John Holway / Other Leagues (Ladies Leagues)

Pepper was a leading consultant on the film, "A League of Theri Own," and the prototype for the role that Geena Davis played.

MORE SALTY TALES OF PEPPER PAIRE, AAGBPL

By John B. Holway

I was traded to the Racine Belles under Leo Murphy, "for whom the Belles toiled."

If we played a Saturday night game at Racine, we were allowed two beers after the game, and if we were going to Rockford, that would be ten hours by bus. Get in at ten a.m., drop off the luggage, then go directly to the ballpark and play a double-header.

Most likely you got a bus made in the 'thirties, pretty rickety. If it broke down, you pushed it. Or we spent many a night lying on the side of the road, waiting for a tow truck. And there was no such thing as a potty. Hopefully, there was a grassy hill around -- TALL grass, I mean.

My beloved brother, Joe, and my fiance, Bob, flew 33 combat missions in the Pacific in a B-24 bomber. Mom got a letter that their plane was shot down. For three weeks we didn't know if they were dead or alive. I'd go out and play the game every night, then go home and cry and worry all night.

Finally we got a letter from Joe. He said they'd had a problem but he couldn't explain because of censorship, but he said all the crew sent their love and underlined "all." Then he named them and did not name Bob. I went out and played that night. Then I wandered around among the tombstones outside the hotel for a while and finally went to bed and cried myself to sleep.

/// Next: More Pepper Games -- with a Latin Beat ///