Not Percy, but an ostrich nonetheless. Photo by Markus Distelrath on Pexels.com. One hundred and five years ago one of the greatest baseball contests ever took place: Yankees’ outfielder Ping Bodie battled an ostrich in an eating contest – and won. On April 3, 1919, as part of a publicity stunt, Bodie competed against an ostrich named Percy from the Jacksonville Zoo who had previously been dubbed the “world’s greatest eater.” The two competed by eating plates of spaghetti. Percy passed out while attempting his 11th plate; Bodie was declared the winner after finishing his 11th plate. Ping Bodie ..read more

Fort Wayne Daisies, 1948. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia and the State Library and Archives of Florida. Happy Women’s History Month! This month, we’ll take a look at women in baseball, including the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) and other ways women have contributed to baseball. The AAGPBL operated from 1943 to 1954 in the midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The league took the field in 1943 with four teams: The Kenosha Comments. Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches, and South Bend Blue Sox. The Milwaukee Chicks and Minneapolis Millere ..read more

Over the weekend we stopped in Dangerously Delicious Pies in Baltimore, Maryland – the favorite pie shop of Adam Jones when he was with the Baltimore Orioles. On a wall across from the entry door is a little Adam Jones shrine – signed pictures and memorabilia from the outfielder we all love. So what was the connection between Jones and Pies? During the 2013 season, Jones began the tradition of smashing a real pie into the face of a star player at the end of a winning game. While the tradition goes way back in baseball, Adam Jones raised it to an art form, ultimately replacing the standard sha ..read more

Sixty years ago next week, on August 24, 1963, the Little League World Series Championship game was televised for the first time (check out the rosters here): Happy Friday! ~ baseballrebecca ..read more

Last weekend, protesters outside of Dodger Stadium expressed their disagreement with the Dodgers’ invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for their annual Pride Night celebration. Protestors had also shown up at Angel Stadium a few weeks ago when the Mayor of Anaheim invited them as her guests at the Angel’s Pride Night. A few days earlier, Dodgers’ pitcher Clayton Kershaw stated that while he supported Pride Night, he did not support groups that made fun of others’ religion: For upcoming Pride Nights at MLB and MiLB parks, check out my earlier post. Happy Friday! ~ baseballrebecca ..read more

Mookie Wilson with the Mets in 1986. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. On this date in 1978, Mookie Wilson married Rosa Gilbert at home plate in front of 1,200 fans at Smith-Willis Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was a member of the minor league Jackson Mets. According to Mookie’s biography, Mookie: Life, Baseball, and the ’86 Mets: “The idea of getting married on the field before a Jackson home game started with our general manager. He got wind of the fact I was engaged and wanted to give us a full-blown wedding ceremony. At first, I was reluctant, preferring to get married in a small, p ..read more

“I am not ashamed of my color… It would have meant renouncing my family. One of the agreements was that I was never again to visit my mother or to have anything to do with colored people, I refused, I am clean morally and physically.” – John Donaldson ..read more

On this date 100 years ago, Lou Gehrig made his Major League debut, pinch hitting for the Yankees. In front of a crowd of 10,000, the 19-year old Gehrig entered the game as a pinch hitter. The Yankees won the game against the St. Louis Browns, 10-0. His consecutive games streak would begin almost two years later when he again entered a game as a pinch hitter on June 1, 1925. Lou Gehrig, June 11, 1923. Image courtesy of Wikipedia ..read more

Baseball exhibits aren’t just for baseball museums anymore! As we gear up for summer vacations, here is a list of baseball exhibits at museums around the United States: Photo by Tim Gouw on Pexels.com Alabama: “Race to Freedom: African Americans in Sports & The Marathon for Progress,” Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI), through July Arizona:  “Legends, All Stars and Rogues — The Rich Legacy of Scottsdale Spring Training,” Civic Center Library, Scottsdale Arizona: “Play Ball: The Arizona Spring Training Experience & Cactus League Hall of Fame,” Mesa Historical Museum, perman ..read more

Jerry Hairston, Sr., with the Chicago White Sox in 1986. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. Jerry Hairston, Sr., was born on this date in 1952. Jerry played in the majors for 14 seasons with the Chicago White Sox (1972-77, 1981-89) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1977). His father, brother, and two of his sons also played in the Major Leagues, making them the largest of the three 3-generation MLB families (the Boone and Bell families each had four members in MLB across three generations and the Coleman family had three members in MLB). The patriarch of the Hairston baseball family was Sam Hairston. Sam was ..read more