Name: Baseball in Wichita
Brand: Bob Rives
SKU: 9780738533162
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Baseball in Wichita

9780738533162

$24.99

The art of baseball is evident at Wichita State University's Eck Stadium. The bronze sculpture, "Put Me in Coach," overlooks the stadium entry. Behind it a 70-foot mural, the longest of its kind at any university ballpark, depicts WSU's storied baseball history. The art of baseball has also been evident on Wichita's playing fields for well over a century. During and after the Civil War, baseball quickly spread across the nation. When Wichita was incorporated in 1870, the town and the game were ready for each other, and Wichita had its first professional nine the following decade. Baseball in Wichita tells the story of local baseball at all levels-amateur, collegiate and pro-in words and images dating from the 19th century to the present day.

Baseball in Indianapolis

9780738523101

$24.99

Victory Field, built in 1996 as home to the Indianapolis Indians, is considered by many today as the best minor league ballpark in the nation. But baseball has deeper roots in the Circle City, as fans of the Tribe will discover in the pages of Baseball in Indianapolis, which tells the story of the American pastime in the state capitol from the post-Civil War era up to the present day. Legends like Rube Marquard, Oscar Charleston and Roger Maris are all a part of Indianapolis' baseball heritage. So too are present-day stars like Randy Johnson, Larry Walker and Aaron Boone. Even Hank Aaron had a stint with the barnstorming Indianapolis Clowns in 1952, en route to his record-breaking career.

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Baseball in Fort Wayne

9780738541297

$24.99

The Fort Wayne Wizards' 1993 arrival marked the beginning of professional baseball in northeast Indiana for many. However, the city boasts a rich baseball heritage that traces its roots to the very origins of the game. In fact, baseball and its record books begin with Fort Wayne. Over more than 135 years, dozens of teams have called Fort Wayne their homefield, making players into local legends and stars who excelled in the spotlight of baseball's biggest stage. Baseball in Fort Wayne recounts the sport's presence in the city, from the earliest days of 1871's Kekiongas to today's Wizards, as well as those who took the field in between.

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Baseball in Oklahoma City

9780738531892

$24.99

Oklahoma City is completing its first century of minor league baseball. Since 1904, organized professional teams called the Mets, Indians, Senators, Boosters, 89ers, and now the RedHawks have thrilled fans of all ages. Several fan-favorites who have graced the diamond for Oklahoma City have gone on to stardom in "The Big Show," including major league all-stars Lonnie Smith and Juan Gonzales. Legendary names like Rogers Hornsby and Bill Veeck have also played a part in Oklahoma City's baseball history. As the second century of baseball in Oklahoma City begins, the Oklahoma RedHawks continue the tradition of playing superb baseball in the "The Little Show," with perhaps another future major league all-star or two honing his skills before a capacity crowd at the Brick.

Baseball in Columbus

9780738523026

$24.99

In the spring of 1865, the first spring after the end of the Civil War, three baseball clubs were founded in downtown Columbus. This local enthusiasm for the game reflected the national trend during the post-war era, when baseball, or "base ball" as it was called, was spreading rapidly throughout the United States. Baseball in Columbus begins with these earliest baseball pioneers and tells the story of the national pastime in the capital city right up to the present-day Columbus Clippers of the International League. Columbus first made the "big leagues" in 1883 with the Columbus Buckeyes of the American Association, and local fans have embraced the city's teams and players ever since. Several of baseball's greats once wore a Columbus uniform during their minor league careers, including Enos Slaughter, Joe Garagiola, Harvey Haddix, Willie Stargell, Derek Jeter, and Bernie Williams.

Baseball in Ventura County

9780738547398

$24.99

Baseball on the West Coast dates back to 1847, when the New York Volunteer Regiment stationed in Santa Barbara batted around a cowhide-covered ball with a stick made from a mesquite branch. By 1873, Venturans were playing baseball at Seaside Park. The first local player to reach the major leagues was Charley Hall, who pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in 1906, followed by Fred Snodgrass, who brought along his New York Giants and the Chicago White Sox to Ventura County in 1913. The county has produced a major-league Most Valuable Player in Terry Pendleton, who won the honor in 1991 as the leader of the Atlanta Braves, and a No. 1 overall draft pick in Delmon Young, who was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2003. The county has also served as the home for minor-league teams affiliated with the Yankees, Braves, and Blue Jays.

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Baseball in Little Rock

9780738533001

$24.99

Professional baseball in Little Rock dates back to 1895. Fans in Arkansas' capital city have been entertained by Travelers' baseball for parts of three centuries. Using only one team name and playing on just two home fields, the Travelers have displayed stability unique in minor league baseball. The team is fan owned, another rarity in professional sports. Baseball in Little Rock follows the team's long diamond history, from the struggles of the Southern Association through the triumphs of the Texas League.

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Akron-Canton Baseball Heritage

9780738551135

$24.99

Baseball has a strong presence in the Akron-Canton area dating back to its formative years in the late 1880s with such teams as the Akron Acorns (1887), the Akron Akrons (1890), and the Canton Nadjys (1889). In the 1920s, manufacturing companies such as Goodyear and Firestone fielded baseball teams that battled for local bragging rights and opportunities for players to make the big leagues. Along with these industrial leagues, professional baseball found its way to the Akron-Canton area with minor-league teams including the Akron Yankees (1935-1941), the Canton-Akron Indians (1989-1996), and the Akron Aeros (1997-). In addition to teams affiliated with major-league ball clubs, this area gave birth to independent teams such as the Canton Crocodiles (1997-2001), the Canton Coyotes (2002), and others. Besides professional baseball gracing local fields, nearby universities have storied baseball programs of their own. These schools have turned out such major-league greats as Eugene Michael, Thurman Munson, and 1980 Cy Young winner Steve Stone. Akron-Canton Baseball Heritage offers a unique look into the history of baseball in the region with historic and present-day photographs.

New York Sluggers

9780738537856

$24.99

New York City was the original hotbed of baseball, so it is not surprising that fans in the five boroughs are very knowledgeable about the game. It did not take long after baseball was established in the city in the late 1850s for heavy hitters to rise in popularity. New York has continued to set the standard. When thinking about hitting, or better yet, smashing or crushing a baseball, the first team to come to mind is always the New York Yankees. Slugging was actually invented by the Yanks and was most prominently demonstrated by Babe Ruth. When Lou Gehrig joined the team in 1923, a one-two punch was established that set a standard seldom equaled in major-league history. Meanwhile, across the East River, the Giants manufactured lots of hitting, and the New York Nationals rattled the walls in the Polo Grounds. This book is a pictorial story of the sluggers that made history in New York, in both the American and National Leagues.

Cover image for New York Sluggers, isbn: 9780738537856

The KOM League Remembered

9780738533407

$24.99

The late 1940s and early 1950s was the Golden Age for minor league baseball. The National Pastime thrived in small town America with hundreds of professional teams in over 50 leagues playing at every level. The lowest rung of professional baseball--Class D, the "bush leagues"--was an exciting mix of returning soldiers and recent high school grads, all with dreams of climbing up the ladder to make it to the "big show." For seven seasons (1946-1952) the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League offered some of the most memorable bush league baseball of the era. Of the 1,588 young men who donned a KOM League uniform, in places like Independence, Kansas and Ponca City, Oklahoma, 30 made it to the majors and one made it to the Hall of Fame.

Baseball in Asheville

9780738516103

$24.99

Baseball has served as the pastime of preference in Asheville, North Carolina, for more than a century. Nearly anywhere a flat lot can be found in the rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, baseball has been played by locals and visitors alike, with many of the city's greatest thrills created by the hometown Tourists, who have been mainstays in the professional ranks for most of the past 80 years. Oates Park, where author Thomas Wolfe toiled as a batboy prior to attending the University of North Carolina, served as the home of the Mountaineers, Tourists, and the semi-pro Asheville Royal Giants during the first three decades of the 20th century until McCormick Field was built in the mid-1920s. The ballpark, just south of downtown Asheville, welcomed the likes of Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth during exhibition contests, while future Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Willie Stargell and current standouts Todd Helton and Juan Pierre honed their skills in the mountains on their way to the game's top level.

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Baseball in Trenton

9780738513102

$24.99

Professional baseball in Trenton, New Jersey, stumbled through the twentieth century with sporadic success. The state capital seemed lost amid the professional sports world in New York and Philadelphia. Years later, minor-league baseball returned to the city and to a fan base exceeding most in Double-A baseball.

Baseball in Trenton follows the spurts of success that saw the Senators, Dodgers, Phillies, and Giants place farm teams in the city, producing Hall of Famer Willie Mays and base stealer George Case. In 1993, a group of New Jersey entrepreneurs decided to bring minor-league baseball back to Trenton. The ambitious result was the Trenton Thunder, who became the most successful and consistent minor-league baseball team in the country. Baseball in Trenton is the first history of this incredible rise to glory.