The Baseball Guru - Women in Baseball - November 2000 by Leslie Heaphy

I wish to begin this issue of our newsletter in a different fashion than usual because I want to acknowledge how much we as a committee will miss one of our members, Jerry Malloy and all he did in helping us keep alive the history of women who played baseball in the past. Jerry was a wonderful researcher and friend. If you ever needed anything if Jerry could help you out he did. His responses were always timely and incredibly comprehensive. The thing I will miss most is Jerry himself, he was a great friend to all and his warmth, humor and love for the game of baseball will be missed.

In the last newsletter I included our growing list of suggestions for inclusion in a committee publication and had hoped for some strong responses from the committee but only received 2 or 3 more so I have little to add to our list and feel that it is now time to begin making some decisions or this idea will languish and never result in any real work. I think it is a great idea and want to move forward. I am asking one last time for input on our list but also comments from the members about the type of publication we are looking at. I have had mixed responses back so far whether we want to proceed with just a top 25 book or one that does bios of all women in baseball? What do you think? I need to know how you all wish to proceed.

Below is our list of top 25 as they have been selected so far--these are the candidates that have received the most votes. ( A question was asked why 25--we thought that was a doable number but that could easily be changed if the committee thinks we need to expand that number)

Ila Borders Effa Manley

Toni Stone Dorothy Seymour

Pam Postema Alta Weiss

Dottie Collins Margaret Gisolo

Rose Gacioch Dottie Kamenshek

Sophie Kurys Babe D. Zaharias

Mamie Johnson Lizzie Murphy

Jackie Mitchell Jean Faut

Helen Callaghan Maud Nelson

Helene Britton Lee Ann Ketcham

Julie Croteau Amanda Clement

Doris Sams Betty Weaver Foss

Anne Occi

Others nominated include:

Katy Feeny Linda Alvarado

Mindy Rich Cordelia Candelaria

Stephanie Leathers Elinor Nauen

Janet M. Smith Barbara Gregorich

Effa Manley Marge Schott

Joan W. Payson Connie Morgan

Connie Wisniewski Dottie Schroeder

Jean Faut Audrey Wagner

Willie Briggs Maxine Kline

Lib Mahon Bonnie Baker

Pepper Paire Jo Winter

Audrey Wagner Doris Sams

Faye Dancer Lois Forreich

Helen Dauvray Colorado Silver Bullets

Lizzie Arlington Margaret Nabel

Edith Houghton Ruth Lessing

Wendy Selig Kim Ng

Elaine Weddington Steward

Lib Dooley Heather Nabozny

Mary Ann Simmons Ruth Ann Steinhagen

Marianne Moore Rachel Robinson

Jean Yawkey Mrs. Barney Dreyfuss

Eleanor Engle

Girls who fought to play Little League

Philip Wrigley P J Brun

Gina Satriano Christina DeLuca

Christine Sears Jo Curone

Terri Lynn Herbst Stephanie Itsell

Tammy Holmes Margaret Donahue

Grace Comiskey Mrs. Nugent

Mrs. Robison

Please send me your votes by the beginning of January. This will be the last time I ask for nominations or ideas for format so that we can then proceed to assigning articles and actually beginning to work on the publication itself. I think this is a great project for our committee and very doable.

Keep sending me information and I will be sure it gets passed along.

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Recent books, articles, websites and other projects. Thanks to the following people for sending material.

Gai Berlage, Gene Carney, Dick Clark, Larry Lester, Jerry Malloy, Barry Swanton, Joan Thomas, Justine Warren, Tim Wiles, Lisa Wulf.

(**Denotes item available for a SASE, 1 stamp per 4 pages).

WWW.MSWBL.COM-- new website from the Cleveland area. It is an on-line baseball magazine to promote and inform people about women's baseball.

**"Effa Manley, She Loved Baseball" (4 pp)

Sports Documentary by HBO "Dare to Compete: The Struggle of women in Sports"

"Jackie Robinson's Integration of ML Baseball: A Unique Opportunity for 3 Black Women to Play Negro League Baseball" by Gai Berlage in Cooperstown Symposium, 2000

"Baseball" by Gai Berlage in International Encyclopedia of Women and Sport

"From Bloomer Girls Baseball to Women's Softball" by Gai Berlage in Cooperstown Symposium, 1999.

**"MLB Announces Commissioner's Initiative on Women and Baseball" (4pp)

** "Bonnie's the Belle of the Ball Game" Sport May 1947, vol. 2, No. 5 ( 4pp)

** "Christine Wren: Women in Blue" in Baseball Bulletin, July 1976.

"A Woman's work" by Dorothy Mills

** Obit on Joanne Weaver

"The Queen of Diamonds" by Bob Fulton in The National Pastime, 1999.

** "Lady Ball Player" from 1953 Ebony on Toni Stone (10 pp)

** "Legends of Baseball" Grand Rapids Press, June 18, 2000. (10 pp)

** "Grand Rapids Chicks Left Special Legacy for Local Fans" Grand Rapids Press, June 18, 2000. (4 pp)

** "Diamond Vision" by Bruce Fretts, All Star Game Program, 2000. ( 3 pp)

** "Stepping up to the Plate" by Lisa Marie Dirks in Women Next ( 4pp)

Check out htpp://www.wnebl.org/

http://freehosting1.at.webjump.com/37496924d/nj/njnemesis/

http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame/

** "Who was on First?" by Brett Shamosh in Oxygen Sports

** "Living a Dream" by Sue Macy in Oxygen Sports

** "Border Control" by Staci Blagovich in Oxygen Sports

** "Stranded" in The North American Review, by Barbara Gregorich, on 1925 team in Japan

Marge Schott, Unleashed by Mike Bass, 1993.

Lady in the Locker room by Susan Fornoff, 1993.

"When the Umpire Strikes Out: Gender Discrimination in Professional Baseball" Women Lawyer's Journal, 79, no. 4 (9/93)

"Major League Baseball: Not for men Only" Ebony, 53 (10/1/98)

**"Lady Slugger" on Tammy Holmes in Jet, 10/14/96

** "Replacement Players, circa 1883" Harper's Magazine, April 1995

** "The Girls of Summer" by Gene Smith in American Heritage, 1994

** "Say it Ain't so" by Mary Farrell in People Weekly, June 6, 1994

** "Out of her League" in sports Illustrated, May 30, 1994

** "Level the Field" Sports Illustrated, May 23, 1994

** "Into the Park" in women's sports and Fitness, April 1994

** "Hardball: There's nothing soft about the only women's baseball league in the US" in Women's Sports and Fitness, April 1992

** "A league of their own" Women's sports and Fitness, Nov-Dec. 1991

"Where is our Field of Dremas?" Ms. Magazine, Sept-Oct. 1991

** "All but forgotten now, A women's baseball league once flourished" Jay Feldman, Sports Illustrated, June 10, 1985

** "Peanut's Straight Pitch" Hartford Courant, 9/30/99

** "Often Overlooked Stars Sparkle" Washington Post, 11/18/99 on Mamie Johnson

** Obit on Twila Shively

** "Peanut Is her name, baseball is her game" Detroit Free Press, 9/16/99

** "In a league of her own" Winnipeg Sun, June 13, 2000

** "Effa Manley for the Hall" from Outside the Lines, Aug. 31, 2000

Essay on Effa Manley by Amy Essington

** Two Obits on Dolores Moore

American women in Sport by Ruth Sparhawk, et al 1989

** Obit on Mary Flaherty

** "A School of Her Own" Everett Advocate, a school named for Maddy English

** "Grandma Played Pro Baseball" from AAGPBL Newsletter

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Research Requests

Justine Warren continues to look for input as to why women play baseball. Ideas can be sent to her at Jwarren101@aol.com.

Any articles about the AAGPBL Summer 2000 reunion? Please pass on to Leslie Heaphy.

The Public Museum of Grand Rapids is looking for memorabilia, artifacts etc for an exhibit on baseball they are planning for the year 2003. If you can help them out or want to learn more about their plans you can reach them at Public Museum of Grand Rapids, 272 Pearl Str., NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Watch for more details about a women's baseball conference being held in Cleveland in 2001. Justine Warren is coordinating this effort.

What are you looking for? What are you currently working on? Let us know and we can help one another as we are doing our research.

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The website www.MsWBL.com has added some new features regarding teams from around the world. Justine is also looking for articles and other ideas for the website.

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AAGPBL Beveled glass ornaments/suncatchers/paperweights/glassware and mugs available from The Woodn'Glass Collection, 3635 N. 300 W., Angola, IN 46703 (219) 833-2614

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http://www.womenplayingbaseball.com/

a good link to all kinds of information about women's teams and tournaments around the country.

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Interested in writing a review for our newsletter? How about writing up your thoughts on Susan Johnson's book When Women Played Hardball? Or Girls of summer by Lois Browne. Send your reviews to Leslie Heaphy for inclusion in the next newsletter. If you have another book you'd like to review write up your comments and send them in.

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Sarah Jane Sands

played outfield and catcher for the Rockford Peaches in 1953 and 1954. Originally from Orangeville, Pennsylvania Sands joined the Peaches after meeting scout Charles Schuler. She learned her love of baseball from her father who was a big fan. She played in 136 games with a .210 avg and a .954 fielding percentage in 112 games in the outfield. After her baseball career Sands went on to coach Little League and a women's slow pitch softball team. Sands also played some semi-pro basketball at Olmsted Air Force base in Middletown, PA in 1955-56.

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Please send correspondence, questions, suggestions, ideas to Leslie Heaphy for future newsletters. Also, I heard from a number of you and am grateful for the responses. Those who did not respond please try to let me know whether you still wish to receive our newsletter. Please write or e-mail me as to whether you wish to continue to be on the mailing list. If I do not hear from you I will not be sending future issues of the newsletter. Thanks for your help in keeping our list updated. Just a reminder that some of you have not paid your dues to SABR yet this year and should send that in if you also want to continue receiving other SABR publications.

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