Since 1952, it had been accepted that Johnny Britton and Jimmie Newberry were the first Black ballplayers to play pro baseball in Japan – that is until an all-star team of researchers rediscovered the mysterious Jimmy Bonna… […]
Category: Semi-Pro
Mickey Stubblefield: Lil’ Satchel Integrates the Kitty League
When Jackie Robinson integrated the International League in 1946, there were 52 minor leagues operating in North America. It was up to 51 other strong individuals to be the first in the other 51 leagues. Mickey Stubblefield was one of them. […]
Pee Wee Reese: A Shortstop Grows in Louisville
In 1938, a teenage shortstop straight out of a city church league emerged as the best shortstop in the minors, a prospect so highly regarded that the Boston Red Sox bought the entire Louisville Colonels franchise just so they could have him. […]
Frank “Dins” Makosky: The Johnny Appleseed of the Forkball
Yankees manager Joe McCarthy knew the only way to win the 1936 World Series was by neutralizing Carl Hubbell’s screwball. None of his players had faced a screwballer all year, and that was a problem. Fortunately, McCarthy had the answer… […]
Eddie Kazak: Bayoneted, buried and blown up, but not broken
Baseball’s great for providing examples of how to overcome adversity and succeed – some are well-known like Jackie Robinson and Pete Gray – but I’ve always drawn my inspiration from a now-forgotten ballplayer named Eddie Kazak. […]
Jack Riley: The last season of the Shanghai City League
Just as he had every summer since 1931, Lucky Jack Riley made sure his Wednesdays and Sundays were cleared for playing baseball. However, world events would make 1940 the last season for both the Shanghai City League and Lucky Jack’s baseball career… […]
Roy Counts: Crime, Punishment & Outsider Baseball
The term “outlaw league” described a league that wasn’t recognized by Organized Baseball, the entity that controlled the major and minor leagues. But for Roy Counts, “outlaw league” had a slightly different meaning… […]
Sam Kau: Memorial Day
When you’re outside this weekend, and hear the sweet “slap” of a ball hitting the well-worn leather of a glove, give a little silent thanks to Sam Kau and all the other Americans who gave their lives over the past 245 years to keep this nation safe and secure. […]
Earl Huckleberry: Straight to the Majors and Back
I say this all the time, but it’s stories like this that make this game interesting to me. You can take all the Hall of Famers and multi-million dollar contract guys – I’ll take Earl Huckleberry’s one unlikely afternoon in the big leagues anytime. […]
Hack Wilson: When 1938 was 1930 for a day
Hack Wilson’s fall following the 1930 season in which he hit 56 homers and a record 191 RBI, was tremendous and tragic. However, for one day in 1938, the former star was able to make all the years between 1930 and 1938 disappear… […]