ENGLISH

Ball, Bat and Bitumen (Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies)

By Sutter , L.M.

Book information

Year
2008
ISBN
0786435941, 9780786435944, 9780786452668
LCC
GV863.A53 S87 2009
Open Library ID
OL22685219M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
4 MB (4198829 bytes)
Pages
212\213
Topic
Education
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

They emerged from the mines, shook off the coal dust, and stepped onto the diamond. From the early 1900s to the 1950s, baseball games between mine workers were a small-town phenomenon, each team attracting avid and intensely loyal fans. Talented part-time athletes competed at the amateur, semi-pro and professional levels. Equally competitive were the coal company officials, who often brought in ringers, or players of exceptional ability, giving them easier jobs above ground or a padded pay packet. Based on interviews with surviving players, families of deceased players, and contemporary sources, this thoroughgoing history covers not only teams and leagues but their function within the mining communities of Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia. The book features a special section on African-American mining teams, a coalfield map and many photographs.

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