Click the cover image or link below to download the PDF file (3.9 MB) of the 2012 The National Pastime: Short But Wondrous Summers, Baseball in the North Star State, No. 32. (Sorry, MOBI and EPUB versions are not available.)

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Organized professional baseball leagues first came to Minnesota in the mid-1870s. Various professional leagues then struggled to gain a permanent foothold until the American Association—one step below the majors—was organized in the early 1900s. The  Minneapolis Millers and St. Paul Saints captured the interest of Twin Cities baseball fans for nearly 60 years, and their streetcar-connected holiday twin bills—a game in the morning in one city and the afternoon in the other—highlighted the rivalry between the two cities and their teams. Finally, in 1961 the state had only one team to root for at the highest level when the Washington Senators moved to the Twin Cities and became the Minnesota Twins. Popular and successful throughout the 1960s, the team finally rewarded its fans with World Championships in 1987 and 1991.

Of course, there was much more to baseball in Minnesota than the majors and top minor leagues. The Northern League generated a strong following in several of Minnesota’s outstate cities. The University of Minnesota can boast a terrific baseball tradition, as can a number of smaller public and private colleges. For many years black players struggled for opportunities to play, occasionally working their way onto some integrated teams outside of Organized Baseball. Women, also, found opportunities to play the game. Inside, you’ll find these stories, too.

One of the pleasures of working on this book was getting to work with some of area’s foremost baseball historians, as the authors of the articles were universally timely, courteous, and helpful. In many ways this publication is a product of the Halsey Hall chapter, one of SABR’s most active and involved—although I may be a bit biased. Bob Tholkes, Minnesota’s expert on early baseball, reviewed a number of articles and otherwise helped edit and improve this volume. Another nineteenth and early twentieth century historian who knows more about baseball in Northern Minnesota than anyone else I know, Rich Arpi, reviewed several articles. Twins blogger and noted authority John Bonnes reviewed several, as did Mark Armour, chair of SABR’s biography project and a terrific writer and historian, even if not from Minnesota. Lastly, I need to thank Stew Thornley, Minnesota’s preeminent baseball historian, for taking the time to review the vast majority of the articles in this volume and offer his insights and support.

Along with a terrific lineup of articles, you will find a great assortment of interesting and unique images and photographs. Foremost thanks go to the Minnesota Twins, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the Star Tribune for letting us dig through their archives and allowing us to use their photos. Others who helped with images and photos include Fred Buckland, who graciously allowed us to use some of his postcards, Joel Rippel, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, several of the colleges and universities mentioned in the book, and many of the authors who contributed photographs for their articles. In addition, Dave Jensen was a big help in finding photos and tracking down permissions.

From the national SABR team, Cecilia Tan was a great help, letting me bounce my many questions off her and offering guidance and support. Fact-checker Cliff Blau proved tremendously valuable; his ability to rapidly turn around articles and correct errors on every subject was truly astounding.

The book you are holding tells the story of baseball in Minnesota, from the grand scope to the fascinating vignette. Turn the page and dig.

DANIEL R. LEVITT is the author of “The Battle That Forged Modern Baseball: The Federal League Challenge and Its Legacy,” released in the spring of 2012 by Rowman & Littlefield under its Ivan R. Dee imprint. He is also the author of “Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees’ First Dynasty,” a Seymour Medal finalist and co-author of “Paths to Glory: How Great Baseball Teams Got that Way,” winner of The Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two boys.

I spent my first years of any sort of organized athletics in Marshall, a small town in Southwestern Minnesota. Growing up with my older brother Jeff gave me an opportunity to play with the bigger kids. When I was eight or nine I hung around his youth baseball team, acting as an informal batboy. When his teammates missed games because they were on vacation or sick, I would fill in, and since I was pretty good for my age I found I could hold my own when given the chance.

I was nine when my family moved to Edina, outside of Minneapolis, where sports were much more regulated. I could no longer play up with my brother’s team and was stuck playing a year of cub softball. But the area had well-organized youth baseball, and over the next couple of years I played on some elite teams and at some of the best facilities in the region. At Edina East High School I made the varsity team at third base as a sophomore in 1977, a memorable year in which we made it all the way to the state championship game before losing to St. Peter.

After graduation I hoped to follow in the footsteps of Steve Ramler, another Edina player two years older than me who had gone to Oral Roberts University, but the baseball coach didn’t think I was good enough. Fortunately, University of Minnesota baseball coach George Thomas did. After the first day of practice he called me into his office and asked if I’d ever been a catcher. When I told him I hadn’t, Thomas said it was time I learned and that starting tomorrow, I was a catcher. No question, that moment made a big difference in my getting to the majors. My sophomore year I played with all three of New Ulm’s Steinbach brothers, including Terry, who went on to play many years in the majors.

The New York Mets drafted me in the seventh round after my junior year when I was named a first team All-American. I slowly worked my up through the Mets system, but after seven years I had plateaued at Triple-A. I was now a minor league free agent. Rather than retire, I signed a minor league contract with the Twins for 1989. The Twins called me up in June when Dan Gladden was injured, and in my first appearance I caught for Juan Berenguer. A couple of days later I had my first hit when I laced a Bryan Harvey pitch off the top of the left field Plexiglas. Angels left fielder Chili Davis played the carom perfectly, holding me to a single. Kirby Puckett, whom I knew from my days in the minors, liked to razz me that I hit the longest single in the history of the Metrodome.

Unfortunately, I only stayed in the big leagues for a short stint, and after the season the Twins released me. I still thought I could play major league baseball, however, and signed with the Atlanta Braves. My persistence was finally about to run into some good luck. Because spring training in 1990 was delayed due to a short lockout, teams were allowed to carry 27-man rosters through April 30.

I started the season in the minors, but was called up almost immediately to be the team’s third catcher. When I finally had a chance to catch a couple of weeks into the season, Tom Glavine was the pitcher. Glavine liked working with me and asked manager Russ Nixon to allow me catch him going forward. Because I was also hitting well I soon became the team’s regular catcher and even made the All-Star team.

The next season, 1991, was my most enjoyable in baseball. Every player’s dream is to play in the World Series, and here I was, not only in it, but playing against my hometown Minnesota Twins. I caught every inning in that seven-game series, but unfortunately we came out at the short end in one of baseball’s most famous Game Sevens.

I was able to be a part of Minnesota’s baseball tradition at nearly all levels. From youth baseball to the World Series, I experienced some of the best moments the sport has to offer. I remain involved today, working with young baseball players hoping for a chance to play at a higher level. As long as there are young people who love the game and are willing to work at it, Minnesota should have many more kids following in my footsteps.

GREG OLSON is a Minnesota native and a former All-Star catcher in the major leagues.