Good Morning,
I've been hanging out in museums lately...how's that for a catchy opener?
Recently, I went to see an exhibit at the Johnson County Museum that tells the story of the All American Girls Baseball League. As you might imagine, this did not take long. Women's professional baseball has left us some prominent newspaper clippings and an over-sized mitten (i.e., an old fashioned baseball glove)...
Schooled through popular culture, I too enjoyed these pioneering women depicted in "A League of Their Own" but I went seeking more of the immediacy of the experience. Somehow the old grainy photos connected me to a look I recognized, a look that says there's a little more "sporty girl" in my DNA than you might realize...
I winced a little when I came across this document "League Rules of Conduct" which spelled out in gory detail...
1. ALWAYS wear feminine attire...AT NO TIME MAY A PLAYER APPEAR IN THE STANDS IN HER UNIFORM, OR WEAR SLACKS OR SHORTS IN PUBLIC.
2. Boyish bobs are not permissible and in general your hair should be well groomed at all times with longer hair preferable to shorter cuts. Lipstick should always be worn.
The list did not get any better ending at the bottom with...15. Players will not be allowed to drive their cars past the city limit's without the special permission of their manager.
It was a different time back then but I feel a "proper lady" should've been free to conduct her lady business!!!
Although not recorded for history, I played one year of Little League baseball. Here's how the back of my b-ball card would have read.
Team: Tipp City Optimists
Team Color: black
Position: 2nd base, pitcher
Seasons: 1
Stats: Batting Avg. .125, home runs 0, 1 fly ball out of the infield
Pitching Scouting report: high accuracy throws a good slow ball
*Interesting fact: One All-Star appearance that really confused an older woman in the park restroom. An indignant woman kept saying "young man! young man! You CAN NOT be in here!"
After finding an old stack of Sports Illustrateds in the attic, I determined I would be the next Sandy Koufax!--the first girl in Major League baseball playing for the Cincinnati Reds and pitching for the LA Dodgers on weekends.
Wandering through a museum I was able to wonder would I have played back then? (minus the challenges at the plate...lack of speed? power?...) somehow I could have managed this. I could field to the right and the left and had the discipline to make a solid plate appearance. I even had the family connections. (Great Aunt Margaret of South Bend could’ve been my miserly chaperone for the Blue Sox...) What I could NOT have managed was this...CHARM SCHOOL.
I will not go into full detail but rather highlight a few key items on the syllabus:
"Keep your uniform as clean and neat as possible. Always secure your stockings so that they are smooth and neat and remain in place. Keep your shoes clean and shining. And see if you don't feel better and play better ball..."
How is a girl supposed to keep her shoes clean and shining on a dirt field?
"Always carry your beauty kit with you when you go on road trips and equip yourself with all necessary articles for your toilette."
I think this means to carry a plunger with you at all times in case there's a backed up toilet?
"INTRODUCTIONS. Under all possible circumstances the reply to an introduction is "How do you do?" Well bred people do not say: "Pleased to meet you" but when it is actually true, you can say: "I am VERY glad to meet you."
What if I might like to smile and say HOWDY! (strike THREE!!!)
No, I would not have made it in "The League" but I am thankful to the women who did. There is no crying in baseball but there is a grateful heart. How many frustrations and embarrassments did Betsy and Edyth endure to follow a dream and speak the simple truth "I love to play ball?"
As I wheeled out the door and down the ramp, I braced for the bitter cold. I grabbed the brim of my cap when smacked with an early spring gust and gamely slid behind the wheel. I gunned the engine (nooo not really) and with a tip of my cap OFF back inside the city limits to keep doing my lady business! (i.e., workout, study for licensing exam, take out the trash, love on Mitty...)
Happy Monday,
Amanda
p.s. you can go to http://www.aagpbl.org/ for more info on the All American Girls Professional Baseball League
No comments:
Post a Comment