Baseball Historian Will Hold Book Signing on March 22 at Bookstore

Quick Facts

The book signing will be preceded by a brief presentation on the history of the league.

Accompanying Gorman will be Jean Faut, Rock Hill resident and the greatest pitcher in the league’s overhand pitching era (1946-1954).

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Bob Gorman

ROCK HILL, S.C. - The Winthrop University Bookstore will host a book signing on March 22 by Bob Gorman, co-author of The South Bend Blue Sox: A History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and Its Players, 1943-1954.

The signing will be preceded by a brief presentation on the history of the league. Accompanying Gorman will be Jean Faut, Rock Hill resident and the greatest pitcher in the league’s overhand pitching era (1946-1954).

The 4-6 p.m. event will take place in the bookstore in the DiGiorgio Campus Center.

The AAGPBL was immortalized in the 1992 hit-movie, A League of Their Own. The league debuted in 1943 as a way to fill ballpark seats should Major League Baseball suspend operations during World War II.

Any fan expecting to see a watered-down version of the game was in for quite a surprise. The women on the field proved every bit as tough and competitive as their male counterparts, running with abandon, diving for catches, and sliding fearlessly, all while wearing uniforms with short skirts.

The book examines the history of the league as seen through the eyes of the players and management and the experiences of the South Bend Blue Sox – one of only two teams to play in all 12 seasons of the league. Although players never saw themselves as revolutionaries, these daring heroines helped pave the way toward greater freedom of choice for the generations of women who followed.

Gorman is head of Dacus Library’s reference department. He has written numerous articles on the history of baseball and his previous book, Death at the Ballpark, won the 2009 Baseball Research Award from The Sporting News and the Society for American Baseball Research. He is a recognized authority on baseball safety and mortality issues and has been interviewed extensively by newspapers, radio stations, and television networks across the country.

Faut played for the Blue Sox from 1946 through 1953. While originally drafted as a third baseman, Faut achieved lasting fame as the premiere pitcher in the league. She compiled a lifetime record of 140 wins against 64 losses with a mind-boggling 1.23 ERA. Named the league’s player-of-the year twice, she led her team to league championships in 1951 and 1952. She pitched four no-hitters, two of which were perfect games, a feat unmatched by any professional baseball player of either gender.

For more information, contact Gorman at gormanr@winthrop.edu

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