Every so often, an old newspaper clipping says more than a box score ever could. Tucked away in the archives is a Christmas-season column by sportswriter Dave Dryburgh, a playful piece built around a simple idea: if Santa Claus were delivering gifts to Saskatchewan's sporting world, what would everyone ask for? The answers range from… Continue reading A Prairie Sportswriter’s Christmas List
Category: 1940s
Luther “Doc” Hughes: Proximity, Power, and Prairie Sport
Photo Credit: attheplate.com When Luther “Doc” Hughes arrived in Saskatchewan in 1911, he entered prairie sport through a role that offered access without equality. Brought to Saskatoon by J. F. Cairns to work with the Saskatoon Quakers, Hughes was initially employed as a groundskeeper and trainer, a masseur by trade, as later profiles would describe… Continue reading Luther “Doc” Hughes: Proximity, Power, and Prairie Sport
A Baseball, a Story, and the Liberty Eagles of 1940
Holding my Baseball. Prologue It began, as many research rabbit holes do, with an object. I thought it would be straightforward, but the moment I began cross-referencing the names on the ball with the 1940 Southern Saskatchewan League (SBBL) champions — the Weyburn Beavers — something didn’t add up. The names didn’t match. What was… Continue reading A Baseball, a Story, and the Liberty Eagles of 1940
Tales from the Dirt Road (Halloween Edition)—The Ghost of Big Jim Williams
Prologue Last year, for Halloween, I wrote a piece titled "Tales from the Dirt Road (Halloween Edition)—The Ghost of Chet Brewer. " It was about discovering a photograph of Chet playing for the Indian Head Rockets in 1951. Brewer started playing mid-season for them (apparently snatched from Sceptre for a reported $800) and was not… Continue reading Tales from the Dirt Road (Halloween Edition)—The Ghost of Big Jim Williams
Lacombe: Central Alberta’s Biggest Sports Attraction 1950-1988
Article featured on (attheplate.com) By Robyn Jensen Prologue: Each province had one community that really stepped it up when it came to hosting baseball tournaments in the late 1940s and 1950s- Saskatchewan had Indian Head and Alberta had Lacombe. Teams from across Canada and the United States came to compete for the huge prize amounts.… Continue reading Lacombe: Central Alberta’s Biggest Sports Attraction 1950-1988
My visit with a legend: Jay-Dell Mah (attheplate.com)
Robyn and Jay-Dell (August 2024) As I've gotten older, I've come to realize just how precious time is, especially with those who have lived rich, storied lives. When given the opportunity, I always make sure to visit with these wise individuals because, once they are gone, their stories are gone too. Recently, I had the… Continue reading My visit with a legend: Jay-Dell Mah (attheplate.com)
The AAGPBL and the Saskatchewan connections which inspired the latest Heritage Minute
This summer, Historica Canada traveled to Saskatchewan to produce a 60-second vignette on Mary "Bonnie" Baker, a 1940s professional baseball player from Regina. This Heritage Minute is also produced by Danny Rockett Productions and Barbershop Films, a Saskatchewan production company, with funding support from Creative Saskatchewan and in-kind equipment support from William F. White International.… Continue reading The AAGPBL and the Saskatchewan connections which inspired the latest Heritage Minute
Double Take
This past spring, I took on a whirlwind university course that crammed four months of work into just two. Between long hours of reading, writing, and juggling everyday life, I often felt like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings, glued to my computer in a dark room, clinging to my assignments as if they… Continue reading Double Take
Home Runs & Dirt Roads 