I wanted to share a few blog-worthy experiences that didn't make it into print because I was so busy with my Master's thesis. #1: 1950s & 60s Prairie Baseball Reunion In August, a special gathering of baseball players, family members, and fans was held in Saskatoon the day before the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of… Continue reading 2023. What a year!
Tag: Saskatchewan
Tales from the Dirt Road (Halloween Edition)
Comic Book Inspired Photo designed by Robyn Jensen Prologue: I have been on the Indian Head Museum (IHM) Board since 2019 and am slowly organizing the Indian Head Rockets collections. From 1950 to 1954, the organization hired black baseball players from the United States and Cuba to play as the Rockets in Indian Head. One player… Continue reading Tales from the Dirt Road (Halloween Edition)
Dr. Sherman Cottingham (Updated July 2024)
Prologue: Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to interview several baseball players who played in the 1950s/60s, and pitchers have been my favorite to listen to. The beauty and elegance when they describe how the ball behaves and moves through each play boosts my imagination. It feels like a transcendence into a world that… Continue reading Dr. Sherman Cottingham (Updated July 2024)
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
Dirty Thirties – Hang Up Your Skates and Pull Out the Bat!
The Alsask Senior and Arcadia Valley Hockey Teams -Star Phoenix (Feb 6th, 1931) The stock market crash in 1929 and the extreme environmental hazards Saskatchewan faced during the 1930s, such as abnormally warm weather, drought, a grasshopper plague, and low wheat prices, forced many people off the farms. Through the disparity, small towns carried on… Continue reading Dirty Thirties – Hang Up Your Skates and Pull Out the Bat!
John (Johnny) Ford
My interview with John Ford on December 9th, 2022 A remarkable man near and dear to me passed away on June 17th. John was the very first ball player I interviewed. I remember how nervous I was driving up to Saskatoon; I kept asking myself if I would know enough 1950s history to have a… Continue reading John (Johnny) Ford
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
A Day in the Life of a 1950s Bat Boy
You see their faces in the photos, either standing or sitting in the team photos. There is sometimes a name but most often not. The bat boys were the ones who kept the wheels turning before, during, and after the game. In return, they befriended the players, many of whom became big brothers and mentors.… Continue reading A Day in the Life of a 1950s Bat Boy
The Story of the 1944 Regina Capitals – Underdogs & Heroes of the Saskatchewan Baseball League
For Rich This is the underdog story of veteran player/umpire George Drew and his rag-tag team of "old blokes" who came out of nowhere, defying all the odds, and in storybook fashion, went on to capture the 1944 South Saskatchewan League championship title. "If I can't gather up a bunch of broken-down ball players that… Continue reading The Story of the 1944 Regina Capitals – Underdogs & Heroes of the Saskatchewan Baseball League
Here I am
The first thing I want you to see in my blog is my most treasured Saskatchewan baseball keepsake - my Rockets Jersey. The signature of Nat Bates, a pitcher from the 1952 team, marks the end of my two-year journey researching, designing, and creating an exhibit for the Indian Head Museum. Many serendipitous moments happened… Continue reading Here I am
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