When Women Played Hardball [Paperback]

Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 1994

The years between 1943 and 1954 marked the magical era of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League - which proved beyond doubt that women can play hardball. With skill and style, more than 500 women took to the baseball diamonds of the Midwest dazzling fans and becoming a visible and supported part of our national pastime. In the words of "Tiby" Eisen, leadoff batter for the Fort Wayne Daisies: "We played ball just like the big boys, we broke up double plays with spikes held high and we stole bases in our skirts. We did whatever it took to win." Among those cheering was ten-year-old Susan Johnson, a loyal fan of the Rockford Peaches. Four decades later she has gone back to meet her girlhood heroines and remember a sensational baseball series: the 1950 championship between the Rockford (Illinois) Peaches and the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Daisies - two of the League's most winning and dynamic teams. Filled with colorful stories and anecdotes by the women who played in that spectacular series, When Women Played Hardball offers an entertaining look at the culture the league created - and the society it reflected. This is a story about memories, about dreams fulfilled and dreams denied. It is a celebration of a brief yet remarkable period when women truly had "A League of Their Own."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For Johnson, a sociology professor, 1950 was a banner year, marking the summer when the 10-year-old Midwest native became a fan of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The league lasted only 11 years (1943-1954), but interest in it was recently revived by the film A League of Their Own . Johnson warmly recalls her own days in the stands and convincingly portrays the importance of the league to young female fans, who often became "Coke girls" to their favorite players, meeting them after every game with a can of soda. Her history alternates excerpts from interviews with 26 of the women who played for the Rockford Peaches and the Fort Wayne Daisies in 1950 with newspaper accounts of that year's championship series between the two teams. Many of the players' recollections have a certain sameness, but the author's enthusiasm for her subject keeps them fresh. Former Peaches catcher Marilyn Jones contends that management insisted on the women being feminine because fans "wanted to see a bunch of girls that acted like girls, and looked like girls and played like boys." Several players were shocked to learn that they were expected to play in skirts and attend "charm school" to learn how to be more graceful; one woman claims "I learned how to be graceful by playing ball out in the pasture, side-steppin' all the cowpies!"
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

As a girl, Johnson was a devoted fan of the Rockford Peaches, a team in the All-American Girls Baseball League (1943-54) that was featured in the 1992 movie A League of Their Own . This book, a love letter to the league and its players, vividly re-creates what being in the league was like for the players, who were "unconventional before, during and after their ball-playing days." Seven chapters recount the seven games of the exciting 1950 playoff series between the Rockford Peaches and the Fort Wayne Daisies. Each chapter is accompanied by an in-depth player profile and a section dealing with such topics as the league's feminine image; game strategy; the players' upbringings; and life after the league disbanded. Johnson lets us share the players' memories, lest we forget the high caliber of their play. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.
- Kathy Ruffle, Coll. of New Caledonia Lib., Prince George, British Columbia
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press; First Edition edition (March 18, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878067435
• ISBN-13: 978-1878067432
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Miscellaneous > Women in Sports

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the Best of AAGBPL Books, June 11, 2005

By 

Bruce Baskin (Chehalis, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Women Played Hardball (Paperback)

While Lois Browne's "The Girls Of Summer" is perhaps the most complete history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, this book is the most personal account due to Ms. Johnson's own fandom of the early 1950's. It's an extremely well-done book interpolating Ms. Johnson's text with interviews of former AAGBPL players and contemporary newspaper game accounts of the 1950 league championship series. While Browne's book (and others) are a little more academic in their approach to the subject, this is the one that really gives readers the best "feel" for what it was like for women to play baseball 50-60 years ago. Parents considering buying this for their children should note that there is a little more emphasis on player sexuality in this book than the others, but that detracts little from the overall effort. I've read four or five books on the AAGPBL, and would consider this the best of them (with Browne's book a solid second).

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Read About Women Who Played Baseball, July 29, 2002

By 

Seattle Girl (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Women Played Hardball (Paperback)

I just read this book, and was surprised by how moved I was by the story of the history of women's baseball! The interviews with the former players were both humorous and touching, and framed an outstanding portrait of a unique, and practically forgotten, era. I hope a lot of young women read this book, as it is quite an inspiration.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great AAGPBL book, February 18, 2008

By 

Ryan Woodward (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Women Played Hardball (Paperback)

Susan Johnson leaves nothing out in her account of the 1950 playoffs series between the Rockford Peaches and Ft. Wayne Daisies. Well written with the lively enthusiam that could only be brought to the pages by an actual fan of the teams written about, Johnson's book not only gives a solid history of the entire league, but also gives a highly detailed account of particular players and games during one season. A must have book for AAGPBL enthusiasts.