BOOK REVIEWS a History of Australian Baseball: Time and Game
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BOOK REVIEWS Sport History Review, 2006, 37, 176-184 © 2006 Human Kinetics, Inc. A History of Australian Baseball: Time and Game By Joe Clark, Published in 2003 by University of Nebraska Press (187 pp., US$29.95). Reviewed by Ryan Bostrom, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario. I pleasantly accepted the opportunity to write a book review of A History of Aus- tralian Baseball, by Joe Clark, because, as Iʼm sure many in North America would agree, anything about Australia is just plain fascinating. From the strange beauty of the Australian ecology to the obviously westernized, yet oddly different culture of its people, Australia intrigues. Just as well, for me, Aussie sport is equally intrigu- ing. Basically, my understanding of Australian sport is limited. I know that cricket, rugby, and Aussie rules football are extremely popular, whereas North American sports are not that common. As I read this book, I quickly came to realize the true depth of the Australian sporting heritage. Australia is defi nitely not an exclusive “three-sport nation.” Joe Clarkʼs book was enlightening, as it introduced me to the often-overlooked history of Australian baseball. In his book, A History of Australian Baseball, Clark effectively describes the development of baseball in Australia. Through broadly surveying the material, Clark, in essence, is able to span a 150-year history in a relatively short book. From humble beginnings in the 19th century as off-season cricket practice to independence and international success in the 21st century, Clark captures the pivotal moments in Australian baseballʼs turbulent history. Clarkʼs description of Australian baseballʼs evolution, which is supported by extensive archival research and numerous inter- views, introduces the reader to virtually every important individual, event, and game throughout the 150-year history of the sport. His narration reveals many underlying social issues, both domestic and international, as Australian baseball fought hard for acceptance both as a legitimate contender on the international stage, as well as within its own nationʼs sporting culture. Clarkʼs method of descriptive narration is chronological in nature. In an organized manner, he logically surveys the key events in the history of the game. Each of these events proved essential in baseballʼs development and evolution. The fi rst major event described is the Spalding Tour of 1888. In fantastic displays of skill and sportsmanship, which caught the attention of the sporting nation, the Spalding Tour brought the best of American baseball to Australia. Clark reveals that Albert Spalding—a former player and then manager in the American National League (p. 7)—by touring his American baseballers through Australia, inspired many individuals to take up the game. Initially, most Australians were hesitant to accept the national sport of America, thinking it would encroach on their own national pastime, cricket. Nevertheless, with infl uence from determined individuals like Harry Simpson, an American baseballer who remained in Australia after the Spaulding Tour, the game found a role in the Australian sporting culture, albeit humbly, as a method of off-season cricket training. However, as Clark states, 176 Book Reviews 177 baseball was never meant to displace cricket; it was introduced as “a complement, not a replacement” (p. 8). Over the course of the next 50 years, and with help from numerous dedicated individuals, baseball continued to grow. Throughout the book, Clark touches on other important events that helped the Australian game develop. In addition to the American Spalding Tour, American naval vessels stationed in, or visiting Australia during the war years helped promote the public image of baseball. Large numbers of visiting soldiers competing against local teams kept the weak Australian baseball scene going. Moreover, after WWII, and still inspired by American servicemen, “state clubs swelled beyond their prewar numbers” (p. 60). In continuation from the postwar growth, Clark utilizes numerous interviews with infl uential American baseballers who contributed to this progres- sive postwar trend. One such individual, who Clark interviewed extensively, was American Don Knapp. As told by Clark, Knapp led modern Australian baseball both “on and off the fi eld” (p. 83). Although this book is purely narrative, and lacks an analytical approach to the historical study of Australian baseball, its survey does serve a purpose. Aside from enlightening the average sport history fan to the actual depth of the Australian sporting culture, Joe Clarkʼs book establishes a solid foundation with which to pursue more detailed future studies of the game. Through well-organized chapters and subheadings that introduce the reader to the many key events and individuals throughout Australian baseballʼs history, A History of Australian Baseball reveals interesting issues about an equally as interesting nation. Still, as I closed the book, I remained intrigued by the notion of how such an American game was accepted so deeply into Australian sporting culture. The American Indian Integration of Baseball By Jeffrey Powers-Beck. Published in 2005 by University of Nebraska Press (269 pp., US$34.95). Reviewed by Janice Forsyth, University of Manitoba. Investigations on Native participation in the mainstream sport system are slowly gaining currency among North American scholars. Infl uenced by the turn to cultural studies, much of this work focuses on how Native athletes have struggled to fi nd a meaningful place for themselves in the mainstream environment. In American Indian Integration of Baseball, literary historian Jeffrey Powers-Beck contributes to this body of knowledge in his detailed exploration of American Indian experi- ences in professional and collegiate baseball. The study focuses on a period from 1897 to 1945. No specifi c reasons are given for this time frame, although it is clear that Powers-Beck utilizes the entry of Louis Sockalexis into the major leagues in 1897 as the projectʼs starting point and the closing of the boarding schools and the hostile treatment of American Indians in the professional ranks in the fi rst half of the twentieth century as the conclusion. Even though these factors contributed to the diminished presence of American Indians in mainstream sport, other historical factors, such as the link .