NC Sports Annotated Topical Bibliography
BASEBALL

Blahnik, J. Mudhens and Mavericks: The New Illustrated Guide to Minor League Baseball.
Covers some North Carolina parks and teams.
New York: Viking Studio Books, 1995. ISBN 0-14-024016-0

Browning, Wilt. Rocks: The True Story of the Worst Team in Baseball History. Asheboro, N.C.: Down Home Press, 1992.

Cheatham, Mike. Class of the Carolinas. Asheville, N.C.: Bee Tree Books, 1992.
ISBN 0-9634240-0-9

Chrisman, David. The History of the Piedmont League.
Begins with highlights from the league's inception in 1920 (Greensboro and Asheville dominance) through 1955 when Lynchburg and Roanoke assumed dominance. Gives excellent overview of the piedmont league in a readable manner. Bend, OR: Maverick Publications, 1986.

Chrisman, David F. History of the Virginia League (1900-1928, 1939-51) . Bend, OR.: Maverick Publications, 1988.

Coombs, Jack. Baseball: Individual Play and Team Strategy.
The author, a former Duke University baseball coach, presents an intricate position-by-position breakdown of the game, inning by inning game management and an injury prevention guide. New York: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1947.

D'Armi, Tom. Daddy, Will You Play Catch With Me?
A "how-to" for aspiring little league coaches. Emphasis on form, technique, mental strategies and conditioning. West Point, Miss.: Sullivan's Printing Company, 1975.

Doak, C.G. Baseball: How to Play and How to Coach It.
An instrumental manual on baseball by a legendary coach. Raleigh, N.C: Mendenhall's Print Shop, 1936.

Dunnagan, Macon Rush. Red Strings Baseball Team of Yadkin County, N.C. 1896-1902. New Bern, N.C.: Owen G. Dunn, 1956.

Fite, H. Four Indian Summers.
Baseball in North Carolina and Especially about Lexington Baseball. Charlotte, N.C: Delmar Company, 1984.

Green, Ron. From Tobacco Road to Amen Corner: On Sports and Life.
Award winning Charlotte Observer columnist compiles his greatest articles on Baseball, Basketball, Golf, Football, Boxing, Racing, Pool and Politics. Covers some of the outstanding sports heroes in North Carolina. A superb collection of columns. Asheboro, N.C: Down Home Press, 1990. ISBN 0-9624255-9-1

Guttmann, Al. A Whole New Ball Game: An Interpretation of American Sports.
Presents a selective history of American sports which examines sports within the framework of popular culture. Chapter 1 defines key terms and looks at various paradigmatic conceptions of sport. Chapter 2 describes the sporting life of the pre-Columbian native American. Chapter 3 critically reviews evidence relating to the Puritan attitude toward sport. Chapter 4 focuses on the activities of the Southern sportsman, including cockfights and horse races. Chapter 5 addresses the national pastime of baseball. Chapter 6 explores the doctrine of 'muscular Christianity', and Chapter 7 looks at the evolution of the concept of adult-sponsored child's play. Chapter 8 discusses the anomaly of intercollegiate athletics. Chapters 9 and 10 confront the issues of racism and sexism. Chapter 11 describes the destruction of the body through sport, and the final two chapters critique modern sport and speculate about the future of sport in America. Chapel Hill, N.C: University of North Carolina Press, 1988. ISBN 0-907817864

Hunter, Jim and Armen Keteyian. Catfish: My Life in Baseball.
The Hertford, N.C. native recalls his tumultuous days as the Yankees closer, his greatest games and a reflection on his "toughest outs." An excellent biography of Catfish. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1988. ISBN 0-07-031371-7

Kaplan, Jim. Playing the Field: Why Defense is the Most Fascinating Art in Major League Baseball.
A look at the maneuvers and skills of Major League Baseball's defensive gems including Johnny Bench, Bill Mazeroski and Mike Schmidt. Introduction by former Kansas City Royal Manager Dick Howser. Published in North Carolina. Chapel Hill, N.C: Algonquin Books, 1987. ISBN 0-912697

Kirkland, B. Eddie Neville of the Durham Bulls.
The story of Eddie Neville and his exploits with the Durham Bulls. A story of a local hero from Durham representing many aspects of minor league sports heroes. Jefferson, N.C: MacFarland & Company, 1993. ISBN 0-89950-862-6

Lamb, David. Stolen Season: A Journey Through America and Baseball's Minor Leagues.
The author, a reporter for the LA Times, journeys through the backroads of minor league baseball from the Stockton Ports to the Durham Bulls. An excellent section on the Durham Bulls. New York: Warner Books, 1991. ISBN 0-446-39415-7

Leonard, Buck and James Riley. Buck Leonard: The Black Lou Gehrig, The Hall of Famer's Story in His Own Words.
Eyewitness account of the history of the Negro leagues, which paved the way for Jackie Robinson to break into the Major Leagues. Great autobiography of a Rocky Mount, N.C., native who could play the game of baseball. A fine tribute to a fine athlete. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 1995. ISBN 0-7867-0119-6

Libby, Bill. Catfish: The Three Million Dollar Pitcher.
Biography of the Ahoskie, N.C., native who was the highest paid pitcher in baseball with the Yankees and A's. Includes numerous photographs. New York: Coward, McCann, & Geoghegan, 1976. ISBN 698-10736-5

MacNelly, Jeff. The Athletic Shoe.
Compilation of comic strips from the Pulitzer Prize winning author of SHOE. SHOE is based upon a noted School of Journalism Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. The author is a graduate of Carolina. New York: St. Martins Press, 1991. ISBN 0-312-04873-4

MacNelly, Jeff. How Many Next Years Do You Get In Baseball.
The comic strip character goes to Wrigley Field for baseball hi-jinx. MacNelly at his best with baseball-related cartoons. Chicago: Bonus Books, 1988. ISBN 0-933893-51-5

Miller, James Edward. The Baseball Business: Pursuing Pennants & Profits in Baltimore.
Focus on the front office and farm system of the Orioles since they moved from St. Louis in 1953. Addresses preliminary discussions to replace Memorial Stadium with Camden Yards and the impact of owner Edgar Bennett Williams. Published by The University of North Carolina Press. A good example of what will be found under the North Carolina Publishing Houses anthology. Chapel Hill, N.C: University of North Carolina Press, 1990. ISBN 0-8078-1876-3

O'Neal, Bill. The Southern League: Baseball in Dixie, 1885-1994.
A well researched and documented look at Southern League teams in Asheville and Charlotte. Detailed statistics are included. Austin, Tex.: Eakin Press, 1994. ISBN 0-89015-952-1

Quigley, Martin. The Crooked Pitch: The Curveball in American Baseball History.
Discussion of the curveball as the game's great equalizer. Includes a discussion of the spit pitch and doctored baseballs. Published in North Carolina. Chapel Hill, N.C: Algonquin Books, 1984. ISBN 0-912697-82-2

Reising, Robert. Jim Thorpe: Tar Heel.
The author, a professor at Pembroke State, presents a personal look at America's "Athlete of the Half Century" when he played baseball for the Eastern Carolina League in 1909-10. A must for Native American historians in sport. Rocky Mount, N.C.: CommuniquE Inc., 1974.

Shannon, Mike. The Day Satchel Paige and the Pittsburgh Crawfords Came to Hertford, N.C
A series of baseball stories and poems using Hertford, N.C. as a theme. Focuses on Mantle and Mays. Shannon, is the editor of Spitball, the literary baseball magazine. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 1992. ISBN 0-89950-711-5

Shores, R.M. (Pat). Just Like It Was.
Lighthearted, reflective autobiography of how the author participated in a wide variety of sports in the early 20th century, before commercialization and a win-at-all costs mentality took hold. The author resides in N.C. and covers some minor league baseball teams he played with in Carolina. New York: Carlton Press, 1975.

Slaughter, Enos and Kevin Reid. Country Hardball: The Autobiography of Enos "Country" Slaughter.
Autobiography of the Roxboro, N.C. native, an all-around player who led the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series title in 1942 and 1946. Greensboro, N.C.: Tudor Publishers, 1991. ISBN 0-936389-23-0

Smith, M. J. Baseball: A Comprehensive Bibliography: Supplement One, 1985-May 1992. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1993. ISBN 0-899507000

Starling, Robert. 7 Years in Little League Baseball.
Memoirs of a five time champion coach of the Greenville, N.C. Lions. Discusses common mistakes of little leaguers and their parents. Charlotte, N.C.: Heritage Press, 1963. LOC 63-14264

Sumner, Jim. Separating the Men from the Boys: The First Half-Century of the Carolina League.
Fifty year history of the Carolina League and its future Major Leaguers: Gooden, Dykstra, Bonds, Avery. Team histories in Winston-Salem, Raleigh and other N.C. cities. Interesting side-bars, anecdotes (Jim Thorpe coming south, etc.) A must for baseball historians in North Carolina. Winston-Salem, N.C.: John F. Blair, 1994. ISBN 0-89587-112-2

Werber, Bill. Circling the Bases.
The author, who played baseball at Duke, traces his career from the sand-lots, to college and the major leagues. Chapters are devoted to the: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Athletics and Cincinnati Reds. St. Paul, Minn., 1978.

Willis, Eulis. NAVASSA: The Town and Its People: 1735-1991.
Inspired by Alex Haley's Roots. The author traces his own heritage in Navassa, N.C. (pop. 579) Includes a bibliography of books written about the Cape Fear River and Brunswick County, N.C.. Section on sports and the role of baseball is of interest to African-Americans. Navassa, N.C., 1993.

Wolff, Miles. A Season of the Owl.
The Durham, N.C., resident's second book. Similar story line as To Kill a Mockingbird. The small town of Centerville, Ohio, crazy for its baseball team, is shaken by the discovery of a body and the questions surrounding the Centerville Owls' manager. A good baseball read by the previous owner of the Durham Bulls. New York: Stein and Day, 1980. ISBN 0-8128-2744-9



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