Swinging for the Fences: Black Baseball in Minnesota
by Steven R. Hoffbeck
Category: History

From the early formation of barnstorming teams that toured the state to the moment Dave Winfield hit number three thousand, Minnesota's African American ball players have made the state a land of baseball. However, the stories of many black players parallel the larger struggle for civil rights. Those tales, collected here for the first time, show how teamwork on and off the field led first to acceptance, then to admiration and triumph. Swinging for the Fences is the first collection to highlight the thrilling and controversial landmarks in the history of black baseball in the North Star State. Award-winning author Steven R. Hoffbeck assembled a stellar team of writers--and baseball fanatics--to tell the great stories of black baseball's past, from establishment of the color lines to dazzling hits by black heroes that led the Twins to victory over the Cardinals in '87. Each chapter focuses on one key player, and through these windows into their lives and livelihoods, their plays and passions, readers get an intimate look at the national pastime as it has evolved over the last century and more. Featured here are Hall of Famers like Willie Mays, Roy Campanella, and Kirby Puckett and great players like Walter Ball, John Wesley Donaldson, and Bud Fowler, who, because of their race, never made the stats books. These are stories of the bonds that formed between players, of legendary moments in baseball's past, and of real people whose love of the game kept them playing against tough odds.