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.

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.

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.

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.

Curveball

Curveball
Author: Martha Ackmann
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2010-06-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1569766843

2011 Selection for the Amelia Bloomer Project. From the time she was a girl growing up in the shadow of Lexington Park in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Toni Stone knew she wanted to play professional baseball. There was only one problem--every card was stacked against her. Curveball tells the inspiring story of baseball's "female Jackie Robinson," a woman whose ambition, courage, and raw talent propelled her from ragtag teams barnstorming across the Dakotas to playing in front of large crowds at Yankee Stadium. Toni Stone was the first woman to play professional baseball on men's teams. After Robinson integrated the major leagues and other black players slowly began to follow, Stone seized an unprecedented opportunity to play professional baseball in the Negro League. She replaced Hank Aaron as the star infielder for the Indianapolis Clowns and later signed with the legendary Kansas City Monarchs. Playing alongside some of the premier athletes of all time including Ernie Banks, Willie Mays, Buck O'Neil, and Satchel Paige, Toni let her talent speak for itself. Curveball chronicles Toni Stone's remarkable career facing down not only fastballs, but jeers, sabotage, and Jim Crow America as well. Her story reveals how far passion, pride, and determination can take one person in pursuit of a dream.

Baseball's Great Experiment

Baseball's Great Experiment
Author: Jules Tygiel
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 452
Release: 1997
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780195106206

Offers a history of African American exclusion from baseball, and assesses the changing racial attitudes that led up to Jackie Robinson's acceptance by the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Breaking Through the Line

Breaking Through the Line
Author: Terry McConnell
Publisher:
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2021-09-21
Genre:
ISBN: 9781947237322

Bobby Marshall starred in football, baseball, hockey, and track at the University of Minnesota. Overcoming obstacles to success that many African Americans faced at the time, he went on to become the first African American All American from the Big Ten in football, and the first to play in the nascent NFL. This is his story.

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.