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Major league players, after their active diamond days are over, move into a range of occupations that are not much different from those which apply to most of the male population. Of course, a certain percentage branch off into other baseball or related positions, such as manager, coach, umpire, scout, executive, or broadcaster, which are […]

  On June 24, 1972, Bernice Gera became the first woman to umpire a professional baseball game. Immediately after the game ended, she quit. She fought baseball for five years for the chance to umpire a professional game. Why fight so long for an umpiring career, just to give it up after one game? We […]

Have you ever wondered why Willie McCovey and ten other Padres were identified on their 1974 Topps cards as “Washington National League”? The history of the American League in Washington was not among the more glamorous chapters in baseball. In 71 seasons, two franchises called the Senators combined for only three American League pennants and […]

In 1958, three years before a major-league expansion team took the field for the first time, Milwaukee Braves owner Lou Perini, one of the lone voices in baseball’s hierarchy pushing for extending into other regions of the country, complained, “Baseball men have always been averse to changes. … They simply can’t continue to sit back […]

They were decades apart in time and hundreds of miles apart in where they played, but they had some things in common. Both were outfielders who set enduring records, one of them among the oldest in Organized Baseball. And both were involved in unusual incidents en route to their crowns. What Joe Wilhoit did was […]

Fans depart Wrigley Field via the diamond. Note the temporary bleachers set up beyond the left field wall on Waveland Avenue as well as the “jury box” section in left-center field. (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)   On January 22, 1914, Charlie Weeghman leased land to build a ballpark at Clark and Addison streets […]

Major league baseball relies on a steady infusion of fresh talent in order to retain its vitality and popularity. Young players of each generation make their mark on the sport and then move on, replaced by the next. The point men of each generation, the very first to reach the major leagues, have often carried […]

In the old days of professional baseball, players fist-fighting on and off the field was not uncommon. Players would scream at each other. Some would tease. Many others were just downright mean. One player in particular earned a nickname that perfectly described his slick dugout demeanor. The handle followed him throughout his days in the […]

Introduction and Context Now fully invested in the Great War taking place in Europe, the United States was burdened by a shift in its political and economic conditions that demanded a sharp focus on a mobilization of the nation’s armed forces.  On the home front, Americans were implored to sacrifice for the good of the […]

By Stew Thornley Twenty-four members—Howard Luloff, Gene Gomes, Art Mugalian, Mendal Mearkle, Scott Cummings, Gary DeSmith, Wayne Leebaw, Lee Temanson, John Swol, Barry Bengtsson, Kevin Hennessy, Brenda Himrich, Cary Smith, Jerry Janzen, Jed Levitt, Fritz Reeker, Dave Jensen, Roger Godin, Ray Luurs, Dan Levitt, Doug Skipper, Lloyd Kepple, and Terry Bohn—attended the Halsey Hall Chapter […]