Minor League Baseball Team Programs and Scorecards Collection

Collection

Identifier: BAS 630

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains more than 2,300 programs and scorecards published by Minor League Baseball teams. Teams published programs and scorecards for purchase by fans attending the games. The programs and scorecards usually contain at a minimum roster and lineup information and space for attendees to keep score of the game. The programs tend to become larger, longer, and more substantial over the years and sometimes contain additional information about the teams, players, coaches, and other subjects. Many programs also include advertisements. Programs issued by clubs from all levels of organized baseball, and from all parts of the United States, are included. Teams from the Pacific Coast League are especially well represented.

The programs date mostly from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, though items ranging in date from the 1890s to the 2000s are included. The league affiliation of the issuing club is also indicated, following the club's name. The opponent, when indicated on the insert is included in the scope and contents note. When programs are held from teams representing the same city but different leagues, these are listed under separate headings

Some programs in this finding aid are indicated as either "scored" or "partially scored." "Scored" programs must meet two criteria. First, they must be scored completely, with an entry for each batter that appeared in the game. Second, they must employ a notation specific enough to allow for a reasonably thorough recreation of the game's play-by-play. A key point in this regard is the attribution of putouts and assists; no program utilizing a notation with generic out markings is categorized as “scored.” Programs indicated as "partially scored" have been scored either incompletely or in a notation that leaves obvious questions regarding the game's play-by-play. Thus, "partially scored" programs may have only the lineups entered, or they may be scored completely but ambiguously. "Scored" games have, almost without exception, been dated; "partially scored" games usually lack dates. Other features that may characterize individual programs - autographs, for example, or ephemera like ticket stubs - are present as noted.

Formats include programs and scorecards.

Dates

Creation: 1894-2009

Conditions Governing Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Biographical / Historical

Scorecards and programs for baseball games were first printed in the late nineteenth century for fans to keep track of the game and for teams to publicize their games and their players. Scorecards included space for fans to keep score, and many scorecards featured pre-printed lineups. Through the years, scorecards became more substantial and sometimes evolved into the multi-page published game programs that were common in the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century.

Extent

14 Cubic Feet (26 document cases (letter size) 3 flat oversize boxes )

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

Programs/scorecards are arranged alphabetically by the geographical location of the home team franchise and then arranged chronologically by season.

Processing Information

The oversize programs currently in Boxes 27, 28, and 29 were formerly cataloged as a distinct collection: BAS 631 (Minor League Baseball Team Oversize Programs and Scorecards Collection).

The two collections were combined into BAS 630 in January 2924.