Baseball in Minnesota

Baseball in Minnesota
Author: Stew Thornley
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2006
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780873515511

From the early days of town ball to the latest seasons of the Twins and Saints, Stew Thornley offers the ultimate history of the Great American Pastime in the North Star State.

They Played for the Love of the Game

They Played for the Love of the Game
Author: Frank M. White
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2016-02-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1681340054

A century before Kirby Puckett led the Minnesota Twins to World Series championships, Minnesota was home to countless talented African American baseball players, yet few of them are known to fans today. During the many decades that Major League Baseball and its affiliates imposed a strict policy of segregation, black ballplayers in Minnesota were relegated to a haphazard array of semipro leagues, barnstorming clubs, and loose organizations of all-black teams—many of which are lost to history. They Played for the Love of the Game recovers that history by sharing stories of African American ballplayers in Minnesota, from the 1870s to the 1960s, through photos, artifacts, and spoken histories passed through the generations. Author Frank White’s own father was one of the top catchers in the Twin Cities in his day, a fact that White did not learn until late in life. While the stories tell of denial, hardship, and segregation, they are highlighted by athletes who persevered and were united by their love of the sport.

Town Ball

Town Ball
Author: Armand Peterson
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2006
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 9780816646753

An in-depth study of the magical era of amateur baseball in Minnesota, from 1945 to 1960, looks at the social and economic factors that contributed to the sport's success, profiles some of the teams and their players, and includes a collection of anecdotes, vintage photographs, and statistics.

Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins
Author: Dennis Brackin
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group USA
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2010-03-12
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1610602692

A treasury of Twin Cities baseball history packed with photos from the archives. Major League Baseball came to the Minnesota prairie in the spring of 1961, and ever since, the Minnesota Twins have held a cherished place in the hearts of sports fans throughout the region. With Hall of Famers like Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, and Kirby Puckett and beloved characters from Billy Martin to Kent Hrbek to Joe Mauer, the history of the Twins encompasses highs and lows, heroes and goats, but always nonstop excitement. Minnesota Twins: The Complete Illustrated History provides an in-depth and entertaining look at the team, its players, its stadiums, and the memorable moments through the years. Illustrated with photos from the Star Tribune’s archives, it is the ultimate celebration of a beloved franchise.

Swinging for the Fences

Swinging for the Fences
Author: Steven R. Hoffbeck
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2005
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780873515177

Swinging for the Fences tells the great stories of baseball's past, from establishment of the color line and the early formation of the barnstorming teams to dazzling hits by black heroes that led the Twins to victory over the Cardinals in 1987. Each chapter focuses on one key player and gives readers an intimate look at the national pastime as it has evolved over the last century. These are stories of the bonds that formed between players, of legendary moments in baseball's past, and of real people whose love of the game kept them playing against tough odds. Featured here are Hall of Famers like Willie Mays, Roy Campanella, and Kirby Puckett and great players like Walter Ball, John Wesley Donaldson, and Bud Fowler, who, because of their race, never made the stats books.

Early Black Baseball in Minnesota

Early Black Baseball in Minnesota
Author: Todd Peterson
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2014-01-10
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 078645752X

Though they played in the years before Rube Foster formed the first Negro League, the St. Paul Gophers and their bitter crosstown rivals, the Minneapolis Keystones, had the talent, bench depth, and determination to rival many of those later, better known teams. (The Gophers, in fact, beat Chicago's celebrated Leland Giants in 1909, laying claim to blackball's western championship.) Focusing on these two clubs, author Peterson lays out the early history of African American baseball in the Upper Midwest. Included are new statistics and more than 50 rarely seen photographs.

The St. Paul Saints

The St. Paul Saints
Author: Stew Thornley
Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society
Total Pages: 367
Release: 2015-04
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0873519590

From Pig's Eye to a pig on the field, celebrate the St. Paul Saints--their players, owners, managers, fans, and ballparks old and new--and the history of baseball in the capital city!

Clubbie

Clubbie
Author: Greg Larson
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2021-04
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1496226356

Greg Larson was a starry-eyed fan when he hurtled headfirst into professional baseball. As the new clubhouse attendant for the Aberdeen IronBirds, a Minor League affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, Larson assumed he’d entered a familiar world. He thought wrong. He quickly discovered the bizarre rituals of life in the Minors: fights between players, teammates quitting in the middle of the games, doomed relationships, and a negligent parent organization. All the while, Larson, fresh out of college, harbored a secret wish. Despite the team’s struggles and his own lack of baseball talent, he yearned to join the exclusive fraternity of professional ballplayers. Instead, Larson fell deeper into his madcap venture as the scheming clubbie. He moved into the clubhouse equipment closet, his headquarters to swing deals involving memorabilia, booze, and loads of cash. By his second season, Larson had transformed into a deceptive, dip-spitting veteran, now fully part of a system that exploited players he considered friends. Like most Minor Leaguers, the gravitational pull of baseball was still too strong for Larson—even if chasing his private dream might cost him his girlfriend, his future, and, ultimately, his love of the game. That is, until an unlikely shot at a championship gives Larson and the IronBirds one final swing at redemption. Clubbie is a hilarious behind-the-scenes tale of two seasons in the mysterious world of Minor League Baseball. With cinematic detail and a colorful cast of characters, Larson spins an unforgettable true story for baseball fans and nonfans alike. An unflinching look at the harsh experience of professional sports, Clubbie will be a touchstone in baseball literature for years to come.

Town Ball Parks of Minnesota

Town Ball Parks of Minnesota
Author: Todd Mueller
Publisher: Blustone Group
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016-06-10
Genre: Baseball fields
ISBN: 9780692707142

Minnesota has over three hundred town ball teams, more organized amateur baseball teams than in any other state in the country.* Town Ball, Parks of Minnesota takes the reader on a tour of the state's most revered ballparks, ranging from a multi-million dollar complex in the Twin Cities to a rural field at the end of a dirt road ? arguably the most remote ballpark in the state.Over the course of several years and thousands of miles, the author traveled the state to visit these ballparks, then selected twenty-seven unique, historic and most beloved ballparks. The result is a book on town ball unlike any other publication. The book features five hundred baseball photographs selected from over 20,000 images, together with entertaining stories about the teams, the ballparks and the towns. For those readers who grew up with town ball, this book will highlight the sport they know and have loved for generations. For those unfamiliar with town ball, the book will afford you a glimpse into why these ballparks are considered some of the state's greatest sports treasures.Ready to come along on the tour? This is a trip worth taking.*According to the Minnesota Baseball Association

Batter-up

Batter-up
Author: Ross Bernstein
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2002
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780931714979

Celebrates the past century of baseball in Minnesota, featuring the greatest professional, minor league, amateur, collegiate, and high school teams.