Author Bill Ranauro joins the podcast this week to discuss "The Chosen City," his captivating new book on the 1946 Nashua Dodgers and the New Hampshire community that became the first integrated team in "organized" baseball.
Ranauro’s book shines a light on a pivotal but often overlooked moment in Brooklyn Dodgers history, when Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe arrived in Nashua and helped turn a minor league season into a major milestone in the fight to integrate the game.
Our conversation explores how Branch Rickey’s Dodgers organization helped open the door, and how its affiliated Class B New England League club became the setting for an important test of baseball’s future. Ranauro also examines the people behind the team, including the leadership that helped guide the Dodgers through that groundbreaking season. But at the center of it all are Campanella and Newcombe, two players whose talent, professionalism, and presence made history both on and off the field.
"Chosen City" tells a larger story about opportunity, race, and change in American sports, using one small city to show how baseball’s evolution often began in unexpected places. This episode offers a thoughtful look at how Nashua became part of the Brooklyn Dodgers’ legacy and why Ranauro’s book matters for anyone interested in baseball history, civil rights, or the people who helped reshape the game.
