Major League Baseball in Gilded Age Connecticut

Major League Baseball in Gilded Age Connecticut
Author: David Arcidiacono
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2009-12-03
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0786436778

It's been more than a century since Connecticut had big league baseball, but in the 1870s, Middletown, Hartford, and New Haven fielded professional teams that competed at the highest level. By the end of the decade, when the state's final big league team, Mark Twain's beloved Hartford Dark Blues, left the National League, baseball's transition from amateur pastime to major league sport had been accomplished. And Connecticut had played a significant role in its development. The history of the Nutmeg State's three major league teams is described here in full, and the author thoughtfully examines their influence within the regional baseball scene.

Baseball in New Haven

Baseball in New Haven
Author: Sam Rubin
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2003-04-16
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780738511788

Baseball in New Haven uncovers the rich history of the national pastime in the greater New Haven area with images that highlight the sport on many levels. Numerous professional, semiprofessional, and college teams have played here, starting with Yale teams of the Civil War era and early attempts to form an "Elm City nine." In the early 1900s, George Weiss, later the general manager of the New York Yankees, helped establish New Haven as a baseball town by drawing stars such as Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb for exhibition games. The semiprofessional West Haven Sailors kept that tradition alive in the 1930s and 1940s. That same era was a heyday for Yale, as Yale Field saw legends such as Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams take on the Elis. Ruth returned in 1948 to present a copy of his biography to the Bulldog captain, future president George H.W. Bush. Baseball in New Haven details the return of professional baseball in 1972 with the Eastern League's West Haven Yankees and finishes with the New Haven Ravens, an Eastern League expansion team in 1994.

Bridgeport Baseball

Bridgeport Baseball
Author: Michael J. Bielawa
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2003-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780738512013

Bridgeport, Connecticut, owns a rich and diverse baseball history. People from varied backgrounds stepped up to the plate in Bridgeport's early years-sons of Irish immigrants, laborers and merchants, Asian and Latino players, and some of the first African Americans to play professional ball. Local baseball truly blossomed with "Orator" Jim O'Rourke, who returned from the big leagues and organized the Connecticut State Baseball League in 1895. Numerous Bridgeport teams evolved, including the Victors, Mechanics, Bolts, Americans, and Bears. Bridgeport Baseball traces the game from the post-Civil War era to today. Baseball beneath the roaring smokestacks of industrial Bridgeport included visits by barnstorming Major League and Negro League teams, future Hall of Famers, and a train wreck that almost killed the St. Louis Cardinals. The smokestacks are silent now, yet the legacy of Bridgeport baseball continues to evolve with the city's first professional club in nearly half a century-the Bridgeport Bluefish. The team, owners, staff, fans, and stadium have all contributed to restoring the living history that is Bridgeport Baseball.

Dear Baseball Gods: A Memoir

Dear Baseball Gods: A Memoir
Author: Dan Blewett
Publisher: Dan Blewett
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2019-04-08
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1727813936

Dear Baseball Gods, Why didn't you look out for him? Didn't he deserve better? He hustled, competed, and played the game the right way. What happened wasn't fair. A Second Comeback Dan sat by a tree, staring at the ground trying to decide what he would do next. The doctor had just explained that everything he worked for was now ruined. A second Tommy John surgery? Does anyone come back from that? Is my career over? Is this it? A Winding Road to the Top As a walk-on in college, Dan had to earn everything. He pitched on three hours sleep, lived in the clubhouse, played for a team that collapsed mid-season, and endured more arm pain than any kid should. A Way to Move On When finally forced to hang up his cleats, Dan looked in the mirror and didn't recognize the man peering back. If no longer a ballplayer...what would he do? What had been the point of it all? Who was he? The Deeper Side of Life as an Athlete In this philosophical memoir, written as a series of letters, you'll learn that the pinstripes don't wash off so easily.

Connecticut's Girls of Summer: the Brakettes and the Falcons

Connecticut's Girls of Summer: the Brakettes and the Falcons
Author: Anthony J. Renzoni
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2023-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 1467154199

Connecticut has a long history of producing outstanding sports teams and athletes. Two of the greatest teams to come out of the state are the legendary Brakettes and Falcons women's fast-pitch softball teams. In their seventy-six-year history, the Brakettes are considered the most successful and longest-running organized women's sports franchise of all time. With forty national championships, three world championships and eleven Olympians, their dynasty remains synonymous with softball excellence. Likewise, the Connecticut Falcons were the most dominant team of the Women's Professional Softball League, winning the championship title all four years of the WPS existence. The most famous and iconic product of these two teams has been Waterbury's legendary Joan Joyce, who is considered by many experts to be the greatest female athlete in sports history. Join author Tony Renzoni as he interviews former players and highlights the accomplishments of these two renowned teams and their legendary athletes.

Base Ball Pioneers, 1850-1870

Base Ball Pioneers, 1850-1870
Author: Peter Morris
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2014-01-10
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0786490012

By 1871, the popularity of baseball had spread so thoroughly across America that one writer observed, "It is as much our national game as cricket is that of the English." While major league teams and athletes that played after this prophetic statement was made have been exhaustively documented and analyzed, those that led the game during its pioneer phase from 1850 to 1870 have received relatively little attention. In this welcome work, leading historians of early baseball provide profiles of more than fifty clubs and their players, from legendary teams such as the Red Stockings of Cincinnati and the Nationals of Washington to forgotten nines like the Pecatonica (Illinois) Base Ball Club and the Morning Star Club of St. Louis. Engaging narratives bring these long-ago clubs back to life, stimulating more research on this fascinating era and creating a standard reference source for all who study America's national pastime.

Baseball America Directory 2008

Baseball America Directory 2008
Author: Will Lingo
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2008-02
Genre: Baseball
ISBN: 1932391207

Provides management, field staff, and contact information, league schedules, and ballpark directions for major and minor leagues.

Groton

Groton
Author: James L. Streeter
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2009
Genre: History
ISBN: 1440179077

Groton - Historical Bits and Pieces is a compilation of many of the historical articles about Groton, Connecticut written by the author and published in the Groton Times newspaper over the past five years. Various subject matters, containing little known or interesting historical facts about Groton's people, places and things, are discussed in the articles. Many are accompanied by rarely viewed photographs which are part of the author's personal collection. Unusual and interesting subjects relating to Groton, including a three part series on police corruption during the years of prohibition, the presidential desk, old businesses, hometown heroes, and many other unique stories appear in this book. Most of the articles cover the time frame between the late 1800's and the mid-1960's. Although many may not believe that the subjects are historical in nature, the author considers them to be "modern history" and in his words "one hundred years from now they will be valued as relevant history". This book will play an important role, both now and in the future, in the documentation of the history of Groton, Connecticut.

Anderson Guide to Enjoying Greenwich Connecticut

Anderson Guide to Enjoying Greenwich Connecticut
Author: Carolyn Anderson
Publisher: Avocet Press Inc
Total Pages: 452
Release: 2004-12
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 9780967734620

From how to join a country club to where to go rock climbing. From where to get a tent permit to where to get your rugs cleaned. This insiders guide to Greenwich Connecticut is intended for long time residents and newcomers alike. Over 160 restaurants are reviewed (including the severn best), 350 stores and over 170 sports and fitness activities are listed.

Dead Coach Walking

Dead Coach Walking
Author: Tom Penders
Publisher: Reedy Press LLC
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2011-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1935806025

Renowned college basketball coach Tom Penders revisits his successful, if tumultuous, career in a new autobiography Dead Coach Walking: Tom Penders Surviving and Thriving in College Hoops. One of the winningest head coaches in NCAA Division I basketball history, Penders reflects on four decades steering programs at 7 universities-Tufts, Columbia, Fordham, Rhode Island, Texas, George Washington and Houston. As he lifted them from depths of "death row" to winning glory, he enhanced his reputation as "Turnaround Tom." Penders achieved success with distinction: he has coached more NCAA Division I basketball programs than any coach in history and has taken four different schools to the Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. He also retired in 2010 ranked 4th total among active coaches in games-coached, trailing only Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim. In Dead Coach Walking, Penders talks about the teams he led and how he dealt with athletic directors, conference commissioners, assistants, AAU coaches, the NABC and the NCAA. The book also goes behind the scenes, revealing game strategies, coaching personalities, locker room stories, and experiences on the recruiting trail. Penders' perspective, while sometimes controversial, is riveting not to mention entertaining. Dead Coach Walking is truly as unique, quirky, and remarkable as its subject.