Pictured is the legendary Myers Field c. 1950, where Norfolk ballplayers, visiting major league stars, and Piedmont League opponents once dueled upon its dirt and grass. The story of baseball in Norfolk, Virginia is as fascinating and enduring as the game itself. Christy Mathewson, Phil Rizzuto, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, and a myriad of other charismatic players from the game spent time developing their raw and untested skills on the diamonds of Norfolk. Military stars of the powerful World War II Navy teams and legends of the Negro Leagues performed to the delight and fascination of local fans. Over the years, the mighty New York Yankees with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio showcased their mythical talents during scheduled exhibitions, as did dozens of other big league teams and their stars. The images depicted within this pictorial feature only a fragment of the vast chronology of the game of baseball as it was played in Norfolk over the years. They allow the reader to revisit the past, examine the present, and ponder the future of baseball in the city of Norfolk. All photographs were painstakingly selected by the authors for their dynamic visual appeal and historical impact to accurately reflect the story of baseball in Norfolk.

This is one of the most important baseball books to be published in a long time, taking a comprehensive look at black participation in the national pastime from 1858 through 1900. It provides team rosters and team histories, player biographies, a list of umpires and games they officiated and information on team managers and team secretaries. Well known organizations like the Washington's Mutuals, Philadelphia Pythians, Chicago Uniques, St. Louis Black Stockings, Cuban Giants and Chicago Unions are documented, as well as lesser known teams like the Wilmington Mutuals, Newton Black Stockings, San Francisco Enterprise, Dallas Black Stockings, Galveston Flyaways, Louisville Brotherhoods and Helena Pastimes. Player biographies trace their connections between teams across the country. Essays frame the biographies, discussing the social and cultural events that shaped black baseball. Waiters and barbers formed the earliest organized clubs and developed local, regional and national circuits. Some players belonged to both white and colored clubs, and some umpires officiated colored, white and interracial matches. High schools nurtured young players and transformed them into powerhouse teams, like Cincinnati's Vigilant Base Ball Club. A special essay covers visual representations of black baseball and the artists who created them, including colored artists of color who were also baseballists.

This work focuses on the Norfolk team (nicknamed the Mary Janes), which played in the Virginia, Eastern and Atlantic leagues. Much attention is given to the players, coaches and teams of the Virginia League and the local news coverage from 1884 through 1928 as well as the business of baseball, the relations between major and minor league teams, and the controversy over hosting professional baseball games on Sundays. Photographs of the players, cartoons, and an appendix of league statistics are included.

From 1895 until 1969, the city of Portsmouth, Virginia, fielded a professional minor league team. Fans flocked to see the Truckers, Cubs, Merrimacs, and Tides as they battled opponents on the dirt and grass of local diamonds. Many locals are surprised to discover that such renowned ballplayers as Pie Traynor, Hack Wilson, Eddie Stanky, and Harry "The Cat" Breechen got their start in Portsmouth. In 1933, Negro League legend Buck Leonard first played for the Portsmouth Revels and later returned to briefly star with the 1953 Merrimacs, his only opportunity to play integrated ball during his storied career. A number of former big-name players guided the team from the bench including Tony Lazzeri, Jimmie Foxx, and Pepper Martin to name a few. The images in this pictorial volume showcase only a fragment of the vast chronology of baseball as it was played in Portsmouth over the years. Yet their visual appeal and historical representation of the game allow the reader to experience and recall what it was once like to have the National Pastime as an integral part of the city.

In Baseball: The People's Game, Dorothy Seymour Mills and Harold Seymour produce an authoritative, multi-volume chronicle of America's national pastime. The first two volumes of this study -The Early Years and The Golden Age -won universal acclaim. The New York Times wrote that they "will grip every American who has invested part of his youth and dreams in the sport," while The Boston Globe called them "irresistible." Now, in The People's Game, the authors offer the first book devoted entirely to the history of the game outside of the professional leagues, revealing how, from its early beginnings up to World War II, baseball truly became the great American pastime. They explore the bond between baseball and boys through the decades, the game's place in institutions from colleges to prisons to the armed forces, the rise of women's baseball that coincided with nineteenth century feminism, and the struggles of black players and clubs from the later years of slavery up to the Second World War. Whether discussing the birth of softball or the origins of the seventh inning stretch, the Seymours enrich their extensive research with fascinating details and entertaining anecdotes as well as a wealth of baseball experience. The People's Game brings to life the central role of baseball for generations of Americans. Note: On August 2, 2010, Oxford University Press made public that it would credit Dorothy Seymour Mills as co-author of the three baseball histories previously "authored" solely by her late husband, Harold Seymour. The Seymours collaborated on Baseball: The Early Years (1960), Baseball: The Golden Age (1971) and Baseball: The People's Game (1991).

BACK ISSUE Under the guidance of Leslie Heaphy and an editorial board of leading historians, this peer-reviewed, annual book series offers new, authoritative research on all subjects related to black baseball, including the Negro major and minor leagues, teams, and players; pre-Negro League organization and play; barnstorming; segregation and integration; class, gender, and ethnicity; the business of black baseball; and the arts. Prior to Volume 9, Black Ball was published as Black Ball: A Negro Leagues Journal. This is a back issue of that journal.

Baseball is the only major team sport that doesn't feature a clock, and there's a familiar saying among fans that as long as outs remain, the game can, theoretically, go on forever. Every now and again, it nearly does, as author Phil Lowry demonstrates. The product of more than four decades of research, this book catalogs baseball games from around the world and throughout history that lasted 20 or more innings, stretched five or more hours, or ended after 1:00 am. Lowry also examines probability models to predict how often games of unusual length will occur.