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New WWI book: Play Ball! Doughboys and Baseball in WWI


CW4AFB
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As promised, Pete Belmonte's (USAFNAV here on USMF) and my book on the story of baseball during WWI is now available from the publisher (Schiffer) or Amazon etc.

 

Many of you here on the forum contributed photos and documents to the book and in appreciation Pete and I would like to offer a reduced rate for all USMF members interested in getting a signed copy--You can PM him or me for the details.

 

 

If you are interested in how Major League baseball players became soldiers, sailors, and Marines, or conversely how soldiers, sailors, and Marines took the game of baseball with them to their training camps and even into the front lines, we think you will enjoy the book

 

In 1917 there were two kinds of men in America: Professional ballplayers and men who wanted to be professional ballplayers. The game cut across all ethnic, religious and racial barriers and ultimately into every strata of American society. In the book you will find the famous and not so famous baseball players in the AEF and even an umpire or two.

 

Not a baseball fan? We even managed to include some unpublished or seldom seen pictures of the great AEF football teams and tell the story of the 1919 AEF Football championship.

 

s/f

Al

 

 

 

 

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And here are a few more photos: a Cavalry Regiment's team serving on the Mexican border and one of the teams from the 80th Division (Courtesy of the Virginia War Memorial).

s/f

Al

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Al, it looks like a great book, can't wait to get my hands on it! Kevin

 

Thanks Kevin---we really appreciate all the help you gave us on the photographs--it made a big difference.

 

Here's a neat picture of General Leonard Wood on Opening Day 1918 with the owners of the NY Yankees and at the opposite end of the spectrum, a Marne Division Doughboy holding his glove and baseball in the courtyard of the house in Germany where he is billeted as part of the Third Army occupation force in April 1919.

 

Al

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

And for those who love all things about the 4th Division, here's an action photo of the 13th Field Artillery team playing near the Rhine River during the occupation of the Rhineland in the spring of 1919. This picture was not included in the book because we just ran out of space---it was a tough decision at the end of what made it in and what got left out....

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  • 6 months later...

I just found out that the Baseball Hall of Fame store in Cooperstown now carries our book---it'll be good to get some of those baseball fans reading about WWI for a change.

 

Al

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I just found out that the Baseball Hall of Fame store in Cooperstown now carries our book---it'll be good to get some of those baseball fans reading about WWI for a change.

 

Al

 

That's awesome Al :)

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

That's awesome Al :)

 

Thanks John,

 

When are you coming back down to the flatlands again for a visit? I saw where you had a nice event at the 116th Museum.

 

Al

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Thanks John,

 

When are you coming back down to the flatlands again for a visit? I saw where you had a nice event at the 116th Museum.

 

Al

 

I'll e-mail you soon and we'll make some plans. :)

 

I'll be at the Muster plus the museum nearly all that Veteran's Day weekend, it'd be great if you can attend the Muster as well....!

 

JS

 

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Good Lord, how did I miss this? It looks spectacular!! I have a sizeable military baseball photo archive that includes WWI images.

Rally--darn, if we had known we would have reached out to you.

 

s/f

Al

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Rally--darn, if we had known we would have reached out to you.

 

I'm always a day late, it seems. I'm looking at doing a similar project spanning the first half of the 20th Century.

 

s/f

Al

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Rally--darn, if we had known we would have reached out to you.

 

I'm always a day late, it seems. I'm looking at doing a similar project spanning the first half of the 20th Century.

 

s/f

Al

 

Let me and Pete know how we can help.

regards,

Al

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Let me and Pete know how we can help.

regards,

Al

 

Al,

 

Thank you for the offer! Be careful as I am bound to do just that. I listened to your interview podcast this am.

 

MSH

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Al,

 

Thank you for the offer! Be careful as I am bound to do just that. I listened to your interview podcast this am.

 

MSH

 

I hope I didn't sound like a complete fool---Pete is the much better speaker of our crew. Just let us know how we can help--you've got a fascinating topic picked out...

Al

 

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I hope I didn't sound like a complete fool---Pete is the much better speaker of our crew. Just let us know how we can help--you've got a fascinating topic picked out...

Al

 

Al, not at all. I rather enjoyed the dialogue. I still need to get my hands on a copy of your work as I love having such references in my library to draw inspiration from or to use as resources.

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