THE ET CETERA CHRONICLES - VOL. 91 BASEBALL
THE SHY SUPERSTAR - In his prime, Franklin Baker, was one of the best home run hitters in the pre-Babe Ruth, “Deadball Era.” Baker was a star third baseman for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1908, leading them to World Series victories in 1910, 1911, and 1913, and was traded to the New York Yankees in 1914. Although Frank Baker only hit 93 home runs in his career, nearly fifty behind the all-time leader of the Dead Ball Era, he did lead the American League in home runs for three straight years, leading to his moniker of “Home Run” Baker.
.jpg)
In early April 1917, an exhibition game was set to be played at the new 12th District Fairgrounds on Telfair Street. The two teams, the Boston Braves, and the New York Yankees, came to town where they stayed the night before in the New Dublin Hotel on South Jefferson Street across from the First National Bank skyscraper.
The iconic, legendary, Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack, who had managed Baker and the Athletics, had been in town earlier in the day to scout the Braves and Yankees and take a look at some prospective players for the A’s farm team in Augusta.
All of Dublin was stirring in rousing “buzz.” When the bulk of the teams arrived to check in to the New Dublin, they were met by a six-county delegation, many of whom came there to politic and catch a glimpse of their own baseball heroes. An admiring fan pushed his way through the maddening crowd to ask the whereabouts of “Home Run” Baker. Baker was pointed out to Peter Twitty, Jr., the mayor-elect of Dublin. The two leaders talked for a moment until a hoard of twenty-five delegates rushed toward them. While Twitty began to introduce Baker’s admirers, Baker, known as one the shiest and quietest introverts in baseball, began to plot an escape route as he politely shook hands with the two dozen politicians and big shots, who didn’t even know that his first and real name was Frank.
Baker in the midst of harassing cat calls from his teammates secreted upstairs to his assigned room for the night. Moments later, a bell boy cried out, “Call for Mr. Home Run Baker.” Baker stayed to himself. His efforts were aided by a game-ruining rainfall the next day forcing a cancellation of the game between the two teams, which in those days trained in Macon at Luther Williams Park during the spring. The teams returned the next year and once again, Frank “Home Run” Baker was in the unwanted spotlight again. Kalamazoo Gazette, April 9, 1917.
BRANCH RICKEY
BIG BOSS MAN - In 1954, Lovett Park was home to the Dublin Irishmen, a farm team of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the policy of the Pirate’s owners to make the team’s general manager the general manager of each team in their farm system. So from time to time on a regular basis, the Irishmen’s general manager would take time from his busy schedule to look over the team and measure its performance. That general manager was none other than Branch Rickey. Rickey, himself a former major league player and manager, was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson to a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. A general manager of the St. Louis Browns and the St. Louis Cardinals for 23 years during their early glory years, Rickey also created the framework for the modern minor league farm system and introduced the batting helmet. He was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967. Wikipedia.
Comments