Wild and Outside: How a Renegade Minor League Revived the Spirit of Baseball in America's Heartland

by Stefan Fatsis

At a time of despair about our national pastime, the Northern League of Professional Baseball is a beacon of hope - an independent league, unaffiliated with the majors, where the games are for the fans and not between the owners and players. In his memorable debut book, Stefan Fatsis takes you inside the Northern League, and in the process discovers how very much baseball still means to America. Commentator Peter Gammons calls the Northern League "the past and future of grassroots baseball in America." Revived in 1993 by a group of minor league executives fed up with the politics of their sport, it has restored baseball to six communities in the upper Midwest and Canada, which have embraced their teams with a fervor any major league team would envy. More than that, the league has breathed new life into a game that, at the major league level, has lost its way and abandoned its fans. The Northern League's startling success has inspired a movement that could, in time, change the face of baseball, as other independent leagues are forming rapidly in its wake. Wild and Outside tells the Northern League's story, from the events that created it through its tumultuous and triumphant second season. Fatsis writes with the authority of a trusted insider, having closely followed the league since its inception. The result is a book as rich in insights into baseball's problems as it is full of indelible portraits of the people who make the Northern League special; a book that blends the texture and history of grassroots baseball with the many dramas of the league's 1994 season.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction

295 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1995

About the author

Stefan Fatsis is an author, reporter and familiar voice to public-radio listeners nationwide.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for all minor league baseball aficionados, especially of the independent baseball types. The subtitle says it all, "How a Renegade Minor League Revived the Spirit of Baseball in America's Heartland". This saga of a six-team independent league started in 1993 with the following teams; Duluth-Superior Dukes (Duluth, Minnesota), St. Paul Saints (St. Paul, Minnesota), Sioux Falls Canaries (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), Sioux City Explorers (Sioux City, Iowa), Thunder Bay Whiskey Jacks (Thunder Bay, Ontario) and the Rochester Aces (Rochester, Minnesota) which folded and was resurrected as the Winnipeg Goldeyes (Winnipeg, Manitoba) the year covered in this book.

Following is a review by J. Hundley that best sums up this work: "Wild and Outside is a look at the attempt of a bunch of guys who love baseball to create an independent minor league. It follows the ups and downs of the owners, managers and players as they negotiate the 1994 Northern League season. It looks at the teams and the league from financial and logistical perspectives, but it is really a love letter to elemental baseball - baseball that connects to the people who love it without regard to the biggest names, the highest salaries, the longest held records or the biggest TV markets. It is really about the fun of going to the ball park and being part of the game, even from the grandstand." I couldn't say it better.

As a side note, in their inaugural (and only) year my sons and I saw the Rochester Aces take on the St Paul Saints on a beautiful late spring evening of 1993. This was one of six different minor league games we saw over a four day period. We loved the experience, and this book helped revive the memories.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw this book in Zenith Books in Duluth, Minnesota, I was instantly fascinated. The only other book about Northern League baseball that I'd ever heard of was Slouching Towards Fargo. Having recently read that book, and also made my re-acquaintance with the Saint Paul Saints (and the American Association, the current league that grew out of the Northern League) this summer it only seemed natural.

Wild and Outside is an interesting baseball time capsule. The book was released in 1995, in the aftermath of the last great baseball labor dispute, the lost season, and all the ill-will that the MLB generated in 1994. It also catches the Northern League in it's second season of operation, when it had tasted success but still faced a very tenuous future. The book starts with an introduction to the Northern League and some of it's key figures, and an overview of the 1993 season. The majority of the book is a journalist's account of that sophomore season in 1994.

This book isn't an in-depth recounting of every game of the season, or a source for stats. Fatsis concentrated primarily on the business and operations aspects of the league, but leavens it well with key points of the baseball season, a few important games, and the overall results. The cast is made up of a good mix of owners, managers, coaches, and players. Some of them do well, some of them fail. The main story is what makes the Northern League, an independent minor league, so different from Major League/affiliated baseball and why those differences lead to the Northern League's success. Each of the teams gets at least some dedicated coverage, but the Saint Paul Saints and Duluth-Superior Dukes get a little more than the others.

Wild and Outside might sound kind of dry from the above description, but it's not. It's well paced and populated with entertaining characters. I read it in just two days! Fatsis also does a great job building a few dramatic stories into the narrative, both following individual players and teams. So, who is this book for? It was written as a timely examination of the contrast of the ills of Major League Baseball and the contrasting strengths of the independent Northern League. In that sense, the book is a bit outdated. MLB has long moved on from the aftermath of the '94 strike (although the storm clouds of labor trouble once again rumble on the horizon), and the Northern League is no longer in operation (although most of the teams covered in the book live on in the current American Association). What you can still get from this book is a good look at the origins of the current wild, fun atmosphere that prevails in many Minor League ballparks (independent or affiliated). There are also tons of great stories that any Minnesota, Iowa, Canadian, or just Minor League baseball fans will enjoy.

[Ethan Kadet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't stop smiling at the first couple paragraphs of the book thinking about how the entire story could have been an afterball on Hang Up and Listen. The style of the book was similar to Word Freak, where he did short stories about the different characters involved. The rivalry between the St. Paul Saints and the Twins was funny and it was interesting to learn about how some indie league players crossed the picket line and became MLB replacements during the strike. I didn't know much about independent league baseball in general and I loved the sort of purity of the league and its focus on winning and fan experience instead of so much advertising and money involved. I also like how it is more tied to the community than some professional leagues.

[Austin Gisriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-told tale of the start of the Northern League, the premier Independent League in America. Fatsis explained that the seeds of MLB's sabotage by the suits were sown during this time.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a baseball fan. I read this book out of comradeship with a true baseball lover, and despite my skepticism really loved it. In fact, it has made me enjoy watching baseball a great deal more.

[Steve P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lived this life (in the Cal League) and Fatsis provides unique and accurate insight into this rollicking world!

[JulieK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minor league baseball in God's country. If you're not from the area and/or really into baseball, you can probably skip it.

[Sharonh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many characters,too many stories, not well intertwined. I have read numerous baseball books and this was my least favorite.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good baseball book about the independent Northern League in the 90's.