Maicín: The unheralded story of the Irishman who discovered baseball’s first superstar
From Aonghus Ó Maicín at Balls.IE on February 21, 2020:
It was midway through the 19th century when the Donovan family set sail for North America; like so many other Irish families of the time, their sights set on a better life. Jeremiah and Nora Donovan embarked the emigrant ship at Queenstown, their seven children and dreams in toe, knowing little of the awaiting life on the other side of the pond but probably knowing it will never be the same.
This was common. What wasn’t common was the life one of their youngest would go on to experience.
Among the Donovan party on that day was three-year-old Patsy, a toddler who would grow up to have quite the distinguished career playing baseball before leaving a post-career legacy that continues to be felt. The name may have dissipated into the ether of bygone generations but his contribution is, without question, a monument in the sport. The name isn’t widely-lauded, it isn’t widely-recorded, but the remnants of its contribution is by no means inconsequential. For Donovan’s legacy must be one of the most mysteriously unheralded in the long history of the game.
Read the full article here: https://www.balls.ie/other-sports/patsy-donovan-baseball-babe-ruth-426595
Originally published: February 24, 2020. Last Updated: February 24, 2020.