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Book Review: A History Of Australian Baseball

A History Of Australian Baseball
By Joe Clark
University of Nebraska Press, 2003
179 pp.

Review by Siu Wai Stroshane

I really wanted to like this book. Ever since reading “The Thorn Birds,” I’ve been fascinated by Australia, with its exotic wildlife and vastly varying climates, from the barren outback of New South Wales to the lush jungle of Queensland. Up until now, I never really associated baseball with this Down Under country that started as a desolate penal colony for Britain’s worst offenders.

Although Joe Clark’s account fills an important gap in baseball history, it reads like a dry recitation of dates for most of its ten chapters. The narrative endlessly lists the winners of the yearly championship series known as the Claxton Shield, established in the 1930s by one Norrie Claxton who wanted to raise the standard of playing. Except for pauses during both world wars, the Claxton Shield was an annual event until 1989. Australia has competed on an international level since then.

The final chapter comes alive as the author sums up over 150 years of Australian baseball, from its humble beginnings in 1857 among cricketers and American immigrants, to the dazzling pageantry of the 2002 Sydney Olympics. Though Australia did not place among the medalists, her baseball team played before a worldwide audience and won 2 out of 5 matches. Not bad for a sport that has always played second fiddle to cricket.

One interesting chapter tells of the Australian tour of America in 1897, later nicknamed the Disaster Tour, for obvious reasons. Starting in the Bay Area, the Australians played local minor league clubs and went sightseeing during their spare time. The low audiences and losses they suffered caused low morale and conflict among the players. Excessive partying led to worse playing.

There were some bright spots--they were warmly welcomed by Cap Anson in Chicago. (Anson, who had once refused to play on the same field as a “n---r” but didn’t mind playing an Indian in Cleveland, could be a gentleman when he chose to be.) The Australian team was also hosted by A.G. Spalding in New York — he had made a successful tour of their country in 1888.

Money mismanagement and outright embezzlement caused the tour’s financial failure. Baseball sputtered along weakly into the new century, being treated mainly as a sport for “keeping fit for cricket.”

Through the years, the biggest stimulus to the sport would be American visitors, including the White Sox and the Giants. During World War II, thousands of U.S. servicemen stationed there played the Australian teams. Some stayed on in Australia after the war and became permanent players. Eventually, the American major leagues began recruiting Australian players, a tribute to their skill. Australian agents had to safeguard the players against exploitation by the U.S. teams, though.

I find that baseball history comes alive through specific players’ personalities and deeds, and this book is lacking in that respect. The author does mention Sydney and Ernie Yum, two outstanding Chinese-Australian brothers who were immensely popular in the 1930s. Ernie played third base and was lightning-fast on the base paths. He died a tragic death when his car struck a tree on the eve of joining the Royal Australian Air Force in 1942. His grief-stricken brother never played ball again.

The future of Australian baseball is uncertain. Although young players are offered programs from ages 7-10 right up through adulthood, major benefactors of the game have withdrawn funding since the Sydney Olympics. Cricket continues to overshadow baseball, despite the enthusiasm shown in 2002. Joe Clark leaves us with a challenge, saying it’s up to us to determine the sport’s fate in our sister English-speaking country Down Under.

I give this book 2.5 balls for its educational value.

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Our Rating System is based on a four ball system as follows:
One Ball: Average. It has something to say but is nothing special.
Two Balls: Something men usually have - also means its a cut above average, and worth reading/owning.
Three balls: Stands out from its peers and is highly recommended.
Four Balls: More than just what two men have when hanging out together, it means it is an exceptional book that truly earns a walk - straight to the local book store to get a copy.

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