369: The AAGPBL's South Bend Blue Sox - With Jim Sargent

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12d ago 1:20:07

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We gear up for the impending launch of the new six-team Women's Pro Baseball League (set to debut in summer of 2026) with another look back at the original All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-54) with sports history writer Jim Sargent.

In "We Were the All-American Girls" (2013), Sargent culled insights from over three dozen interviews with former AAGPBL players, detailing the league’s evolution from underhand pitching with a 12-inch ball in 1943 to overhand pitching and a standard baseball by 1954, its final year. Conducted between 1995 and 2012, these interviews captured memorable games, career highlights, and the deep bonds among players, opponents, and fans. Many players also reflected on how the 1992 film A League of Their Own revived the league's legacy, reigniting public interest nearly 40 years after its last game.

In "The South Bend Blue Sox: A History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Team and Its Players" (2011), Sargent describes the league through the eyes of the players and management of the South Bend Blue Sox - one of only two teams to play all 12 seasons of the league's existence, including two titles (1951 & 1952).

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