New Book Brings Fans Back to Milwaukee’s Legendary Ballpark, Borchert Field
"A magnificent job [of] recreating the baseball environment as it used to be, long before domed stadiums and luxury suites. For those of us who grew up in Milwaukee during those heady days, Borchert Field was our field of dreams." - Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner Emeritus of Major League Baseball
Borchert Field: Stories from Milwaukee’s Legendary Ballpark
Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson — these great athletes and many more all crossed the same, legendary home plate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Borchert Field. Baseball historian Bob Buege brings the stories that only Milwaukee can tell back to life in a new Wisconsin Historical Society Press history, Borchert Field: Stories from Milwaukee’s Legendary Ballpark. This is the national ballpark and community stage upon which legends played — long before there was Miller Park or even County Stadium.
Though Milwaukee’s original “field of dreams” is long gone, every page of this book transports readers back to the “glory days” — between 1888 and 1952 — and helps them relive the sights, sounds, and spectacle of Borchert Field in its heyday. Buege recounts the tales of the beloved athletes from all sports who played in the famed ballpark, from football’s Curley Lambeau to track’s Jesse Owens. He also shares stories of the stars from other arenas who shone upon the park’s community stage, from U.S. presidents and rodeo stars to Olympians and entertainers like Cab Calloway.
In his review of the book, Milwaukee historian and author John Gurda explains that “Buege brings Borchert back with a scholar’s attention to detail and a true fan’s contagious love of the game.” And this who’s-who in baseball — and Milwaukee — history arrives just in time for opening day at ballparks everywhere.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bob Buege is the author of The Milwaukee Braves: A Baseball Eulogy and Eddie Mathews and the National Pastime. He is president of the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association, director of the Old Time Ballplayers Association of Wisconsin, and a member of the Society for American Baseball Research.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017 — Book Launch Celebration
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Boswell Book Company, 2559 N. Downer Ave., Milwaukee, Wis. 53211
Thursday, May 11, 2017 — Book Talk & Signing
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Books & Company, 1039 Summit Ave., Oconomowoc, Wis. 53066
The Wisconsin Historical Society Press has been publishing the best of Wisconsin history and culture as part of the Wisconsin Historical Society since 1855
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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