Books and Articles by
Stew Thornley
FOR ADULTS:
On to Nicollet: The Glory and Fame of the Minneapolis Millers, Nodin Press, Minneapolis, 1988 and 2000
Basketball’s Original Dynasty: The History of the Lakers, Nodin Press, 1989
Holy Cow! The Life and Times of Halsey Hall, Nodin Press, 1991
Golden Memories (with Ray Christensen)
, Nodin Press, 1993Hi Everybody! (with Herb Carneal), Nodin Press, 1995
Land of the Giants: New York’s Polo Grounds, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 2000
Six Feet Under: A Graveyard Guide to Minnesota, Minnesota Historical Society Press, St. Paul, 2004
Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History, Minnesota Historical Society Press, St. Paul, 2006
Minnesota Hoops: Basketball in the North Star State (co-authored with Marc Hugunin), Minnesota Historical Society Press, St. Paul, 2006
Minnesotans in Baseball (Editor), Nodin Press, 2009
Minnesota Twins Baseball: Hardball History on the Prairie, The History Press, Charleston, South Carolina, 2014
The Minnesota Twins through Memorabilia (with Jerry Stebbins and Clyde Doepner), Nodin Press, 2014
The St. Paul Saints: Baseball in the Capital City, Minnesota Historical Society, 2015
The Polo Grounds: Essays and Memories of New York City’s Historic Ballpark, 1880-1963 (Editor), McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, and London, 2019
Historic Ballparks of the Twin Cities, The History Press, Charleston, South Carolina, 2021
Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History (updated and revised), Minnesota Historical Society Press, St. Paul, 2021
Metropolitan Stadium: Memorable Games at Minnesota’s Diamond on the Prairie (Editor), Society for American Baseball Research, Phoenix, 2022
Minor Treasures: Diamond Gems from the Glory Days of Minnesota Baseball (with Taylor Simons and Dave Kaplan), Nodin Press, Minneapolis, 2022
FOR YOUNG READERS: Deion Sanders: Prime Time Player, Lerner Publications, 1993
Electrifying Medicine: How Electricity Sparked a Medical Revolution (co-authored with Brenda L. Himrich), Lerner Publications, 1995
Top 10 Football Receivers, Enslow Publishers, Springfield, New Jersey, 1995
Sports Great Dennis Rodman, Enslow Publishers, 1996
Sports Great Reggie Miller, Enslow Publishers, 1996
Sports Great Greg Maddux, Enslow Publishers, 1996
Emmitt Smith: Relentless Rusher, Lerner Publications, 1996
Frank Thomas: Baseball’s Big Hurt, Lerner Publications, 1997
Jerry Rice: Star Wide Receiver, Enslow Publishers, 1998
Shawn Kemp: Star Forward, Enslow Publishers, 1998
Alex Rodriguez: Slugging Shortstop, Lerner Publications, 1998
Roberto Alomar: Star Second Baseman, Enslow Publishers, 1999
Grant Hill: Star Forward, Enslow Publishers, 1999
Mark McGwire: Star Home Run Hitter, Enslow Publishers, 1999
Hits, Hankies, and Homers: The Story of the Minnesota Twins, Lerner Publications, 2000
Allen Iverson, Star Guard, Enslow Publishers, 2001
Super Sports Star Tim Duncan, Enslow Publishers, 2001
Super Sports Star Kevin Garnett, Enslow Publishers, 2001
Super Sports Star Kobe Bryant, Enslow Publishers, 2001
Super Sports Star Vince Carter, Enslow Publishers, 2002
Super Sports Star Jason Kidd, Enslow Publishers, 2002
Super Sports Star Chris Webber, Enslow Publishers, 2002
Super Sports Star Randy Moss, Enslow Publishers, 2002
Super Sports Star Brett Favre, Enslow Publishers, 2002
Super Sports Star Daunte Culpepper, Enslow Publishers, 2002
Super Sports Star Eddie George, Enslow Publishers, 2003
Super Sports Star Barry Bonds, Enslow Publishers, 2003
Derek Jeter: Daring to Dream, Enslow Publishers, 2003
Super Sports Star Ken Griffey, Jr., Enslow Publishers, 2003
Super Sports Star Chipper Jones, Enslow Publishers, 2003
Roberto Clemente, Lerner Publications, 2006
Sports Jokes to Tickle Your Funny Bone, Enslow Publishers, 2011
Honors:
Holy Cow! The Life and Times of Halsey Hall was named the Best Regional Book of 1991 at the Midwest Book Achievement Awards.
Recipient of USA Today Baseball Weekly Award for best research presentation at the 1998 Society for American Baseball Research convention in San Francisco for a presentation on the Polo Grounds.
Finalist for Minnesota Book Award for On to Nicollet, Holy Cow!, and Electrifying Medicine (with Brenda L. Himrich).
Recipient of 2010 Tony Salin Memorial Award for commitment to the preservation of baseball history, from The Baseball Reliquary, Pasadena, California.
Honorary Member - Association of Venezuelan Professional Baseball Official Scorers (Asociacion Venezuolana de Anotadores de Beisbol Profesional)
Recipient of the 2016 Bob Davids Award from the Society for American Baseball Research
Short stories/articles Other speaking/writing/communications background: Public address announcing: Women’s and Men’s basketball for North Hennepin Community College and Minneapolis Community College; Minneapolis Loons professional baseball; Minnesota Gophers baseball; St. Louis Park High School basketball and football.
Performer for the Minnesota Chautauqua: With partner Bob Evans, performed a one-hour show, That Grand Old Game!, a look at baseball history and heritage, from 1989 to 1991.
Gameday datacaster for mlb.com, 1998-present (Total Sports from 1998-2000, mlb.com since 2001).
Official scorer for Minnesota Twins games, 2007-present. Member of Major League Baseball Official Scoring Advisory Committee, 2013-present.
Backup official scorer for Minnesota Timberwolves games, 2008-present.
Notable Articles “Minnesota Pro Basketball History,” Minnesota Timberwolves Inaugural Media Guide, 1989-90
“The Joy of Research,” The Toastmaster, Toastmasters International, August 1991
“Halsey Hall: Baseball’s Consummate Story Teller,” Baseball Digest, September 1991
“Halsey ‘Holy Cow’ Hall,” Mpls-St. Paul, October 1991
“Minneapolis: City of Protests,” Base Paths: The Best of the Minneapolis Review of Baseball, William C. Brown Publishers, 1991
Liner notes for the compact disc and cassette tape of the 1991 Minnesota Twins championship season, produced by WCCO Radio
“Minneapolis Millers vs. Havana Sugar Kings,” The National Pastime by the Society for American Baseball Research, 1992
“Building the Metrodome,” Construction Bulletin, March 5, 1993
“Our Town,” Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, June 1993
“Showtime Begins: The Minneapolis Lakers,” Program for the 1994 National Basketball Association All-Star Game
“Lost in the Ninth,” Twins Magazine, June/July 1994
“On the Hot Seat: Official Scorers and No-Hitters,” The National Pastime by the Society for American Baseball Research, 1995
“Seasons of Greatness” (on Kirby Puckett), Twins Magazine, May 1997
“Twin Cities Had True Rivalry in Early 1900s,” Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities, April 25, 1999
“Halsey Hall,” Directory of Literary Biography, Volume 241: American Sportswriters and Writers on Sport, 2000
“Minnesota Baseball History,” Minnesota Twins Media Guides since 2000
“The All-Star Game,” Total Basketball, Sports Classic Books, 2003
“Roberto Clemente’s Entry into Organized Baseball: Hidden in Montreal?,” The National Pastime by the Society for American Baseball Research, 2006 (Also in 50 for 50: The Society for American Baseball Research’s Fifty Most Essential Contributions to the Game, published in 2020)
“The Demise of the Reserve Clause,” Baseball Research Journal by the Society for American Baseball Research, 2006
A Rich History: The Minneapolis Millers, 2012 Minnesota Twins Yearbook
St. Paul Saints, 2013 Minnesota Twins Yearbook
Minnesota’s All Star History, 2014 Minnesota Twins Yearbook
“The First and Last Games at the Polo Groundses,” The National Pastime: Baseball in the Big Apple (New York) by the Society for American Baseball Research, 2017
“From Recorder to Judge: The Evolution of the Scorer in the Nineteenth Century,” with Bob Tholkes, Baseball Research Journal by the Society for American Baseball Research, Fall 2017
“Regular Season Showdowns,” Baseball Research Journal by the Society for American Baseball Research, Spring 2018
“Babe Ruth in Minnesota,” The Babe by the Society for American Baseball Research, 2019
The Minneapolis Lakers: The First NBA Dynasty, part of anthology, “Twin Cities Sports: Games for All Seasons,” Fayetteville: The University of Arkansas Press, 2020
Entry in 50 at 50: The Society for American Baseball Research’s Fifty Most Essential Contributions to the Game, 2020: “Roberto Clemente’s Entry into Organized Baseball”
“Andy Oyler’s Two-Foot Home Run: Is It Okay to Destroy a Legend?,” Baseball Research Journal by the Society for American Baseball Research, Fall 2020
“The Elusive Fourth Out: What Teams Don’t Know Will Bite Them,” Baseball Research Journal by the Society for American Baseball Research, Fall 2021
“The Trade That Kept On Giving: Tarkenton to the Giants Built a Powerhouse,” The Coffin Corner by the Professional Football Researchers Association, 2023
“Willie Mays Had a Spectacular—But Short—Stay in Minneapolis,” Willie Mays: Five Tools by the Society for American Baseball Research, 2023
“Celebrating the Nons: Many ‘Unofficial’ No-Hitters More Fascinating than the ‘Real’ Ones,” Baseball Research Journal by the Society for American Baseball Research, Spring 2023
Cal Ripken, Jr.: Oriole Ironman, Lerner Publications, Minneapolis, 1992
1988 recipient of national baseball research award co-sponsored by Macmillan Publishing Company and the Society for American Baseball Research.
Author of more than 100 articles and stories that have appeared in a variety of publications and periodicals, including Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Baseball Digest, Toastmaster, Mpls.-St. Paul, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Timberwolves Tonight (game program of the Minnesota Timberwolves), Minnesota Timberwolves Inaugural Media Guide, 1994 NBA All-Star Game program, Minnesota Twins Media Guide, Twins Magazine, and Total Basketball.
Radio announcing: Disc jockey/sportscaster at KHAD Radio, DeSoto, Missouri, 1975; Staff announcer/sports director at KMSR-FM in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, 1976.
“St. Paul Unions: Minnesota’s First Fling in the Majors,” 1980 Baseball Research Journal by the Society for American Baseball Research
