Welcome to this biweekly newsletter, written by me, Corye Perez Beene, Ph.D. I am a United States History Professor and certified “sports nut.” I find the sports stories from the past to the present that celebrate the Awesomeness of American Sports.
It is June 2022, and we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX this month. Look for my special Title IX issue in 2 weeks!
With Baseball in full swing (see what I did there? LOL!), this issue is dedicated solely to baseball.
1. Savannah Bananas in the news again…
Last month, the Savannah Bananas baseball experience was on the CBS program “Sunday Morning.” Here is another story on them: ARTICLE
I would love to see other minor league teams follow this model of sports, entertainment and family fun. ALL of their games for the summer season are SOLD OUT!
2. Field of Dreams - Year #2
The success of last year’s Field of Dreams game means more games will be played there. Last year’s game between the White Sox and Yankees was the most-watched MLB regular season game since 2005. This year, not only will the MLB host a game there (Cubs vs. Reds), but two Iowa Minor League teams will compete as well.
3. Cool Babe Ruth facts
Babe Ruth is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. I found this list of Eleven facts about him from MentalFloss.com. For example, he played for the Red Sox before signing with the Yankees for a measly $1.6 million (in today’s dollars).
He was one of the first celebrity golfers, paired one time with Babe Didrikson Zaharias.
4. A League of their Own series
Amazon Prime’s A League of their Own debuts in August. Its a spin-off of the 1992 film starring Geena Davis, Tom Hanks and Madonna. Rosie O’Donnell makes a cameo as a bartender in the series. I had the privilege of consulting on the series, helping one of the researchers with women’s sports history in the USA during the 1940s time period.
Tom Hanks, famous for his line in the movie “There’s no crying in baseball,” threw out the first pitch recently at a Cleveland Guardians game:
5. Read more about baseball
Alex Belth of Esquire magazine made this list of top 100 best baseball books. The list includes books about Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente and Joe DiMaggio.
Thank you for your support! I am so appreciative of YOU being here 😃
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