Description
Book Synopsis By 1900 Maryland''s Eastern Shore, along the western side of the Delmarva Peninsula, was acknowledged in the national press as a hotbed of baseball activity. By the 1920s the game was fully ingrained into local community life, central to the summer social season among the towns and villages that measured their worth by the quality of their teams.
Providing fresh insight into early 20th century baseball at its grassroots, this book explores the Chesapeake Bay region as a case study for the enthusiasm (and hubris) the game brought to rural American life, in context with national trends and influences.
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I—Frost Out of the Hands
- 1. Before the Shore
- 2. The First Pitch
- 3. Baseball Prevails
- 4. Grass in the Springtime
- 5. The Bushes Blossom
- 6. For the Almighty Dollar
- 7. End of an Era
- Part II—The Baby Loop
- 8. No Town Too Small
- 9. The Eyes of Landis
- 10. Umpire Uprising
- 11. Chaos
- 12. Promise Kept
- 13. Transition
- Part III—Heyday
- 14. Another League
- 15. Wonder Club
- 16. Secret Deal
- 17. Fog, Tomatoes, and Rabbits
- 18. Be Careful What You Wish For
- Part IV—G.I. Jitters
- 19. Will Greenville Yield?
- 20. Watermelon, Skunks, and More Tomatoes
- 21. And Take Your Batboy with You
- Afterword
- Appendix A: Selected Biographical Sketches
- Appendix B: Players and Umpires
- Appendix C: Eastern Shore League Standings, 1922–1949
- Chapter Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
