They Played for the Love of the Game: Untold Stories of Black Baseball in Minnesota

by Frank M. White, Dave M. Winfield (Foreword by)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681340050
Publisher:	Minnesota Historical Society Press
Publication date:	02/01/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Frank M. White is a former athlete, coach, official, and sports administrator. He currently coordinates the RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program for the Minnesota Twins. His exhibit, They Played for the Love of the Game, was developed with the Ramsey County Historical Society in 2010.
Dave Winfield played twenty-two seasons in the major leagues and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He is a native of St. Paul and an alumnus of the University of Minnesota.

Table of Contents

Foreword Dave Winfield ix

Preface and Acknowledgments xi

1 Beginnings Minnesota Black Baseball in the Nineteenth Century 3

2 The Early Twentieth Century Black Baseball: Gophers and Keystones 17

3 The Roaring Twenties Creating Their Own League 43

4 The 1930s Promises, Challenges, and the Great Depression 71

5 The 1940s The End of the Color Barrier in Organized Baseball-But Barriers Still Exist 89

6 The 1950s The Decline of Black Baseball and the Rise of Fast-Pitch Softball 119

7 The 1960s The End of an Era 137

8 Extra Innings 163

Appendix: They Passed Here Along the Way: African American and Latino Players on Minnesota's Minor League Clubs 171

Sources and Bibliography 175

Index 183