Ballists, Dead Beats, and Muffins: Inside Early Baseball in Illinois Ballists, Dead Beats, and Muffins: Inside Early Baseball in Illinois Elaine Evans / 5/21/2023 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM 0 280 Article rating: No rating Robert D. Sampson talks about his new book, Ballists, Dead Beats, and Muffins, a first-ever history of early baseball in Illinois that adds the Prairie State game’s unique shadings and colorful stories to the history of the national pastime. Read more