Toronto Baseball Tales: The Strange Story of Our City's First ChampionshipFeatured Event. Toronto Baseball Tales: The Strange Story of Our City's First Championship

The history of baseball in Toronto stretches back to a time long before the Blue Jays first took the field. Our city's first championship club was formed all the way back in the 1880s, with a roster that included an alcoholic monkey-owning slugger and one of the most notorious con artists on the continent.

In this talk, storyteller and historian Adam Bunch focuses on the strange season they won the pennant, the role the franchise played in creating baseball's colour barrier, and the sport's infamous reputation in Victorian Toronto as a game for "undesirables."

About this event's guest:

Adam Bunch

Read More:

The Toronto Book of Love

The Toronto Book of the Dead

About this series:

Baseball was being played in Toronto more than a century before the Blue Jays were born. In this series of talks, we'll explore the game's evolution in our city, from the days when it was a working class sport played by "undesirables" to Joe Carter jumping for joy in front of 50,000 screaming fans. Along the way, we'll meet everyone from con artists and kidnappers to eccentric millionaires and feminist icons, the people who've made Toronto baseball what it is… and helped transform our city in the process.

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This event is part of our signature Salon Series, where we host local and international authors, artists and thinkers in conversation about their new books and big ideas.

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Important information for accessing this live virtual event:

You must register for a free ticket via Eventbrite to gain access to this event.

This event will be presented in a Zoom Webinar. Once registered, you will receive reminder emails from both Zoom and Eventbrite with links and instructions to access your unique Zoom Webinar link to watch this event.

At the time of the event, you must be signed in to Zoom or Eventbrite with the same email address that you used to book your ticket in order to access your unique event link. Unique event links can only be open on one device at a time.

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Accessibility at Toronto Public Library

We are committed to making our content accessible to as many Torontonians as possible. Please call or email us if you are Deaf or have a disability and would like to request accommodation to participate in this program. Please let us know as far in advance as possible and we will do our best to meet your request. At least three weeks' notice is preferred. Phone 416-393-7099 or email accessibleservices@tpl.ca

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