Chris Holaday

With dozens of interviews and painstaking research, Robert Gaunt produced what is perhaps the greatest book on minor league history ever published. He captured the spirit of baseball in the towns of Eastern North Carolina and the important role the game played in the lives of fans there. This book covers the league history from its inception in 1934 as a semi-pro league for college players, to its entry into true professional baseball in 1937. The league quickly became one of the most respected Class D leagues in the entire country for its high level of play. The Coastal Plain League shut down for the duration of World War II but returned in 1946 and achieved even greater glory over the following few seasons. The author covers all aspects of the league from the great players and teams, to the colorful stories and legendary characters, to the reasons for the eventual demise of the league following the 1952 season. This second edition includes new photographs and an index.

The best-known story of integration in baseball is Jackie Robinson, who broke the major league color line in 1947 after coming up through the minor leagues the previous year. His story, however, differs from those of the many players who integrated the game in the Jim Crow South at all professional levels. Chris Holaday offers readers the first book-length history of baseball's integration in the Carolinas, showing its slow and unsteady progress, narrating the experience of players in a range of distinct communities, detailing the influence of baseball executives at the local and major league levels, and revealing that the changing structure of the professional baseball system allowed the major leagues to control integration at the state level. Holaday illuminates many smaller stories along the way, including desegregation in Little League and American Legion baseball, the first Black players to play in the tiny foothills town of Granite Falls, North Carolina, and the pipeline of Afro-Cuban players from Havana to the Carolina leagues. By showing how race and the national pastime intersected at the local level, Holaday offers readers new context to understand the long struggle of equality in the game.

The best-known story of integration in baseball is Jackie Robinson, who broke the major league color line in 1947 after coming up through the minor leagues the previous year. His story, however, differs from those of the many players who integrated the game in the Jim Crow South at all professional levels. Chris Holaday offers readers the first book-length history of baseball's integration in the Carolinas, showing its slow and unsteady progress, narrating the experience of players in a range of distinct communities, detailing the influence of baseball executives at the local and major league levels, and revealing that the changing structure of the professional baseball system allowed the major leagues to control integration at the state level. Holaday illuminates many smaller stories along the way, including desegregation in Little League and American Legion baseball, the first Black players to play in the tiny foothills town of Granite Falls, North Carolina, and the pipeline of Afro-Cuban players from Havana to the Carolina leagues. By showing how race and the national pastime intersected at the local level, Holaday offers readers new context to understand the long struggle of equality in the game.

Once upon a time, Chapel Hill, a town synonymous with the University of North Carolina, offered little more than simple caf s. In recent years, it has developed a diverse restaurant culture and today is home to some of the country's most creative chefs. From legendary student hangouts to one of the South's most famed barbecue joints to the birthplace of shrimp and grits, all of these establishments helped earn the area recognition as a top dining destination. Local authors Chris Holaday and Patrick Cullom profile longtime establishments that helped shape the dining scene in Chapel Hill and the neighboring towns of Carrboro and Hillsborough.

The story of the restaurant industry in Durham is also the story of a once prosperous tobacco town that suffered through a long decline only to undergo a stunning rebirth. Legendary barbecue restaurants such as Little Acorn, Bullock's and Dillard's and sm

The story of the restaurant industry in Durham is also the story of a once prosperous tobacco town that suffered through a long decline only to undergo a stunning rebirth. Legendary barbecue restaurants such as Little Acorn, Bullock's and Dillard's and sm

The Tobacco State League played an important role in eastern North Carolina for five summers (1946-1950), giving small-town communities a chance to be a part of professional baseball and offering a return to normalcy after World War II. Years later, the players' names were spoken with reverence, their exploits the subject of impassioned discussion. This book tells the story of the short-lived league and the clubs who entertained fans on dusty ball fields under dim lights, including the Lumberton Auctioneers, Rockingham Eagles, Warsaw Red Sox, Sanford Spinners and Wilmington Pirates.

The warmth of the oven and the smell of fresh-baked bread conjure comforting memories of tradition and place. Aside from being a staple on every table in the South, these breads and their recipes detail the storied history of the region. Biscuits emerged from Native American and European traditions. Cornbread, with its vast variety, is a point of debate among Southerners over which recipe yields the most delicious results. The hushpuppy, developed possibly to quiet whining dogs, is a requirement for any true catfish or barbecue meal. Author Chris Holaday and top culinary instructor Marilyn Markel offer the mouthwatering history, famous recipes and heartwarming stories of Southerners in their kitchens.

The warmth of the oven and the smell of fresh-baked bread conjure comforting memories of tradition and place. Aside from being a staple on every table in the South, these breads and their recipes detail the storied history of the region. Biscuits emerged from Native American and European traditions. Cornbread, with its vast variety, is a point of debate among Southerners over which recipe yields the most delicious results. The hushpuppy, developed possibly to quiet whining dogs, is a requirement for any true catfish or barbecue meal. Author Chris Holaday and top culinary instructor Marilyn Markel offer the mouthwatering history, famous recipes and heartwarming stories of Southerners in their kitchens.

From the August 1957 VIR race program: The rolling Virginia hills have been painstakingly clad with an ultra-smooth skin of macadam to provide a course of great natural beauty. The superb spectator visibility is nicely equated to a road layout that will test the best in racing machines and men. In the late 1950s, a group of sports car enthusiasts dreamed of creating a first-class racing facility. The result was Virginia International Raceway, a challenging 3.2-mile course with 12 turns, 2 straightaways, and over 100 feet of elevation change. Located in southern Virginia, east of Danville and just across the North Carolina border, the track opened in 1957. During VIR's first 18 years of existence, races featured some of the top names in American motorsports including Carroll Shelby, Roger Penske, Walt Hansgen, and Richard Petty. The track also hosted numerous important events including SCCA Nationals, the President's Cup, a Trans-Am race in the first season of that circuit, as well as IMSA races in the early 1970s. Facing financial difficulties, the track shut down in 1974, and for the next 25 years VIR was a cow pasture. It was reopened in 2000 and the outstanding new facility is again one of the top racing venues in the country.

The best baseball team of the 20th century? How about the 1906 Cubs? Or the 1998 Yankees? Don't forget the 1929 A's, or the 1976 Reds. Some say the Yanks had a pretty good squad in 1927. There were so many great teams in the last century, it would be hard to compile a list of the 25 best--much less rank those clubs--but that's what the authors have done! This is an endlessly fascinating tome, sure to prompt spirited discussions around the water cooler or above the dugout. Let the arguments (and the fun!) begin!