Baseball In Indianapolis

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.

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.

Indiana boasts a rich baseball tradition, with 10 native sons enshrined in Cooperstown. This biographical dictionary provides a close look at the lives of all 364 Hoosier big leaguers, who include New York City’s first baseball superstar; the first rookie pitcher to win three games in a World Series; the man who caught most of Cy Young’s record 511 career wins; one of the game’s first star relievers; the player who held the record for consecutive games played before Lou Gehrig; an obscure infielder mentioned in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip; baseball’s only one-legged pitcher; Indiana’s first Mr. Basketball, who became one of baseball’s greatest pinch-hitters; the first African American to play for the Cincinnati Reds; the only pitcher to throw a perfect game in the World Series; the skipper of the 1969 “Miracle Mets”; the pitcher for whom a ground-breaking surgical procedure is named; and the only two men to have played in both the World Series and the Final Four of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

The Indianapolis ABCs were formed around the turn of the century, playing company teams from around the city; they soon played other teams in Indiana, including some white teams. Their emergence coincided with the remarkable growth of black baseball, and by 1916 the ABCs won their first major championship. When the Negro National League was formed in 1920, Indianapolis was one of its charter members. But player raids by the Eastern Colored League, formed in 1923, hurt the ABCs and by the Depression the team was fading into oblivion. The team was briefly resurrected as a Negro league team in the late 1930s, but was otherwise relegated to the semiprofessional ranks until its demise in the 1940s. Through contemporary newspaper accounts, extensive research and interviews with the few former ABC players still living, this is the story of the Indianapolis team and the rise of Negro League baseball. The work includes a roster of ABC players, with short biographies of the most prominent.

The Indianapolis Indians have been one of America's premier minor-league franchises for decades under the leadership of Max Schumacher. "Extra Innings" reveals the many unforgettable players and moments of Schumacher's career with the Indianapolis Indians, which began in 1957. It includes the stories behind familiar names such as Harmon Killebrew, Dave DeBusschere, George Foster, Dave Concepcion, Pedro Borbón, and both Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr., Howard Kellman and "R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-azor Shines," along with many others who have contributed to the Indian's colorful history. Max shares his stories about the team's historic ballparks, creative promotions, front office challenges, conflicts with major-league affiliates, and the thrills that only championships can bring. Schumacher is uniquely positioned to tell the backstories that will inform and delight fans of all ages and holds nothing back in this unique collection. -- back cover.

For nearly 140 years, Indiana University baseball has thrived on the unexpected. For instance: Coach Bob Morgan missed his Gatorade bath, but not his 1,000th career victory. Mike Smith rocked college pitching to win the first Triple Crown in NCAA Division I history. An ill-fated shower cost the Hoosiers a 1949 run at NCAA tourney success. Bob Lawrence made more with his 1958 pro baseball signing bonus ($50,000) than 1950s superstar slugger Ted Kluszewski ever made in a season ($40,000). Mike Crotty came to the plate looking like a middle aged man-until blasting future major league star Matt Anderson's first pitch off the scoreboard for IU's most memorable post-season home run. Bob Lawrence could have begun his head-coaching career with any patsy in the country; instead, he chose top-ranked Miami of Florida.

The storied history of the Indianapolis ABCs stretches back to a saloon team at the beginning of the twentieth century. Led by superstar Oscar Charleston (regarded by many as the finest of all Negro League players) and managed by C. I. Taylor, the ABCs laid claim to the 1916 black world championship and were one of black baseball's most competitive, longest-lived teams. By 1917, the ABCs were playing for a full schedule against top teams from all over the eastern United States. The ABCs were charter members of the Negro National League and hosted the league's inaugural game on May 2, 1920. Player raids by teams from the Eastern Colored League, formed in 1923, hurt the ABCs and by the Depression the club was fading. The team was briefly resurrected as a Negro League team in the late 1930s, but was otherwise relegated to the semiprofessional ranks until its final game in 1940. Drawing from contemporary newspaper accounts, extensive research and player interviews, this is the story of the Indianapolis team and the rise of Negro League baseball. Team rosters, player statistics and biographies are included.

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.