Town Ball

Relive the golden era of Minnesota’s town team baseball from 1945 to 1960  

Fondly remembered and celebrated throughout Minnesota, old-fashioned town team baseball was the glue that held a community together and generated a great sense of pride and passion among its residents. A love of baseball—and, of course, the desire to whomp the neighboring town’s team—spurred on players and fans alike. The game was intense and personal, connecting people from all walks of life at every hard-fought game.Featuring individual stories of success and defeat, hundreds of photographs, and scores and statistics, Armand Peterson and Tom Tomashek chronicle the unfolding of a fascinating period of Minnesota baseball history—a span of sixteen years beginning in 1945 and the euphoric postwar days to 1960, the year before the Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins. During this time Minnesota experienced a magical era of amateur ball, setting records in town participation and attendance that have not been matched since.Along with the anecdotes, Town Ball offers an in-depth study of the era and examines the social and economic factors that contributed to the postwar boom and subsequent decline. It tells the stories of some of the more successful teams, such as Albert Lea, with five consecutive Class AA championships, and Warroad, a team with ten consecutive appearances—but no trophies—in the state tournament. And it includes profiles of many of the top players in Minnesota, famous locals like Dick Siebert, Paul Giel, and Bud Grant as well as the major-league talents of Bill Skowron, Herb Score, and Hilton Smith. Here nostalgic baseball enthusiasts and history buffs alike will revel in the wide-ranging stories and compelling portraits of the players and fans—the people who made Minnesota town ball truly great. Armand Peterson is a retired engineer and a former town team player.Tom Tomashek is a retired sportswriter for the Wilmington News Journal and a former town team player.

Armand Peterson is a retired engineer, editor of The Vikings Reader, and a former town team player.
Tom Tomashek is a retired sportswriter for the Wilmington News Journal and a former town team player.

"Oh my, this is a delicious book. If you’re of a certain age, run out and get Town Ball by Armand Peterson and Tom Tomashek. The book is crammed with pictures and detail and is a worthwhile trip down memory lane."—Thisweek"Every state should be so fortunate as to have authors who are willing to create such a record that grows out of the game, is written by former players of the game, and for players of the game."—Sports Literature Association"This is a delicious book. Run out and get it."—Hometown Source"This is a fascinating book."—The Daily Journal"A time machine full of many surprises."—Farmington Newspaper"Any baseball fan is encouraged to get Town Ball. It is entertaining, informative reading."—Brownton Bulletin"If you are one who loves the history and lore of amateur baseball in Minnesota, this is a book that you will enjoy."—New Ulm Journal"The book is a dream come true for the boyhood friends who grew up wanting to be a part of town team ball."—Advocate Tribune"For fans of baseball in Minnesota, Town Ball is filled with offbeat tales and pictures of the top players from 1946 to 1961."—Austin Post-Bulletin"No wonder most of the fans who remember their community team consider those years, between World War II in 1945 and the arrival of the Twins in 1961, the best in Minnesota baseball."—City Pages, A-List Picks

"A wonderful book, a time machine full of unexpected surprises."—Echoes from Lane Field"This book examines a fascinating period of Minnesota baseball. Peterson and Tomashek not only recount the rich heritage of baseball, they have dug up fascinating facts about teams, towns, friendly (and more vociferous) rivalries, and memorable characters. This is a wonderful book."—Frazee Forum"This excellent book would be a super-choice."—Albert Lea Tribune "Baseball enthusiasts and history buffs alike will enjoy the wide-ranging stories in the book and compelling portraits of players and fans—all who made Minnesota town ball so great in its heyday."—Fairfax Standard-Gazette"For anyone who loves baseball when trousers were bloused and socks showed above the stirrup, the photos will carry you back to those halcyon days. The book is worth the price for the photos alone. For Armand Peterson and Tom Tomaschek, who lived and played it the town they write about, this book was a labor of love."—NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture