Batter Up! Hear that Call! The Time Has Come for One and All! To play Ball!
This year we joined Lighthouse Learning Christian Homeschool Co-Op. It is a lot of fun! It is great for me too. I NEED to talk to other homeschool moms and I love the support they give! One of the events they planned this year was a History Night. All of the kids learned about someone from the past and then gave a little speech about their person. We were also supposed to look like the selected person. My girlie, of course, had to pick someone that we had to make the costume. I have yet to learn how to sew, so I had to enlist one of my good friends to help! Thanks Denise!
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| Pants trying on her costume. |
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| The beginning stages of our costumes. |
If you can't tell, Pie Pie decided we would be female baseball players! It was a new subject for us to learn about. I have seen A League of Their Own, but have never really looked into the history of the sport. The two players we researched were June Peppas and Dottie Schroeder. I gave a little speech for the three of us and here it is:
In 1943 Phillip Wrigley issued a press release for plans to start a women's softball league. The 1940's trends led to the support of a league because of World War II. Men were off at war so women had to work. The fans welcomed it as patriotic. There was also gas rationing so people stayed closer to home and walked to the games. The 1st season began in May of 1943 with 4 teams. Dottie Schroeder tried out and made the cut in the 1st season at the age of 15. The league did well with many fans and it quickly turned into baseball. The peak season was in 1948 with 10 teams. It declined slowly after that. The 1950's were not as conducive to the league. The Nation was adjusting to peacetime. Men were back at work. There were many new cars, bowling alleys, drive-in movies and televisions. There was a more family-centered lifestyle for women and many people felt that women were not supposed to play baseball. All of these things caused the league to have financial problems. The last teams folded in 1954. An exhibition team played 3 years after that. Dottie had the privilege of playing all 12 years as well as being on the exhibition team. She holds the record for most games played and most at bats. She was one of the most popular players and graced the cover of Parade in 1948. She was one of the best shortstops. These women were heroes to many and provided entertainment to all of their fans. They played exhibition games on army bases and visited the wounded in the hospitals. They helped advertise many products and enjoyed their time in the league. It seems this story has a sad end because for a while they were forgotten. In 1980 June Peppas decided to publish the 1st annual All American Girls Professional Baseball League Newsletter. This helped to get the women back together. They had reunions and still do. In 1988 The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY opened it's 1st permanent "Women in Baseball" exhibit. June Peppas said "We are quite proud of our accomplishments and we all hope the All-Americans will never be forgotten again."
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| Dottie Schroeder and Jackie O. |
Since I made the speech, I had Pie Pie work on a project. She showed it to everyone at the event. I love History and I know we learned a lot!
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