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From Winchester to Tidewater and Danville to Fairfax, the black teams of Virginia played their form of Negro league baseball for five decades in pastures, parks, and--for a fortunate few--minor league stadiums. Charismatic athletes displayed the same fast-paced play and showmanship of the Negro leagues during Jim Crow segregation, the civil rights movement, and the early stages of integration. This history reveals the importance of black baseball in the stories of Old Dominion families and communities, as well as of the players who gave it their all on the field after a hard day's work as mechanics, truck drivers, loggers, and shipyard workers. The second edition provides further insight about the early days of black baseball with a new chapter on Virginia native and black baseball legend Pete Hill.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
I.¿Pete Hill, a Legacy Nearly Lost (by Zann Nelson)
II.¿Top of the Order, 1930-1940
III.¿Heart of the Order, 1940-1950
IV.¿Uncrowned Champions, 1950-1960
V.¿Bases Loaded, 1960-1970
VI.¿Bottom of the Order, 1970-1980
VII.¿Race Against Time
VIII.¿Game Over: Vacant Sandlots
Appendix 1: Norfolk Journal and Guide Baseball Directory
Appendix 2: Leagues and Teams
Appendix 3: Virginia Player Register
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Darrell J. Howard, author, consultant, researcher and SABR member, lives in Barboursville Virginia.
