthusiast.
Kane County Cougars
Part of the Images of Baseball series
In 1991, it seemed odd (if not unwise) when a minor league franchise moved into a major league market-- one with two big league teams, no less. But the story of the Kane County Cougars of the single-A Midwest League has been one of tremendous successes on the field, at the gates, and above all in the hearts of baseball fans in Chicago's western suburbs. The team continues to draw more than half a million fans to Geneva's cozy Elfstrom Stadium year after year, without ever being affiliated with the Cubs or Sox in the nearby city. They have fielded some top prospects, including 2003 World Series MVP Josh Beckett and his teammate Dontrelle Willis. They have battled in the post-season several times in their brief history, and they thrilled fans by winning the 1991 Midwest League Championship. Cougar fans will enjoy this pictorial tour through the club's first 15 seasons, which provides a local view of the history of the national pastime.
South Side Hitmen
The Story of the 1977 Chicago White Sox
Part of the Images of Baseball series
By self-admission, the 1977 Chicago White Sox couldn't catch, run, or throw; and only on occasion could they pitch. Some felt unwanted and unloved by past teams. Two were told by skeptics that they didn't even belong on the field. Yet it was these qualities that made them one of the most entertaining teams in franchise history. They didn't bunt to move runners along, steal bases to distract the opposing defense, or turn the double play. They just hit and hit until demoralized opponents cried uncle. They didn't win the World Series or even a division title. They couldn't be called champions, but they lived up to another title. They were the South Side Hitmen. Team owner Bill Veeck transformed a hapless 1976 ball club into contenders and big-time draws at the ticket box. New acquisitions Oscar Gamble, Richie Zisk, and Eric Soderholm led the team to a franchise record 192 home runs, while legendary broadcaster Harry Caray led Comskey Park fans through the seventh-inning stretch. The White Sox won 90 games that season (including 22 in an amazing month of July) and finished first in the hearts of baseball fans across the city's South Side.
Baseball in Mobile
Part of the Images of Baseball series
A city wrapped by the Gulf of Mexico's beaches, Mobile has a history as rich as the azalea-saturated soil on which it rests. Recipient of the All-American City distinction, Mobile is home to the original Mardi Gras celebration, the Junior Miss Scholarship Program, the Battleship U.S.S. Alabama, and Hammerin' Hank Aaron. The city's passion for baseball has endured through its tumultuous past, marked by yellow fever, World War II prominence, and the Civil Rights Movement. Spanning from the late 1800s to the present day, Baseball in Mobile recounts the introduction of baseball to the Port City, chronicles the vast talent of Mobile natives who have influenced the sport, and introduces the players and teams of modern Mobile, many of whom are sure to become tomorrow's legends. Historic photographs of the changing baseball landscape are captured in Baseball in Mobile, showcasing the fact that while the fields, uniforms, and teams have changed, the game remains ingrained in Mobile, as constant as the bay that surrounds it.
Part of the Images of Baseball series
The Bronx's Yankee Stadium was designed to be the grandest, most impressive and intimidating sports arena ever. Over the years, the stadium's mystique and grandeur have been exponentially enhanced by championship boxing matches, professional and college football, Negro League games, papal visits, and the New York Yankees baseball club's iconic reputation as the gold standard of professional team sports. Yankee Stadium has also been a witness to the 20th-century development of the Bronx from a small suburb to a large urban borough, thus forging a special and complex relationship with its hometown.
Baseball in Tampa Bay
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Professional baseball teams in Toledo, Ohio, were first known as the Mud Hens-for the local marsh birds-more than a century ago. About a dozen other team names have been used over the course of 106 seasons dating back to the first in 1883. The city has been represented in minor leagues of various levels, the Negro leagues, and the major leagues as well. For most of the last 100 years, Toledo teams have played at the highest minor league classification. Many associated with Toledo baseball have gone on to successful major league careers as players, managers, and umpires. Fifteen have been enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and others hold numerous major league records. Baseball in Toledo traces the long and rich Toledo baseball history through pictures drawn from several major collections, along with detailed captions. Included is a summary of every Toledo season, and an all-time Toledo roster that lists all the players ever to wear a Toledo uniform.
New York Aces
The First 75 Years
Part of the Images of Baseball series
It was in the New York City area in the mid-nineteenth century that various pitching styles were invented, developments that changed baseball history. In 1883, the Giants became a powerhouse, hiring the finest pitchers in the country. In the twentieth century, the talent pool kept changing, but the quality did not. Christy Mathewson, "Iron Man" McGinnity, and Rube Marquard all won more than two hundred games in the majors, and each played a part in many pennant victories for John McGraw's Giants. In 1921, the Yankees won their first championship, and their domination of the American League that followed was unprecedented. Pitching was both effective and exciting for New York fans, whether in Yankee Stadium or the Polo Grounds. New York Aces: The First 75 Years covers the history of pitching in the Big Apple, with equal attention to the American League and National League franchises.
The College World Series
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Since 1950, Omaha's Rosenblatt Stadium (formerly Municipal Stadium) has hosted the nation's top college baseball programs in the College World Series. Baseball fans from every corner of the country have taken the annual "Road to Omaha" and packed the seats to see championship baseball at its best. In 1954 thousands saw Jim Ehrler of Texas toss the tourney's first no-hitter en route to the Longhorns winning back-to-back CWS championships. Fans at the 1970 tournament saw Southern Cal defeat Florida State in the midst of their unmatched five-year championship run. In 1996 Rosenblatt's faithful took in the dramatic bottom-of-the-ninth, two-out, two-run homer by Louisiana State's Warren Morris, giving his team a 9-8 upset victory over powerhouse Miami.
Reading's Big League Exhibition Games
Part of the Images of Baseball series
While Reading may be known today for the Fightin' Phils, it has also been the site of 72 games played by 17 major-league franchises and barnstorming teams since 1874. Among the teams that have played in these exhibition games are the Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals, along with appearances by baseball greats Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mike Schmidt, Ernie Banks, and Rogers Hornsby. Reading fans have looked on as both the 1906 Phillies and A's tried to catch a bunny on the field mid-game, cheered for Christy Mathewson's shutouts, sang "Happy Birthday" to Pete Rose, and watched "Shoeless" Joe Jackson hit a home run.
Baseball in Greenville and Spartanburg
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Baseball, an important institution in every American town, takes centerfield in the histories of Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina. These two cities have hosted some of the most well-known players of all time, from Tommy Lasorda and Chipper Jones to "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, the man who will forever link Greenville and Spartanburg with America's game. Baseball in Greenville and Spartanburg chronicles the diamond game as it has been played in the Carolina Upstate. More than a century of games from the Minor League, Textile League, and Big League clubs, along with high school and collegiate teams, are showcased. An older Joe Jackson still plays ball, a patriotic Joe Anders impresses crowds in the 1940s, and the Greenville Spinners, Greenville Braves, and the Spartanburg Phillies bring the crowds to their feet. The greats teach the game to tomorrow's stars, while tomorrow's stars perfect their talent, all with the Blue Ridge Foothills rising in the distance.
Mexican American Baseball in the Central Coast
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Mexican American Baseball in the Central Coast pays tribute to the teams and players who brought joy and honor to their fans and communities in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Baseball was played before enthusiastic crowds in Piru, Santa Paula, Fillmore, Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo, Ojai, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Santa Maria, Guadalupe, Lompoc, and other communities. Players and their families helped create the economic infrastructure and prosperity that are evident today in the Central Coast. For women, softball was a social counterbalance to the strict cultural roles defined by society. Many former players dedicated their lives to the unrelenting struggle for social justice, while others devoted themselves to youth sports. This book remedies the glaring omission of baseball images and stories of Mexican American neighborhoods in the Central Coast of California.
Baseball in Altoona
From the Mountain City to the Curve
Part of the Images of Baseball series
For 46 days in the spring of 1884, Altoona had the honor of having a major-league baseball team, the Mountain City. For the next 115 years, despite the fact that baseball flourished here in the form of the game that the men of the Pennsylvania Railroad played, professional baseball floundered as six teams came and six teams left. Finally, in 1999, Altoona proved it could support a professional team when the Curve came to town. Since then, an impressive 10 percent of the town's population has shown up at every game, showing the love the community has for the national pastime.
Eastern Shore League
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Between 1922 and 1949, the citizens of Delmarva enjoyed watching baseball the way it was meant to be played. Loyal Eastern Shore baseball enthusiasts were blessed to witness three eras of professional class "D" baseball, supporting their favorite teams, including the Parksley Spuds, Salisbury Indians, and Dover Orioles. The local faithful cheered on homegrown legends such as Frank "Home Run" Baker and Jimmie Foxx, both destined for enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Part of the Images of Baseball series
The Chicago Cubs of the mid-1920s through 1940 were one of the most talented and exciting ball clubs the city ever produced. The Northsiders enjoyed 14 consecutive winning seasons and claimed the National League pennant four times (1929, 1932, 1935, and 1938), but fell to a dominant American League club in each World Series appearance. Four legendary baseball names led these Cub teams during this amazing stretch. Three eventually landed in Cooperstown (McCarthy, Hornsby, Hartnett), and many believe the fourth (Grimm) should have joined them. This was also the era when Cubs Park was transformed into Wrigley Field, under the guidance of Bill Veeck Jr., with its trademark bricks and ivy, hand-operated scoreboard, and outfield bleachers.
Baseball in Erie
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Erie has had a love affair with professional baseball since the 1880s, though it has been an on-again off-again relationship. Whatever they were called--the Olympics, Blackbirds, Sailors, or Sea Wolves--the Flagship City's teams have thrilled fans and won championships. However, many of those local nines faded away, leaving behind memories and empty ballparks. Baseball in Erie is a tribute to the men who brought baseball to this region of Pennsylvania: ambidextrous pitcher Tony Mullane; infielder Louis Bierbauer, the "original" Pittsburgh Pirate; Sam "the Jet" Jethroe; "Turkey" Mike Donlin; Todd Zeile, the record-setting nomadic major-leaguer; and Jose Guillen, the first Sea Wolves hero. Through photographs and memorabilia, Baseball in Erie reaches out to fans of the national pastime, especially those who were jammed into the rafters of Ainsworth Field and now bask in the beauty of Jerry Uht Park.
Baseball in Fort Wayne
Part of the Images of Baseball series
The Fort Wayne Wizards' 1993 arrival marked the beginning of professional baseball in northeast Indiana for many. However, the city boasts a rich baseball heritage that traces its roots to the very origins of the game. In fact, baseball and its record books begin with Fort Wayne. Over more than 135 years, dozens of teams have called Fort Wayne their home field, making players into local legends and stars who excelled in the spotlight of baseball's biggest stage. Baseball in Fort Wayne recounts the sport's presence in the city, from the earliest days of 1871's Kekiongas to today's Wizards, as well as those who took the field in between.
Baseball in Denver
by Matthew Kasper Repplinger II
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Images of Baseball: Baseball in Denver shares the city's prominent role in America's great game. The lore of baseball's first pioneers plays out in a real-life soap opera for this Western city. From the early Hall-of-Fame players to the storied baseball-talent barons of Denver's primitive days, baseball has always been on the forefront of the Denver sports horizon. From Tinker to Satchel Paige to "The Babe" himself, the Mile High City has been a barnstormer's oasis in a town that was nothing short of the Wild West. The Denver Post Tournament and the rich history of the Denver Bears are highlighted, as well as the many fields and landmarks throughout the city. With the inception of the Colorado Rockies, Denver once again set the stage for big-league baseball, which many of Denver's local baseball legends have been no stranger to.
Mexican American Baseball in the Alamo Region
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Mexican American Baseball in the Alamo Region celebrates the game as it was played in the Tejano and Tejana communities throughout Texas. This regional focus explores the importance of the game at a time when Spanish-speaking people were demanding cultural acceptance and their political and civil rights in cities like San Antonio, Corpus Christi, New Braunfels, San Diego, Kingsville, and Pleasanton. All had thriving Mexican American communities that found comfort in the game and pride in their abilities on the field. On these pages are historical images and wonderful stories that are now immortalized, taking their rightful place in the annuals of the game. ¡Viva Tejas, Viva Béisbol, y Viva los Peloteros!
The Pittsburgh Pirates' 1960 Season
Part of the Images of Baseball series
In the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates, no team has been more memorable than that of 1960. In the decade before, the team produced only two winning records: a second-place finish in 1958 and in 1959. In 1960, they put it all together to win the pennant. Their reward was a trip to the World Series against the favored New York Yankees. In the Yankees' three winning games, they outscored Pittsburgh 38-3, but the Pirates were able to win three to send it to Game 7. In one of the most exciting contests in the history of the sport, the Pirates came up in the bottom of the ninth with the score tied. At exactly 3:36 p.m., Bill Mazeroski hit a home run over the left field wall to give the Pirates a memorable championship. This book tells the story of that magnificent team and its glorious victory, which will be etched into the minds of Pittsburgh baseball fans forever.
Baseball in Indianapolis
Part of the Images of Baseball series
Victory Field, built in 1996 as home to the Indianapolis Indians, is considered by many today as the best minor league ballpark in the nation. But baseball has deeper roots in the Circle City, as fans of the Tribe will discover in the pages of Baseball in Indianapolis, which tells the story of the American pastime in the state capitol from the post-Civil War era up to the present day. Legends like Rube Marquard, Oscar Charleston and Roger Maris are all a part of Indianapolis' baseball heritage. So too are present-day stars like Randy Johnson, Larry Walker and Aaron Boone. Even Hank Aaron had a stint with the barnstorming Indianapolis Clowns in 1952, en route to his record-breaking career.