Erie Baseball and Softball History

We are honored to have had the opportunity to sit down with Alan Swigonski, author of so far two books titled Erie Baseball & Softball 360 Volumes One and Two. Alan helps to preserve the traditions of baseball and softball and the famous players that took the field here in Northwest Pennsylvania. Legendary names like Honus Wagner, Dizzy Dean and Babe Ruth all the way to modern day super stars like Justin Verlander and everyone in between.

A sports history author who grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, has visited us with a special treat just in time to welcome in baseball's spring training. Alan Swigonski recently released the Volume Two edition of his Erie Baseball and Softball 360.
Alan sat down with us in the Pigpen recently to talk about the number of contributions that the City of Erie has made to the game of baseball and softball, and it is quite an eye-opening treasure trove of stories.
Mr. Swigonski details how the City by the bay, specifically Presque Isle, played a significant part in naming the Pittsburgh Pirates MLB club. Alan also touches upon exhibition game visits of legendary players such as Dizzy Dean, Honus Wagner, Sam Jethroe, and others. These include the report of Babe Ruth crushing a home run over the top of the former four-story Roosevelt School that used to sit just beyond the fences of Ainsworth Field.
Speaking of the century-old Ainsworth, the author has many memories from this venue and others, including Perry Field and the Jerry Uht/UPMC Ballpark downtown. The longest-tenured amateur baseball league in the world, the Glenwood League has a special place in Alan's heart. The organization's 100-plus seasons are a testament to the City's love of the game. The minor league clubs that have called Erie home over the years, like the Erie Sailors, Erie Cardinals, Erie Orioles, and of course, the modern-era Erie Seawolves, have a long and storied presence in town.
It is not just the hardball version of the game that Swigonski celebrates in his books but also the softball side of the sport in Erie. The years of legendary women have graced the Gem City ball yards around town. Even in modern times, these ladies have elevated their game to the extent that they are some of the best players in the country.
So sit back and listen to Mr. Alan Swigonski and contact Werner Books at (814) 864-1565 to get your copy of Erie Baseball & Softball 360 Volumes One and Two.

On the banner is a photo of Alan Swigonski's book that he shared with us on top of a public Domain background graphic of a baseball diamond courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.