|
"This
summer, Tom Hanks and the Rockford Peaches prove that a
woman's place is at home...first, second & third."
- Tagline,
A League of Their Own, 1992
Questioning the Story:
Were the characters in the movie based on actual players?
For the most part, all of the characters in the movie
are entirely fictional. A website dedicated to real life
Rockford Peach Dottie Green claims that Geenie Davis' character
of Dottie Hinson was loosely based on Dottie Green, who
was a catcher for the Peaches from 1943 to 1947. The
web site (now defunct) was designed by Doug Green, who I'm assuming
is her son or some other relation, leading me to question
if Doug is the only one drawing the similarities. A knee
injury forced Dottie Green to quit the Peaches. She went
on to work with the team as a chaperone.
Other
sources claim that Geena Davis' character of Dottie
Hinson was based on other real life players, and (according
to the AAGPBL website) many
claim that her personality closely resembled that of
All-Star catcher Mary "Bonnie" Baker (pictured
right), who played for the South Bend Blue Sox. Bonnie
Baker did have a sister, Gene McFaul (George), who played
in the league as well, but there were several other
pairs of sisters also playing in the league.
|
Bonnie
Baker - Life Magazine, June 1945 |
When
did the League exist?
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
existed from 1943 to 1954.
Buy Rockford Peaches T-Shirtsfeaturing a creative team design.
No. Chewing gum mogul Philip K. Wrigley, who had inherited
the Chicago Cubs baseball organization from his father,
was responsible for initiating the creation of the girls
professional baseball league. He did so fearing that Major
League teams would disband as the players went off to war.
What
were the ages of the players?
The
majority of the players were in their early twenties, but
several players were in their teens with some as young as
15 years old.
Did the women really wear skirts and have to take etiquette
classes?
Yes,
the women players did wear skirts to play, and they
were actually required to take etiquette classes. You
can read the text of their official charm school guide
(here),
which was found in the collections of the National Baseball
Hall of Fame Library.
Pictured
left is skirt wearing Rockford Peaches pitcher Caroline
Morris - Life
Magazine, June 1945 |
|
Why
did the league become extinct?
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
folded due to the men returning home from the war and due
to the advent of television. Fans no longer needed to fill
their baseball cravings by going to ballparks. Major League
Baseball could be fed via TV right into the living room.
Was there a television show that was based on the movie
A League of Their Own?
As a result of the film's popularity and box office success
(earning around $107 million dollars domestically in the
U.S.), a television spin-off was launched by CBS in 1993. 
Buy Rockford Peaches
T-Shirts to represent your favorite movie characters.
Are there any professional women's baseball teams playing
today?
At the moment, there are no professional women's baseball
teams in operation. The Colorado Silver Bullets, who were
a promotional team for the Colorado area brewing company,
disbanded in 1998. They mainly played against "Double
A" mens professional baseball teams, and were not part
of a women's league.
The "Ladies Professional Baseball League" that
was formed in 1997 under the title of "Ladies League
Baseball" expanded eastward from the U.S. West Coast
in 1998 to include teams in Buffalo NY. and Augusta NJ.
The league played 16 games of a 56 game schedule before
disbanding due to rising insurance costs, low attendance,
and expensive stadium rent fees.
Are
there any women who have played baseball with men professionally?
 There
seems to be no record of a woman ever playing on a Major
League Baseball team. However, women have played with men
professionally in the minor leagues, and in 2003,
former female UNLV softball coach Kendall Burnham (left)
gained notoriety by signing with the San Angelo Colts, where
she played alongside her husband, San Angelo Colt Jake Burnham.
"We're on the same team and we've got a common goal,
to help this team win," Jake told the San Angelo Standard-Times.
"And if there's anybody who knows how I play it's her
after working out with me all winter. Maybe she can give
me some advice."
(User Question): I heard that a girl struck out both
Babe Ruth and Lou Gerhig in a baseball game. Is this true?
|
|
This
somewhat little known fact is actually true. At age
17, Jackie Mitchell signed a contract to play with the
Chattanooga Lookouts. Her chance to prove herself came
on April 2, 1931, during an Exhibition game against
the New York Yankees when she pitched against Babe Ruth
and Lou Gehrig, striking both out before walking Tony
Lazzeri. She was then pulled from the game, which the
Yankees finally won. Unfortunately, the commissioner
of baseball canceled the teen's contract shortly after,
claiming that the game was "too tough for women."
Thus, we'll never know the full impact that Jackie Mitchell could have had on the sport.
(School Library Journal) |
Does professional women's football exist?
Yes. The Women's Professional Football League (WPFL) officially
began play with eleven teams on October 14, 2000. It was
the first women's football league to truly operate on a
national level. It was formed as a result of the success
of 1999's “No Limits Barnstorming Tour” that took
a group of top women athletes from around the country and
separated them into two teams, The Minnesota Vixens and
the Lake Michigan Minx.
 Browse
the homepage of the Women's
Professional Football League.
Below you can watch a slide-show for the WPFL's Pittsburgh
Passion football team, featuring game photos set to music:
Read the Official AAGPBL Charm School Guide:
The real women behind the A League of Their Own true story were required to maintain a certain code of conduct.
Below you can read the Official AAGPBL Charm School Guide, which specified appropriate beauty routines, clothes, and etiquette. The text was taken from the charm school guide located in
the collections of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library
Official Charm School Guide
Link-to-Learn
More:
Player Photos
From an AAGPBL Website
1995 AAGPBL Player
Card - Shirley Burkovich
A
League of Their Own - Photos
Official
Charm School Guide (From the Baseball Hall of Fame)
Women's
Sports Foundation Homepage
Women's
Professional Football League Homepage
A
League of Their Own /*** Roger Ebert's Review
Watch
the A League of Their Own Movie Trailer:
|
