Essential Books on Minor League Baseball

Back in 1987 and again in 1998, a panel of SABR members compiled a list of books that should be in every personal baseball library. The first was before my time in SABR and the second I must not have been paying attention. But I was struck by the fact that only three titles related to the minor leagues were included. It's been eleven years since the list was compiled, so I wondered what books would be added by members of the Minor League Committee now.

An obvious choice would be the three editions of The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball by Lloyd Johnson and Miles Wolff. But there are others and I would be interested to know what you think they would be. Please send your list (ranked from top choice on down) to me here or write to my home address (please see the SABR online directory). This will also be posted in the Spring issue of the committee newsletter, Beating the Bushes. The results will appear in the Fall issue. (SABR and Minor League Committee members only please.)

Minor League Baseball Teams with Baseball in Wartime to Honor Veterans

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Minor League Baseball is partnering with the Baseball in Wartime organization this Memorial Day to remember all war veterans, especially those Minor League players who served in World War II.

On Monday, May 26, there will be a public address announcement at ballparks throughout the country that will honor all veterans and highlight the 4,000 Minor League Baseball players who served duringWorld War II, including the 113 who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, losing their lives in military training and combat.

"We are extremely pleased to be able to partner with the Baseball in Wartime project," said Minor League Baseball Senior Vice President, Business Operations John Cook. "We hope these efforts will increase awareness of the program, but more importantly, we want to pay tribute
to all veterans who served and specifically those who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II.

"Doing so in conjunction with the Memorial Day holiday in our ballparks is a natural tie-in and will be the first piece of what we hope to be an ongoing partnership between Minor League Baseball and Baseball in Wartime."

"Working with Minor League Baseball is the ultimate step in honoring these veteran athletes," stated Baseball in Wartime Founder and Editor Gary Bedingfield. "There is no doubt that Minor League Baseball played its part when the country needed it most, but this has largely been forgotten over the 60-plus years since the end of World War II. I hope this moment of remembrance will be the beginning of a permanent tribute to military veterans of Minor League Baseball."

Baseball in Wartime's main goal is to preserve the memories of professional baseball players who put down their bats and gloves and served their nation in World War II. The organization has a monthly newsletter and an extensive website (www.baseballinwartime.com) that now contains in excess of 650 biographies.

Gary Bedingfield
Baseball in Wartime (Founder and Editor)
www.baseballinwartime.com
garybed@gmail.com

Rex Hamann's Tombstone Efforts Recognized

The OnMilwaukee.com online magazine features a complimentary article on Minor League Committee member Rex Hamann and his efforts to purchase and erect tombstones for former American Association players without one. Rex has done excellent scholarly work on the minor league American Association and its teams over the years through his website and blog as well as his research journal, the American Association Almanac. (For more on his efforts to mark the graves of Dan Marion and Dan Lally, read Rex's blog entry posted here.)

(Thank you to Ron Henry for the article link.)

Yankee Effect in Scranton

This article from the New York Times describes the effect that Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's new affiliation with the Yankees has had on the city and surrounding area. (Thanks to Catherine Petroski for the heads-up on the SABRminorleagues Yahoo Group.)

What Class A Baseball Means

SABR member Joe Naiman recently wrote an article that briefly explains the minor league classification system. (He also mentions the late Vern Luse, longtime Minor League Committee member.)

PCL Historical Society Reunion

I found this article while searching Google for newspaper articles on minor league baseball history and wanted to pass it along. It';s about the PCL Historical Society Reunion held on May 9 in Long Beach, CA. SABR president and Society founder Dick Beverage was mentioned as well as SABR member Bill Soto-Castellanos, former San Francisco Seals batboy and author of 16th & Bryant: My Life & Education with the San Francisco Seals.