The history of baseball is rich and varied. At one time, rubbing of saliva (spitballs) was commonly done. This made pitches drop rapidly near home plate, causing hitters to swing and miss. Baseball bans this type of pitching as being unfair in the 1920s.
With the appearance of Babe Ruth in the 1920s, the home run becomes the defining element of the sport. In the late 1940s, major league baseball becomes integrated when Jackie Robinson begins playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Another signature epoch for the sport happens in the mid-1940s. This is the development of the first professional baseball women’s league. It is named the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The AAGPBL was started in 1943 and lasted through 1954. This book tells of the championship game that took place on September 16, 1946. The title of this interesting historical book is "Dirt on Their Skirts: The Story of the Young Women Who Won the World Championship."
During World War II, most of the baseball players in the country are serving in the military. The owners of major league teams need to create something to keep up the interest of fans throughout the country. Since most of the men are not available, the owner of the Chicago Cubs, Philip Wrigley starts the AAGPBL. There are eight teams in the league, which is centered in the Midwest. Though the season is only four months long, the women play a grueling 120 games.
Since it is unladylike to wear baseball pants, the women play in skirts. Needless to say, sliding into second base daily in a skirt causes many strawberries (skin abrasions on the legs), but the players gamely play every day. Nor do they get any breaks on the weekends since doubleheaders are always scheduled. To put it mildly, these women are tough and they gather an avid following.
On September 16, 1946, the Rockford Peaches play the Racine Belles for the league championship. One family in attendance for the championship game has a young daughter named Margaret. The girl’s favorite player is Sophie Kurys of the Racine Belles. As Margaret feels the scabs on her own knees from sliding into rock-hard infield ground, she feels a special kinship with the speedy Kurys.
Born in Flint, Michigan, Kurys’ nickname is the Flint Flash and she has stolen an incredible 201 bases in the 1946 season. But neither team is able to drive in any runs and the game goes into extra innings.
By the 14th inning the tension begins to build to a fever pitch. The Flint Flash beats out an infield single and immediately steals second base. The next hitter, Betty Trezza, fakes a bunt and then lashes the ball into right field. Margaret screams, "Go, Flash, go!" The ball comes zinging home as the Flint Flash plows into the catcher. A tremendous collision happens.
Is Sophie safe? Do the Racine Belles win the championship? Who gets carried off the field at the end of the game? Why is Margaret so happy? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out "Dirt on Their Skirts" by Doreen Rappaport and Lyndall Callan.
The story of the AAGPBL was made into a fine movie entitled "A League of Their Own." Though all the characters in Margaret’s family are fictitious, all the players in the book are real. The Major League Baseball Hall of Fame has an exhibit for the 650 players of the AAGPBL. I hope you get a chance to read this interesting book. It tells an important part of baseball history.
