Category: That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Former ladies players stand in front of the National Baseball Museum Hall of Fame front entrance (photo by the Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY)

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-1954)

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

This month is Women’s History Month and to honor the women that played in this professional baseball league, we will go back in time to the 1940’s during World War II. Mr. Phillip Knight Wrigley, the chewing gum manufacturer and owner of the Chicago Cubs, always a promoter of baseball, founded the AAGPBBL, a baseball league where women will play.

Mr. Wrigley figured that since the military draft was calling young men to serve (including some baseball players) and while many minor leagues disbanded, it would be a great idea to have a league exclusively made of women players. This would keep the interest in the game of baseball while the men served in war around the world.

Mr. Wrigley asked the assistant General Manager of the Chicago Cubs to organize a committee to develop ideas on how to proceed. Originally the idea was to play at established Major League parks, but that did not materialized. After much discussion a Women Softball League (non profit) was founded in 1943.

However, the short distances from one base to another, pitching underhanded did not bode well and many thought it will not be the best representation of “baseball”. Softball and baseball differ in many ways, including different rules.

In 1950 independent team owners purchased the league. Cities chosen were Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin, Rockford, Illinois and South Bend, Indiana. Each team consisted of 15 players, a manager/coach, a business manager and a woman chaperone.

To attract more interest by the public they selected some former Major League players and Minor League players, sports figures as managers and coaches. After the War and with the popularity of television and the Major Leagues they could not survive financially. They played until 1954, their last season. The Rockford Peaches were the most successful team and won a total of 4 titles.

Through the organization of the Players Association in 1986, and through their efforts to gain recognition by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988, the league has now come to be recognized as what it was in actuality; the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL).

The story was featured in the film “A League of Their Own”(1992) starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell, Lorie Petty and others. At the end of the movie a few of the original players that were still living (not the actors) appeared as visitors at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, where there is an exhibit dedicated to them.

The film made around $132 million. The most memorable line in the movie from Manager Jimmy Dugan -played by Tom Hanks when he tells one of the players “there’s no crying in baseball!”

Tom Hanks, an Oakland native and two-time Academy Award winner arguably best American film actor, was once a vendor during the glory years in the 1970’s at the Oakland Coliseum, when the Oakland Athletics won three consecutive World Series.

Last time I visited the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 2009 one of the most interesting exhibits was the one dedicated to women in baseball. “Diamond Dreams” documents the story of this league and these great women.

That exhibit was made permanent by the Hall of Fame in 2017. Every baseball fan or history aficionado should plan to visit this great American museum, where the National Pastime is always in full display. Many women during WWII worked like “Rosie the Riveter” building the weapons that won the war as well as other industries. This is the story of these women’s contribution that entertained the country during a very difficult time in history.

Information: The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is currently open 7 days a week until 5PM. Toll-free number 1-877-290-1300. Address: 25 Main Street, Cooperstown, New York, 13326. customerservice@baseballhall.org

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the MLB Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

The Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols poses for a portrait on Feb 18, 2020 at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe during last year’s spring training in Arizona (Orange County Register file photo)

Latino Power The Top Sluggers in Baseball

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The 2021 baseball season is scheduled to begin on April 1. Today, among all active players, the top four (4) active sluggers with the most home runs are all Latinos. Albert Pujols (Angels) 662, Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) 487, Edwin Encarnación (Free Agent) 424, Nelson Cruz (Twins) 417.

They all play with teams in the American League and are the only active Latino players with 400 plus home runs. 1-Albert Pujols (Dominican Republic) will begin the last year of a $240 million ten-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Pujols played 2001-2011 with the St Louis Cardinals and since 2012 to date with the Angels.

This would be his 20th season. His most impressive statistic is his runs batted in, which shows his great and consistent hitting excellence. Pujols is #3 among the all-time RBI leaders in history with 2,100 runs-batted-in.

Only Henry Aaron (2,297) and Babe Ruth (2,213) is ahead of him. He doesn’t like to talk about his statistics while playing, he always told me; “hablaremos de eso cuando me retire, pero no ahora” -trans: “when I retire we can talk about it, but not now”.

Pujols is #5 on the All-Time home run list behind, Barry Bonds, Henry Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Alex Rodríguez.  Pujols begins 2021 with 662 home runs; no other active player is remotely close. 2-Miguel Cabrera (Venezuela) Detroit Tigers. He is also at the twilight of his career, one of the top clutch hitters of his generation.

I once asked Cabrera how he manages to hit so well – over .360 with runners in scoring position: “I don’t know, but I have the same approach every time I come to the plate.” Cabrera began with the Florida Marlins in 2003 and played there until 2007.

From 2008 until today with the Detroit Tigers Cabrera is the ninth player in history to win three (3) consecutive batting titles. In 2012 became first player since Carl Yastremski (1967) to win the Triple Crown. He has won most hitting awards. Hard working and an easy going player that is also a future Hall of Famer.

Cabrera is a lifetime .313 hitter in his 18 years of play. Cabrea begins 2021 with 487 round-trippers. 3-Edwin Encarnación (Dominican Republic) at the time of this article he is a Free Agent and looking to return for his 17th Major League Season.

The Chicago White Sox declined their $12 million club option for his services last November, after a disappointing 2020 season he played 44 of the 60 game-schedule with the White Sox hit .157 with ten home runs and 19 RBIs.

During his years in Toronto Encarnación produced the best power numbers at the plate and is considered the best Designated Hitter in the history of the Blue Jays. Played with the Reds, Blue Jays, Indians, Mariners, Yankees and White Sox. Colorful and happy-go-lucky player, after he hits a home run he sticks out his right arm and holds it parallel to the ground as he rounds the bases, the fans called it “Walking the Parrot” – he said, he is fine with it.

He stands today with 424 home runs. 4-Nelson Cruz (Dominican Republic) Cruz is back this season as the Designated Hitter for the Minnesota Twins, a heavy-laden home run line-up. The Twins own the current single season record for most home runs by a team with 307 in 2019.

From 2005-2020 a 16-year career for “Nelly “considered one of the most dangerous and impressive home run hitters in the game, many of his shots flirting with the 500 foot distance are real mammoth shots.

When younger players talk about ‘launch angle’ it is like they’re talking about this man swing, Cruz always swings for the fences. There is no joke to his nickname, “Boomstick”. One of his most memorable quotes: “I always have high expectations for me” At 40 years of age, Cruz is still a very dangerous hitter. He will begin 2021 with 417 home runs.

MLB is altering the baseball slightly this season. A memo was sent to all 30 clubs citing an independent lab that found the new balls will fly one to two feet shorter on balls hit over 375 feet.

However, this will not affect Pujols, Cabrera, Encarnación or Cruz, because for these types of power guys when they square a ball, it would not matter if the ball is heavier or not, it will fly. Latinos not active (all-time home run list) #4 Alex Rodríguez 696, #9 Sammy Sosa 609, #13 Rafael Palmeiro 569, #14 Reggie(Martínez) Jackson 563, #15 Manny Ramírez 555, #17 David Ortíz 541, #20 Ted Williams 521 #31 Adrián Beltré 477, #34 Carlos Delgado 473, #37 José Canseco 462, #40 Vladimir Guerrero 449, #46 Carlos Beltrán 435, #47 Juan González 434, #55 Alfonso Soriano 412.

There are many more great Latino players who retired with less than 400 home runs’ Longest Home Run ever? George Herman “Babe” Ruth (NY) in 1921 hit a 575 foot blast at Navin Field in Detroit; there are stories of Ruth hitting some even longer.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s Spanish radio Network and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com