Sunday Favorites: Batter-Up Beauties

It's debated where the first spring training took place. Some historians argue the original camps occurred in New Orleans, others say it was pioneered in 1888 when the Washington Capitals of the National League held a four-day camp in Jacksonville. Whatever the case, Florida's warm tropical weather has lured professional ball players for decades, and the state remains a mecca for spring training.

In the beginning, spring training wasn't a marketable event like it is now. Players in the early 1900s didn't make the exorbitant salaries they do today, and many had to go back to work when the season was over to provide for their families. Spring training camp was a boot-camp-style event held to get players back in shape for the season.

Spring training games were scattered across the U.S. and required a lot of travel. Players typically traveled by train at night and played games against local colleges, semi-pro teams, and other major-league teams during the day. The games began attracting attention in the early 1900s, and by 1910 spring training was an institution as revered as the season itself.

By the time WWII rolled around in 1943, baseball was America's number one pastime. However, baseball leagues scaled back their travel just as most Americans began rationing. Most minor leagues shut down, but President Franklin Roosevelt allowed the major leagues to continue playing the game in order to "boost morale." Spring training was restricted to state lines and although baseball players were exempt from the draft, many signed up to serve their country.

At the same time, women were replacing their male counterparts and suddenly performing tasks they had never done before. They took jobs, planted Victory Gardens in their backyards, and when Philip Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs held try-outs for his All American Girls Baseball League, they played ball.

What began as an amateur softball league, quickly morphed into a full-throttle conventional baseball league with overhand speed balls, base stealing, and unexpected home runs. While the women were expected to perform as players on the field, they were also required to adhere to the "highest ideals of womanhood."

AAGBL players' uniforms consisted of short skirts, extremely ill-suited for sliding into bases. They were expected to wear lipstick at all times, even in the middle of a game, and they were not allowed to cut their hair short.

Off the field, they were required to attend charm-school classes, forbidden to smoke or drink, and had to be accompanied by a chaperone when going out at night. Any player caught without makeup, wearing trousers, or sporting shoes other than high-heels in public was fined $50.

In 1948 the AAGBL peaked, employing over 600 women players and attracting 900,000 spectators from all over the nation. Teams included the Rockford Peaches, Racine Belles, Kenosha Comets, South Bend BlueSox, Minneapolis Millerettes, Fort Wayne Daises, Grand Rapid Chicks, Battle Creek Belles, Kalamazoo Lassies, and Springfield Sallies.

Spring training for the women's league was held in Opa-Locka, Fla. Notable players like Dottie Schroeder, catcher for the Rockford Peaches trained there. Schroeder was played by Gina Davis in the movie A League of Their Own, (also a new series), a fictional account of the AAGBL.

Schroeder was the AAGBL's youngest player, joining at just 15 years old. She was also the only player to complete all 12 seasons.

Other notable players included Jean Fault, a pitcher who won three pitching championships; Sophia Kurys, nicknamed "Tina Cobb" who averaged 100 stolen bases every season; Joanne Weaver who hit .429, winning the batting title three years in a row; and pitcher Annabelle Lee, who once threw a perfect game.

After the end of WWII, the AAGBL could not keep up with expensive marketing and televised games featuring major league baseball. The league ended in 1954 but will be remembered with pride for eternity. In Florida, we will continue to revere them as the great players they were, preferring their cleats over their high-heels.