Midwest League Reference Pages

Information Sources

This page lists MWLguide's sources: This website is built mainly from information found in these places.

While this is not a complete list of my sources, it lists most of the places I check to keep this place current, or useful, or interesting. Some of you may find these notes useful.

You'll quickly discover that some of these are far more valuable than others. Nonetheless, every one has offered information I wanted and couldn't find somewhere else.

Library

I've accumulated an extensive library of materials relating to the Midwest League, Minor League baseball, and general baseball topics. I refer to it constantly.

Some of the most useful resources are described below.

Friends

• Notes from friends (and others) via email.
• Regular mail, too. But less often.
• Ballpark rumors.
• Passing comments.

Like everyone, I get leads, verify "facts", and share rumors. At the ballpark. At work. In my mail. At family gatherings. I get some really interesting email.

Jon Mielke, David Malamut, Jeff Yeo, Al Seeger, Brad Stewart, and Rich Hanson deserve special mention.

Web Information

• John Skilton's Baseball Links.

I also look in many other places; there are clues about them throughout MWLguide.

The Best News Sources

Our Sports Central captures headlines from an array of newspapers. Be aware: Annoying popups. Valuable, nonetheless.

Google News, and its ability to mail me search results, is absolutely essential.

The Raw Feed occasionally knows things before my other sources.

Search engines

It's amazing what news you can turn up if you ask the right question. "mandalay dayton" was a good search string for tracking the Rockford sale....

Internet Mailing Lists

• I know of no active mailing lists devoted to the Midwest League. If you are aware of any, please pass the information along. Thanks.
• SABR-L Mailing List (SABR members only; this list has delightful discussions and I highly recommend it). SABR also hosts mailing lists devoted to specialized topics, like scouting, spring training, and (of course) minor league baseball.

UseNet News Lists

• If you can get the ClariNet lists, they're wonderful, but a bit overwhelming. (My access is a little spotty, sad to say.)
• The alt.sports.baseball.minor-leagues list is nearly worthless.
• There are lots of other baseball lists; the best are quite good but not particularly concerned with farm systems.

Books about Ballparks

• Green Cathedrals (Phil Lowry, 2006 [there are earlier editions]).
• Mud Hens and Mavericks (Judith Blahnik & Phillip Schulz, 1995).
• The Minor League Baseball Book (USA Today, 1995).
• Fodor's Ballpark Vacations (Bruce Adams & Margaret Engel, 1997).

Lost Ballplayers

I often get asked to help locate information about, for instance, "Keith Jones who played in the Three-I league in the early fifties." Pat Doyle's a far better source than I am.

Pat also sells a version of his database; it's available from the Baseball Almanac website.

Newspapers

Every MWL city has a newspaper with a web presence. The quality of that presence varies, and several restrict most access to subscribers. All are worth some attention.

Team Yearbooks

I have a fairly extensive collection of MWL team yearbooks.

Even the junkiest yearbook has valuable information.

I accept donations (thanks to Mary, Rich, Jon, Debbie, and Dick), and I'm willing to buy back issues. Please drop me a line if you think you've got something that would interest me.

Statistics Sources

Current statistics are available from a number of websites; see the Links Page for some hints. For historical statistics, I use all of these:

• Baseball America's annual Almanacs (nee Statistics Reports).
• Sporting News annual Guides (now, sadly, discontinued).
• Minor League Handbooks published by STATS (now discontinued, but see the next item).
• John Sickels' Prospect Books--the successors to the STATS minor league publications.
• John Benson's Future Stars (also discontinued, unfortunately).
• Baseball America publishes a wonderful, albeit it fairly expensive, Super Register. Highly recommended.

Only a fanatic needs all of these, but serious fans need at least one.

The BA Almanacs, TSN Guides, and the STATS books contain similar information, but are arranged very differently. STATS' Handbook is useful for tracking careers, TSN's Guide is organized by league, and BA's Almanac is organized for tracking organizations. Each has interesting things the other lacks.

The Super Register contains far less detail, especially about the previous summer, but has career stats in a convenient format.

For information prior to 1980 or so, the only realistic source is old Sporting News Guides. And microfilmed newspapers.

Benson's was the only book which has any information on the low minors, beyond stats and standings. It was decidedly a book for folks with specialized interests, though.

Back issues are available for all of these. Contact the publisher, or watch eBay.

Note: There are a number of books more or less like BA's Almanac each spring. All have strengths, and selecting one over another is more a matter of preference or circumstance than a statement about value. One way I decide between them is to read their comments on the low minors, and base a decision on that.

Minor League History

• Professional Baseball Franchises (Peter Filichia, 1993)
• The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, 3rd ed, 2007)

Two delightful books. The Encyclopedia's more valuable, and covers virtually everything Filichia's book does, but Baseball Franchises is an easier read. Beware: Both books have errors; it pays to check your facts before quoting them. (Yup. Got burnt.)

Both of these books owe heavy debts (which they acknowledge) to Jerry Jackson, long an active SABR member. I share those debts....

• Today in Minor League Baseball History (Kevin Saldana, 1999)

Saldana's delightful offering is an E-Book. It seems no longer to be available.