As so often happens, I was on my way to something else when I inadvertently unearthed a pretty interesting fellow who used his baseball talent to not only play professional ball, but see a bit of the world as well. […]
Category: Federal League
Rupe Mills: The One Man Ballclub
In early June, Rupe Mills was leading the Federal League in batting, home runs, fielding percentage, pitching wins – in fact, Mills was leading in EVERY category because he was the ONLY player in the league that year. […]
Benny Kauff: Stealing Bases and Automobiles
It was the week before Christmas, 1919.
Three men were cruising the neighborhood looking for a Caddy. It was, as the stockier one of the three had proclaimed earlier that evening, a “good night for stealing autos.” […]
Smoke Justis: The Harder They Hit – The Harder I Threw
With his trademark mane of wavy, dark hair, the Indiana native was well known for his many eccentricities, such as practicing his sliding in hotel hallways and wearing ladies silk stockings under his uniform for luck. But for all his flakiness, Smoke holds the record for most no-hitters in one season – FOUR – set in 1908. […]