__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Member of SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research.  Specializations include:

• Nineteenth Century Baseball, especially Fairfield County, Connecticut
• Jim and John O'Rourke
• Early History of College Baseball
• Blacks and Women in Baseball
• History of Protective Equipment and Fatalities in Baseball

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bridgeport has always been a great baseball town. Professional baseball began in 1885 at Barnum Park in the West End (just north of Went Field).   Since then Bridgeport has sent enough players to the majors to field a league of its own. Bridgeport clubs have also played more than a dozen big league teams. The greats like Lou Gehrig and Honus Wagner were seen here, too.  And Hall-of-Famers Jimmie Foxx and Ed Walsh managed the Bridgeport team after retiring as players. So grab some popcorn, peanuts or Cracker Jack, settle into a comfortable chair, and find out more about the rich heritage of Baseball in Bridgeport.   

Orator  O'Rourke: The Life of a Baseball Radical

As a player, manager, team captain, umpire, owner and league president, Hall-of-Famer Jim O'Rourke (1850-1919) spoke for the players in the emerging business of baseball. O'Rourke's career paralleled the rise of the game from a regional sport to the national pastime. Nicknamed "Orator" for his booming voice and championing the rights of athletes, he was a driving force in bringing respectability to professionals, and fair pay as well as fair play.

The Professionalization of College Athletics

Work in progress.