Below you will find a number of books and other writings
by Jimmy Keenan.

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Jimmy has been writing for SABR, the Society For American Baseball Research,
since becoming a member in 2001.

Click the link below to reach Jimmy's writing list
at SABR which includes more than 40 contributions.
Jimmy's SABR List

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Jimmy's book, "The Lystons", has been honored with the creation of an original art
baseball card of Jimmy Lyston, created by Gary Cieradkowski.



On his blog site, Gary comments:

"When the book arrived it exceeded all expectations – this was one of the best books on minor league baseball’s glory years that I’d ever read. The author, Jimmy Keenan, traces his relatives as they navigated through the bush leagues from the 19th century to the 1930’s. As an outsider baseball historian, a book like this means so much more to me – for every Mickey Mantle and Hank Greenberg, there were thousands of Jimmy Lyston’s whose story will never be told. Fortunately for us, Jimmy Keenan was a talented enough writer, loving grandson and baseball historian, to pay the ultimate homage to his family’s personal connection to the national pastime. So here’s my short overview of Jimmy Lyston, utility man on the 1921 Orioles."

You can find the rest of Gary's comments regarding Jimmy Lyston by clicking on his baseball card above.
You can also enjoy many other baseball biographies and orignal artwork at his baseball blog site.
There you will find Gary's 'Infinite Baseball Card Set'

Gary's recommendation:
"I highly recommend you pick up a copy of The Lystons by Jimmy Keenan. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a book that better documents the life of a typical 1920’s minor league ballplayer than Keenan has done. Besides being a valuable look at the life and times of roarin’ 20’s baseball, Keenan’s book is a heart-felt tribute to the man who raised him and played such an important part in his early life. There are only so many times you can re-read the same retread bio’s of Satchel Paige and Cal Ripken – “The Lystons” shines a bright light on a part of baseball history that is rarely told and that is unceasingly interesting. I also recommend Keenan’s book about turn-of-the-century Detroit Tigers pitcher Win Mercer – the perfect combination of Deadball-Era baseball and mystery."
(Copies of his original images are used by permission of Gary Cieradkowski.)



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Professional Baseball in Baltimore
by Jimmy Keenan



(Open PDF File)


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Available at Amazon.com:

BANNED FOR LIFE:
The Benny Kauff Story
by Jimmy Keenan



Cataloged as a research source at
the A. Bart Giamatti Research Center,
National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY.

2022 Larry Ritter Book Award Nominee
Each year SABR's Deadball Era Committee presents the
Larry Ritter Book Award to recognize the best new
baseball book primarily set in the Deadball Era that
was published during the previous calendar year.


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Available at Amazon.com:

The Lyston Brothers:
A Journey Through 19th Century Baseball
by Jimmy Keenan



Cataloged as a research source
at the A. Bart Giamatti Research Center at the
National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.


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Ty Cobb
A Baseball Biography
by Jimmy Keenan



(Open PDF File)


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Available at Amazon.com:

The Life, Times, and Tragic Death of
Pitcher Win Mercer

A Baseball Biography
by Jimmy Keenan



This book is rated among The 52 Best Baseball Biography Books of All Time.
BookAuthority (as featured on CNN, Forbes and Inc) identifies and rates
the best books in the world, based on public mentions, recommendations,
ratings and sentiment. (BookAuthority.org)

Cataloged as a research source
at the A. Bart Giamatti Research Center at the
National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.


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The Lystons






This webspace is dedicated to my first book, "The Lystons". I started the research for this project in 1995 and began to put the information in book form in January of 2002. Now, in 2008, I have finally completed this 510 page effort.

I wrote this book in memory of my grandfather, Jimmy Lyston. His professional baseball career spanned a decade, plus he played semi-pro baseball for almost twenty years. He played with and against some of the greatest players in baseball history. I am named after my granddad and he was my godparent. He took me to my first little league practice and never missed any of my ballgames up until the day he died.


Sneak Peeks from The Lystons:

Professional baseball players in the 19th century covered a lot of territory during their careers and the Lystons were no exception.
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Starting out at a very young age, Jimmy had been working for Jack Dunn’s Baltimore Orioles as a batboy, peanut vendor and an assistant grounds-keeper at Oriole Park on Greenmount Avenue and 29th Street. It was common practice at this time for Oriole owner/manager Jack Dunn to let the Oriole Park grounds crew field balls during pre-game batting practice. That is where Dunn first saw my granddad play.
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One of the keys to Jack Dunn’s long-term success in Baltimore was that he was a master of utilizing his own farm system. Dunn was a great judge of baseball talent. As a player, he had played many different positions including pitcher and this served him well while scouting and rating potential players. When Dunn signed a young prospect, he usually sent them to a lower minor league for experience but the player was still under contract to the Orioles.
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One of the reasons that the Baltimore City Police ball club was so talented is the team’s roster was loaded with former professional baseball players.



From the Back Cover:

Baltimore, MD, is privileged to claim a number of legendary ballplayers and managers as members of its local nines. Baseball icons Babe Ruth, Lefty Grove, Satchel Paige along with John McGraw, Ned Hanlon and Jack Dunn, plus many other notable names, were associated with the various professional baseball teams that called Baltimore their hometown.

Providing a biographical perspective of professional baseball in Baltimore and beyond, "The Lystons" follows the baseball careers of five family members: Bill, John M., Marty, John C. and Jimmy Lyston. Along the way, you will meet many famous ballplayers who the Lystons played alongside or against during their journey through organized baseball that spanned from the 1880s thru the 1930s. Beyond the boxscores, "The Lystons" highlights colorful player anecdotes and interesting Baltimore history.

The author, Jimmy Keenan, is the grandson of former Baltimore Oriole Jimmy Lyston. There are numerous baseball stories here that were passed from his grandfather to Jimmy as they spent many enjoyable hours together as he was growing up. Jimmy Lyston was a founding member of the Oldtimers Baseball Association of Maryland and the Maryland Professional Baseball Players Association. He also served 33 years in the Baltimore City Police Department and played on the great Police baseball teams of the 1930's.

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Jimmy promised his grandfather that he would one day reveal the Lyston
legacy and their passion for the great game of baseball through a book
detailing their many experiences on the ballfield.
This book is that promise fulfilled –
ENJOY!