Ball, Bat and Bitumen: A History of Coalfield Baseball in the Appalachian South

L.M. Sutter

Jan 2009 · Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies Book 21 · McFarland

About this ebook

They emerged from the mines, shook off the coal dust, and stepped onto the diamond. From the early 1900s to the 1950s, baseball games between mine workers were a small-town phenomenon, each team attracting avid and intensely loyal fans. Talented part-time athletes competed at the amateur, semi-pro and professional levels. Equally competitive were the coal company officials, who often brought in ringers, or players of exceptional ability, giving them easier jobs above ground or a padded pay packet. Based on interviews with surviving players, families of deceased players, and contemporary sources, this thoroughgoing history covers not only teams and leagues but their function within the mining communities of Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia. The book features a special section on African-American mining teams, a coalfield map and many photographs.

Ratings and reviews

It was great reading abut my family is this book. My Grandfather and his brothers were from Benham and played for the Benham Harvester Sluggers. This book sheds a light on what brought and kept them in Benham. I loved it and would recommend this book to anyone from the area

About the author

L.M. Sutter is an artist, writer and baseball fan. She is a member of SABR and lives in southwest Virginia.