Softball & Baseball
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Issue # 39 April 2011 Central Illinois Teaching with Primary Sources Newsletter EASTERN ILLINOIS UNI VERSITY SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UN IVERSITY EDWARDSVILLE Fast Pitch: Softball & Baseball INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Topic Introduction 2 Connecting to Illinois 3 Close to Home 3 Learn More with 4 American Memory In The Classroom 6 Test Your Knowledge 9 Image Sources 10 CONTACTS Melissa Carr [email protected] Editor Cindy Rich [email protected] Amy Wilkinson [email protected] eiu.edu/~eiutps/newsletter P a g e 2 B a s e b a l l F a s t P i t c h Welcome to the Central Illinois Teaching with Primary Baseball has had its share of controversies. In the Sources Newsletter. Our goal is to bring you topics that 1800s, professional and amateur connect to the Illinois Learning Standards as well as teams were segregated, with very few introduce you to amazing items from the Library of integrated professional league Congress. Baseball is mentioned specifically within the teams. In July 1887, the following Illinois Learning Standards (found within goal, International League banned standard, benchmark or performance descriptors). 21- contracts with black players Develop team building skills by working with others altogether. African-Americans through physical played in the short lived ―negro activity. There are leagues‖ formed in the late 1800s. numerous amounts of Some interracial games occurred Information from the when major league white teams Library of Congress on played black teams in baseball and softball. ―barnstorming‖ games. In If I were to include Mexico, Cuba and other parts of everything this would Latin America, professional turn into a book rather baseball was not segregated. than a newsletter, so please go to the Library’s website Many African-Americans would and search this topic for more primary sources. play baseball there in the winter Popcorn, hot dogs and the crack of the bat as it hits the as well as in Negro Leagues in ball out of the park, what a great way to spend a warm the United States in the summer. summer’s day. Many Americans enjoy baseball, whether Jackie Robinson became the first cheering on your team, swinging the bat for African-American to play in the major your school or in your own backyard. Baseball Many African-American leagues in 1947. Many African- has traveled a long road in becoming players had the skill to American players had the skill to ―America’s Pastime‖. compete with their white compete with their white counterparts Pinpointing the beginning of baseball is hard to counterparts on the field but on the field but Robinson showed he do but it seems similar to the British game of Robinson showed he had the had the ability to handle the pressure off the field. He endured Jim Crow laws, rounders. Each team has nine players, four ability to handle the bases, a bat and ball, but in the early game of pressure off the field. taunts by white players and fans and rounders to get a batter out you hit them with even death threats. Through tough times, baseball continues to be America’s sport. Every the ball. Baseball became an organized sport in the 1840s and by 1860 replaced cricket as America’s most spring there are kids swinging their bats, breaking in popular game. But baseball was still considered an their gloves and rounding the bases for that game amateur sport. The Cincinnati Red Stockings became winning homerun. the first all - Library of Congress, America’s Story, Accessed 3.7.11 professional baseball Library of Congress, American Memory, Accessed 3.7.11 team. They toured the Major League Baseball, Baseball Discovered, Accessed 3.7.11 country in 1869 playing 60 games and winning every one. eiu.edu/~eiutps/newsletter S o f t b a l l P a g e 3 Connecting to Illinois Let’s move our focus to participating each summer. This the roots of softball, makes softball the number one which are firmly planted team participant sport in in the state of Illinois. In America. From ponytail league 1887 at the Chicago to high school, college and Farragut Boat Club, a the Olympics, where the U.S. group of young men women’s team has won three were gathered when gold medals, softball has someone picked up a boxing glove and gained recognition as a great threw it at another man who then hit the glove with a American sport. pole, this was the birth of softball. It also could have Amateur Softball Association, History of Softball, Accessed been the end but George Hancock became entranced 3.7.11 with the game and in a few days Paraclete High School, History of Softball, Accessed he created a ball, bat and rules for Softball’s popularity 3.7.11 this new game. Hancock and his continues to grow with over USA Softball, History of the USA Softball Women’s National friends divided up into two teams 40 million people Team at the Olympic Games, Accessed 3.7.11 and played ball. The final score participating each summer. was 41-40 and indoor baseball Illinois High School Association, History of Girl’s Softball was invented. before IHSA Sponsorship, Accessed 3.7.11 Chicago’s West Division High School formed the first women’s team in 1895. Close to Home—Heartland Highways Although indoor baseball’s popularity Each month we share a link to a relevant was spreading at a tremendous rate, episode of Heartland Highways that provides creating a fan base proved difficult. The additional information featuring people and team also had problems securing a places right here in central Illinois. Heartland coach until 1899. This would all change Highways is a production of WEIU and with the Spalding Indoor Base Ball episodes are available to view online at Guide of 1904. The issue devoted a http://www.weiu.net/hh (select the season large section to women’s indoor on the right side of the page and then the baseball, this helped draw episode). attention to the sport. Season Nine Episode 904: Did somebody say collector? In 1926, Walter Hakanson, Lori and Kate take you to a YMCA official suggested a Olney to visit Dave name change for the sport Cunningham. Dave’s from indoor baseball to collection consists of more softball. With a new name, than 110 baseball gloves rules, and interest from and nearly 40 vintage fans and players, the next softball gloves. Then they will step was to nationalize visit the Casey Softball Hall of Honor and Museum which softball, in 1933. Softball’s is also home to the Illinois Amateur Softball Association popularity continues to grow Hall of Fame. with over 40 million people eiu.edu/~eiutps/newsletter P a g e 4 B a s e b a l l Learn more with American memory collections Baseball and Jackie Robinson Photographs from the Chicago Daily News, 1902-1933 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/robinson/index.html http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/ichihtml/cdnhome.html Jackie Robinson was a talented athlete and was the first Urban life between 1902 and 1933 is captured by student at UCLA to letter in four different sports. This photographers employed at the Chicago Daily News. talent would take him far, not only in During this time newspapers were the primary media of baseball but in the battle for civil rights. mass communication. The Chicago Daily News was a April 15th will mark the 64th main form of communication with a daily circulation of anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s rookie 446,803. Over 20,000 season. Robinson became the first of the images in this African-American in the twentieth collection are of sports century to play major league baseball and sporting events. No breaking the ―color-line‖. He faced sport was as popular many obstacles in his career; Jim as baseball, which had Crow laws, taunts from those wanting to keep baseball won the title of segregated and death threats. Robinson addressed these ―national pastime‖ by obstacles with great composure. One month before he 1911. In his book America’s National Game, retired from baseball, Jackie Robinson received the Albert Spalding claims ―Baseball is the American game Spingarn Medal from the NAACP recognizing his ―superb par excellence because it’s playing demands brain and sportsmanship‖. brawn.‖ A search for baseball will return images of players, ball fields including Chicago’s famous Comiskey Library of Congress, American Memory, Accessed 3.8.11 Park, home of the White Sox and Wrigley Field, home of America from the Great Depression to World War II: the Chicago Cubs. Players caught in black and white Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945 include such greats as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsowhome.html Library of Congress, American Memory, Accessed 3.8.11 The photographs of the Farm Security Administration- Panoramic Photographs, Taking the Long View, 1851- Office of War Information Photograph Collection form an 1991 extensive pictorial record http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/panoramic_photo/ of American life between index.html 1935 and 1945. The images show Americans at Shortly after the invention of photography in 1839, the home, work and play with desire to show overviews of cities and landscapes an emphasis on rural life. prompted photographers to create panoramas. Most of this collection Panoramic photography proved to be the perfect way to covers the hardships of capture large scenes such as baseball fields. Bennett the Great Depression but images of everyday people Park, Exposition Park and Fenway Park are just a few of enjoying a game of baseball show that happy moments the baseball fields caught in panoramic photographs.