Louisville Sluggers and Kentucky Rifles: Rediscovery and Celebration of the Bluegrass State's All-American Girls

Introduction

When Columbia Pictures and director Penny Marshall descended on Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky in 1991 to begin filming A League of Their Own, could they have anticipated the impact the film would have both on the region and on audiences over a quarter of a century later? A full-scale Hollywood production, complete with award winning actors, musicians, and production crew, was not a familiar sight in the region. As the highest-grossing baseball film of all time, A League of Their Own certainly drew its share of fans, but it also introduced millions around the world to a fascinating chapter of history: the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). And what fans they have become! Unsatisfied with merely appreciating a book or two on the subject, there are thousands of us who, with no connection to the original league, can rattle off seventy-year-old statistics, name complete team rosters, or speak at length about their favorite players, based solely on athletic achievements and personality profiles culled from reading and research. This fan development mirrors the steps of anyone who grows to appreciate a certain athlete or team. The process consists of an internal dialogue of play-by-play ability assessment, a color commentary unique to the players' backgrounds and style of play, and an added bonus of analyzing the memorial and celebratory efforts made at recognizing these careers. Yet, despite the fascination and interest in the league the movie instilled in Kentuckians, there exists scant recognition of the role and influence my home state's AAGPBL participants provided. These powerhouse players—the ones known to their teammates as Lefty, Hutch, Marty, and Pat—brought achievements worth celebrating. Historical events shape a historic identity, and their legacy becomes our heritage.

This writing is a celebration of one fan's rediscovery of the few Kentucky women who played in the AAGPBL. An exploration such as this requires fans to dig deeper than general narratives on the league's history and investigate sources beyond newspaper articles and history books. Examining these women's careers as professional ballplayers through a contemporary fan lens—play-by-play, color commentary, and legacy—results in a tailored look at how these Kentucky women not only participated but excelled in this unique league. From historical records related to these players, fans now have a historic legacy in which these women occupy starting positions in sports and, specifically, Kentucky history.

Play-by-play: rediscovering the historical record

Nearly six hundred women played on ten franchise teams throughout the twelve seasons of the AAGPBL. Four of those women were born and grew up in the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Gertrude "Lefty" Ganote, Anna May "Hutch" Hutchison, Martha "Marty" Haines, and Patricia "Pat" Scott. All were born in the 1920s—two in the state's largest city, Louisville, and two on the Kentucky side of the greater Cincinnati, Ohio region. Only two Kentucky women at a time played in the league, covering nine of the twelve seasons. While proximity to large industrial cities certainly increased opportunities to compete at a higher level, it remains significant that each player earned a roster spot among players recruited from softball hotbeds such as Detroit, Chicago, and Milwaukee. Many modern writings and recognition efforts focus on a select group of standout players as overall stars in the league, based on career statistics and consistently high performance. None of the Kentucky players appear on such rosters. Each was not only talented enough to make the league but for the most part excelled, adding themselves to the AAGPBL record books as well as placing Kentucky on the women's baseball map.

The Starting Lineup

The 2006 edition of The Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball was a landmark publication for recognizing the stellar athletes, innovative personalities, and pioneering teams who had largely been lost to history. The book features individual entries for three of the Kentucky players, built on available archival records and information submitted by the players themselves. The oldest of Kentucky's All-American Girls, Gertrude Ganote, was born February...