The Lystons






This page 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!