Nashville Baseball History

Nashville is a Big League city despite never having been home to a major league team. From the Civil War era, to star-studded exhibitions, to outstanding Negro Leagues teams, to some of the great minor league franchises of all time, few cities have as rich a baseball tradition as Nashville, Tennessee.
Nashville sports historian Bill Traughber, who has been writing about baseball for nearly two decades, traces that 130+ year history from its beginnings to today. Featuring 32 essays, detailed player profiles and stats, timelines and seasonal results, and more than 80 photos-many of them previously unpublished-Nashville Baseball History: From Sulphur Dell to the Sounds-captures all the local flavor and passion of one of the south's great baseball cities. Featuring…

An introduction by Farrell Owens, the Sounds' first general manager and a key figure in the success and growth of Nashville baseball

Visits from all-time greats, including Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson, Henry Aaron, Reggie Jackson, and many more

The Nashville Vols, the classic minor league franchise from the first half of the 20th century

Decades of African American baseball, featuring Nashville's own "Turkey" Stearnes, a Hall of Famer, and Dodgers' great "Junior" Jim Gilliam, now a local icon

The Nashville Sounds, whose fortunes took off when they became a New York Yankees affiliate, with future stars like Don Mattingly, Steve Balboni, and Willie McGee taking the field

The Sounds' ongoing success and popularity, which continue to grow today in their new home, First Tennessee Park

Michael Jordan's foray into professional baseball, as thrilling to fans as it was brief

Interviews with fan favorite Skeeter Barnes, Buck Showalter, and part-owner and fan extraordinaire Richard Sterban of the Oak Ridge Boys