The Middle Atlantic League, 1925-1952
The Middle Atlantic League, 1925-1952

Author: William E. Akin

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2015-08-17

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 0786497661

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The small and midsized cities of western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia reached their peaks of population and prosperity in the second quarter of the 20th century. The baseball teams from these towns formed the Middle Atlantic League, the strongest circuit in the low minors and the one with the most alumni to advance to the majors. This thorough history chronicles the MAL through three distinct phases from its 1925 inaugural season to its dissolution in 1952. During the first several seasons, most clubs hung one step from financial disaster despite support from local communities. Then the league flourished during the Great Depression as president Elmer Daily magically found investors and night baseball boosted working class attendance. Now enjoying a modicum of financial stability and an infusion of young talent, the clubs became talent farms for major league teams. Both the league and its cities went into decline as the country underwent seismic cultural and economic shifts following World War II.

Phil Dixon's American Baseball Chronicles Great Teams: the 1931 Homestead Grays, Volume I
Phil Dixon's American Baseball Chronicles Great Teams: the 1931 Homestead Grays, Volume I

Author: Phil S. Dixon

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2009-10-31

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1664153357

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The "Greatest Baseball team of all-time" easily describes the 1931 Homestead Grays. They remain a team never to be forgotten—a team that rates with the greatest teams in all of baseball history. Organized in 1910, baseball’s Homestead Grays of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—an exclusively African-American team—held claim to a regional championship and also a legitimate claim to baseball’s World Championship. The Grays’ well-known leader was Hall of Famer Cumberland “Cum” Posey. His 1931 Grays featured among others; Hall of Fame third baseman Jud Wilson, Hall of Fame infielder Oscar Charleston, a Hall of Fame catcher in Josh Gibson and two Hall of Fame pitchers in Willie Foster and Joseph “Smokey Joe” Williams—a total of five legendary players. Paced by young Josh Gibson, age 18 and the most powerful home run hitter in baseball, Posey’s 1931 Homestead Grays finished with a magnificent 143-29-2 record. This is their story told here for the first time. Included within the text are written accounts for every game from the Homestead Grays’ entire 1931 schedule of nearly 175 contest, with scores, attendance figures and player biographies. The work includes score and locations on more than 300 additional games played by the Kansas City Monarchs, Hilldale, Baltimore’s Black Sox, the Cuban House of David, New York’s Harlem Stars and other African-American teams in operation during that same 1931 season. The comparative scores and their related histories are a resourceful and entertaining aid for further analysis and assessment on the participation of African-American athletes in baseball as best represented from the perspective of a single championship season.

Pittsburgh’s Greatest Teams
Pittsburgh’s Greatest Teams

Author: David Finoli

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2017-10-30

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1439663130

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Pittsburgh is synonymous with winning. From the Penguins and Steelers to the Pirates and Panthers, the Steel City knows championships. There must be something special in the water to make Pittsburgh so particularly gifted with its sports teams. The most famous teams in the city's history would most likely be the 1970s Steelers, known as the Steel Curtain for obvious reasons, and the Penguins who raised the Stanley Cup five times. Names such as Lemieux, Crosby, Roethlisberger, Bradshaw, Clemente and Stargell are legends of American sport and members of Pittsburgh's most cherished franchises, but for every sports legend and multi-million dollar franchise, there are a dozen more talented players and long-past teams that have been forgotten to history; the Negro League's Crawford and Homestead Grays are too often overlooked in the city's sports history but were as talented as any team that has played there. Author Dave Finoli ranks the fifty greatest teams that won trophies, brought glory and lifted the hearts of Pittsburgh's devoted sports fans.

Bat, Ball & Bible
Bat, Ball & Bible

Author: Charles DeMotte

Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.

Published: 2012-12-31

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1597979473

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During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, moral and social forces collided in the argument over upholding New York State's blue laws, meant to restrict social activities and maintain Sunday's traditional standing as a day of religious observation. Baseball was at the center of this conflict, which led to upheaval in society at a time when New York, especially New York City, was already undergoing rapid changes. From its inception, baseball, whether professional or amateur, was woven into the fabric of communities across the country and thus played an important social role. The baseball and the Sunday observance question involved the clash of religious organizations, civil and lobbying groups, and local and state politics. The debate intensified as other movements, such as temperance and the crusades against boxing and gambling, were beginning to gain momentum. Deep class, racial, religious, and ethnic divisions in New York's social order contributed to the issue as well. Bat, Ball & Bible does not solely chronicle baseball during this period; rather, it illuminates a culture war whose effects are still being felt today. Reflecting a number of contemporary religious and cultural issues, the book has appeal far beyond baseball.

The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues
The Negro Leagues Were Major Leagues

Author: Todd Peterson

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2019-12-11

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 1476665141

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How good was Negro League Baseball (1920-1948)? Some experts maintain that the quality of play was equal to that of the American and National Leagues. Some believe the Negro Leagues should be part of Major League Baseball's official record and that more Negro League players should be in the Hall of Fame. Skeptics contend that while many players could be rated highly, NL organizations were minor league at best. Drawing on the most comprehensive data available, including stats from more than 2,000 interracial games, this study finds that black baseball was very good indeed. Negro leaguers beat the big leaguers more than half the time in head-to-head contests, demonstrated stronger metrics within their own leagues and excelled when finally allowed into the majors. The authors document the often duplicitous manner in which MLB has dealt with the legacy of the Negro Leagues, and an appendix includes the scores and statistics from every known contest between Negro League and Major League teams.