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In my opinion, the best book on women's baseball is Barbara
Gregorich's 1993 book "Women at Play". Her book is a
complete history of women in baseball, of which the AAGPBL is
just a small part. Sue Macy wrote a book in 1995 called "A
Whole New Ball Game: The Story of the All-American Girls
Professional Baseball League." Although her book is aimed at
a younger audience, Macy's books holds its own as one of the best
sources for information on the AAGPBL. A third book which I have
found to be helpful and informative is "Girls of Summer: In
Their Own League" by Lois Browne (1992). There are of course
many significant writings on the AAGPBL contained within other
reference sources, such as "Total Baseball".
Penny Marshall's 1992 film "A League of Their Own"
was a huge box-office success, and there has been a permanent
display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum called
"Women in Baseball" since 1988.
The following is a very brief overview of the All-American
Girls Professional Baseball League based on my readings from
these and other sources.
With so many young American men serving in the armed forces
during the second world war, the major and minor leagues were
struggling. During the early months of 1943, Chicago Cubs owner
Phillip Wrigley pitched his idea for a professional women's
softball league to major league owners. His plan was to play in
large cities like Philadelphia, Chicago and St Louis using the
existing major-league ballparks. They said no. Owners were
concerned that fans did not have the time or money to support
both a men's and a women's team.
So Wrigley decided to start closer to home, in midwestern
cities near Chicago that were becomming wartime industrial
centers. The All American Girls Softball League was born in 1943,
with four teams that played eight games a week. The Kenosha
Comets and Racine Belles in Wisconsin, the Rockford Peaches in
Illinois, and the South Bend Blue Sox in Indiana. The traditional
softball rules were modified to make the game more like baseball;
runners were allowed to lead off from their bases and the
pitchers mound was moved back. Young women from all over the
United States and Canada competed for the few jobs available, and
the league was a quick success. By mid-season, Wrigley changed
the name to the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Initially, it was felt that one of the things that would draw
fans would be famous managers. Hall of Fame players Max Carey,
Jimmie Foxx, and Dave Bancroft were among the names that managed
AAGPBL teams. But it quickly became apparent that the high
quality of play itself was drawing the fans.
Spurred by this success, the league expanded with a new team
in 1944 (the Milwaukee Chicks) and another in 1945 (the Fort
Wayne Daisies). Many people feared the league would fold after
the men returned from World War II and the major leagues were
revitalized, but they were wrong. In 1946, the league added two
new teams (Muskegon (Michigan) Lassies and Peoria (Illinois) Red
Wings). Total attendance topped 750,000. When compared with major
league attendance figures in much larger cities, the AAGPBL was
drawing a significantly larger numberof people per capita.
The league reached its peak in 1948, expanding to ten teams
with two new teams in Illinois (Chicago Colleens and Springfield
Sallies). League attendance was just less than one million fans.
In 1949, the league had eight home teams and two touring teams of
rookie players.
By 1950, the league was starting to show signs of trouble.
Television was entering American households and giving families
the ability to stay home for their entertainment. Major league
baseball games began to be televised, and AAGPBL attendance was
dropping. The minor leagues began to become strong again, and
major league teams, once present only in the East, began to move
west to cities like Milwaukee and Kansas City. In 1952, the
Peoria Red Wings and Rockford Peaches folded, leaving the league
with just six teams. After very low attendance for the 1954
season, the league folded.
Fort Wayne manager Bill Allington convinced about a dozen of
the league's players to continue playing as barnstormers.
Borrowing the name "the All American Girls Baseball
Team", the group played against men's teams across the
country until 1958.
League Champions
The top two teams at the end of each season met for a
best-of-seven playoff series to determine a league champion.
Year Pennant Winner Playoff Winner
1943 Racine Belles Racine Belles
1944 Milwaukee Chicks Milwaukee Chicks
1945 Rockford Peaches Rockford Peaches
1946 Racine Belles Racine Belles
1947 Muskegon Lassies Racine Belles
1948 Grand Rapids Chicks Rockford Peaches
1949 Rockford Peaches Rockford Peaches
1950 Rockford Peaches Rockford Peaches
1951 South Bend Blue Sox South Bend Blue Sox
1952 Fort Wayne Daisies South Bend Blue Sox
1953 Fort Wayne Daisies Grand Rapids Chicks
1954 Fort Wayne Daisies Kalamazoo Lassies
Franchise Histories
1943 - League begins with four inaugural teams
KENOSHA COMETS (Kenosha, Wisconsin)
RACINE BELLES (Racine, Wisconsin)
ROCKFORD PEACHES (Rockford, Illinois)
SOUTH BEND BLUE SOX (South Bend, Indiana)
1944 - League expands to five teams
New Teams:
MILWAUKEE CHICKS (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
1945 - League expands to six teams
New Teams:
FORT WAYNE DAISIES (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Relocated Teams:
GRAND RAPIDS CHICKS (Grand Rapids, Michigan) from Milwaukee
1946 - League expands to eight teams
New Teams:
MUSKEGON LASSIES (Muskegon, Michigan)
PEORIA REDWINGS (Peoria, Illinois)
1947 - no changes
1948 - League expands to ten teams
New Teams:
CHICAGO COLLEENS (Chicago, Illinois)
SPRINGFIELD SALLIES (Springfield, Illinois)
1949 - no changes
1950
Relocated Teams:
KALAMAZOO LASSIES (Kalamazoo, Michigan) from Muskegon
1951
Relocated Teams:
BATTLE CREEK BELLES (Battle Creek, Michigan) from Racine
1952 - no changes
1953
Relocated Teams:
MUSKEGON BELLES (Muskegon, Michigan) from Battle Creek
1954 - League folds at end of season
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History 
