Beginning with the sunny August afternoon in 1857 when Minnesota's first ball club was organized in Nininger and continuing through the Twins' latest season, Baseball in Minnesota is the first comprehensive history of America's Pastime in the North Star State. Encompassing the rich heritage of minor league baseball, town teams, the Minnesota Gophers, the Saint Paul Saints, and the Minnesota Twins, this encyclopedic volume delivers exceptionally detailed stories of the games, the ball parks, and the larger-than-life personalities, all woven with carefully researched statistics, eyewitness accounts, and vintage photos.   Stew Thornley, considered "the most recognizable and respected local baseball historian and writer" (City Pages), presents this exhaustively researched volume of elusive information and obscure facts, such as team names and players, leagues and venues, dates and stats. Thornley's eye for detail is equal to his skill in recounting stories chock-full of unusual anecdotes and player interviews that will surprise and delight both new and hardcore fans. Meticulously crafted accounts include the stories of lone black player W. W. Fisher and the Winona town team of 1875, the national championships won by the Minnesota Gophers, and the World Series titles of the Minnesota Twins.