A Mother of a Day

I know that I said I wasn't going to support the Hall after the Bull Durham affair, but a) Tim Robbins has openly encouraged people to visit the Hall and b) this is too good to pass up. From the SABR daily email newsletter thingy from yesterday:

Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 09:39:37 -0400
From: "Markusen, Bruce"
Subject: Mother's Day Weekend Programs At The Hall of Fame

For those who are interested in the history of women in baseball, and specifically the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the topic will be covered in-depth at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum this weekend.

This Mother's Day Weekend, May 10-11, the Museum will welcome several alumnae members from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), who will take part in a special Legends Series event on Mother's Day (Sunday, May 11) at 2 p.m. in the Bullpen Theater. The Legends Series will feature former players Shirley Burkovich, Gloria Cordes Elliott, Jane Moffet, and Dolly White, and former league chaperone Helen Hannah Campbell. Admission to the Legends Series event is free, but tickets must be reserved at the Hall of Fame's Ticket Office, beginning on Friday, May 9, or by calling 607-547-0261.

Also during Mother's Day Weekend, the Museum will feature guest speaker Kelley Franco, who will give an introductory course on baseball for fans of all interest levels (a program entitled Baseball 101), held on May 10 at 1:30 p.m. and on May 11 at 11 a.m. The documentary, All for One, detailing the careers of AAGPBL members, will also be shown both days at 4:00 p.m. in the Bullpen Theater.

In addition, on Saturday, May 10, author Deborah Hopkinson will discuss her children's book, Girl Wonder, about women's baseball pioneer Alta Weiss. After the 3:00 p.m. presentation, Ms. Hopkinson will be available to sign copies of the book in the Library Atrium.

For more information on any of these programs, call 607-547-0261 or send an e-mail to bmarkusen@baseballhalloffame.org.

Bruce Markusen
Manager of Program Presentations
National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum
25 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY, 13326
bmarkusen@baseballhalloffame.org
Phone: 607-547-0261
Fax: 607-547-2044
http://www.baseballhalloffame.org

The AAGPBL got plenty of coverage from that Madonna movie with one good line from Tom Hanks. Alta Weiss, "The Girl Wonder", is largely fogotten, but she was a star pitcher at the turn of the century and she had her own traveling "all-star" team.

Here are some pictures of her in action: