Category Archive: Articles.2023-TNP

The Empire of Freeport: Base Ball in Northern Illinois and Iowa in 1865

The Empire Base Ball Club of Freeport, Illinois, began its…

Did Bud Fowler Almost Break the Major-League Color Line In 1888?

  Bud Fowler’s election to the National Baseball…

Exit Stage Left: The Sad Farewell of Cap Anson

  Adrian “Cap” Anson was one of a handful of…

The 1906 World Series: The First World Series With Umpire Hand Signals

  While the World Series returns to us annually,…

The Chicago Green Sox

In 1912, Chicago was under consideration by two upstart baseball…

The White Stockings’ Fleet-Footed Preacher: Billy Sunday vs. the Alcohol Machine

  Mike “King” Kelly, Arlie Latham, Cap Anson,…

Guilty as Charged: Buck Weaver and the 1919 World Series Fix

  In mid-March 1921—amid delay in the criminal…
The National Pastime: Heart of the Midwest (2023)

The Endurance of Black Sox Mythology: Narrative Conventions and Poetic Form

Historians and scholars of the Big Fix and the Black Sox…

Which Manager Knew First That the 1919 World Series Was Fixed?

  Several players on the 1919 Chicago White Sox agreed…

Major League Baseball in Iowa: Iowa’s History of Hosting Negro League Contests

  The Washington Post described the so-called significance…

Chicago, Latina Culture, and Community of Women’s Baseball

While baseball’s origin story began on the East Coast,…

Hack Wilson: A Pugilist

“During his career in Chicago, Hack [Wilson] has indulged…

Stan Hack: Leadoff Batter Extraordinaire

  Ross Barnes was the first principal leadoff batter…

Handy Andy Pafko: A Wisconsin-Born Player Succeeds In Chicago And Milwaukee

Andy “Pruschka” Pafko was born to Czech parents in…

A Fox in White Sox

  In the modern game, a team’s fortune or failure…

The Path to the Cubs and White Sox from the Negro Leagues: 17 Barrier Breakers

  Numerous talents from the Negro Leagues made their…

The Michigan City White Caps

In the early 1950s, minor league baseball was in a decline.…

1967: A Perfect Season for Ken Holtzman: A Weekend Wonder in the Summer of Love

  The flip side of Ken Holtzman’s 1968 Topps baseball…

Bill Melton: The South Side’s First Home Run King

“Now it’s even. It’s neck and neck. We’ll start from…

Bill Veeck: The Second Time Around

  Bill Veeck had a decades-long baseball career.…

Editor’s Note: The National Pastime 2023

Welcome, my friends, not just to the Windy City, but…