Ball, Bat And Bitumen (contributions To Southern Appalachian Studies)
by L. M. Sutter /
2008 / English / PDF
4 MB Download
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.
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.
