Baseball on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, 1866–1950
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About the Book
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.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Marty Payne
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 259
Bibliographic Info: 37 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9218-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5033-3
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Preface 1
Introduction 3
Part I—Frost Out of the Hands
1. Before the Shore 7
2. The First Pitch 11
3. Baseball Prevails 22
4. Grass in the Springtime 33
5. The Bushes Blossom 44
6. For the Almighty Dollar 59
7. End of an Era 77
Part II—The Baby Loop
8. No Town Too Small 93
9. The Eyes of Landis 104
10. Umpire Uprising 118
11. Chaos 124
12. Promise Kept 131
13. Transition 134
Part III—Heyday
14. Another League 145
15. Wonder Club 148
16. Secret Deal 158
17. Fog, Tomatoes, and Rabbits 166
18. Be Careful What You Wish For 171
Part IV—G.I. Jitters
19. Will Greenville Yield? 179
20. Watermelon, Skunks, and More Tomatoes 191
21. And Take Your Batboy with You 198
Afterword 207
Appendix A: Selected Biographical Sketches 209
Appendix B: Players and Umpires 222
Appendix C: Eastern Shore League Standings, 1922–1949 226
Chapter Notes 229
Bibliography 243
Index 247
