I wrote a story this past week about Jeff Peeples, one of the most dominating athletes ever from Nashville. If you would like to read it, you can find it at baseballinnashville.com. In writing that story it brought back memories I have of playing as a 15-year-old in the Nashville Babe Ruth League. Today, I can look back on that season as a special …

In what must be one of baseball’s most productive offensive games ever in Sulphur Dell, Chattanooga outlasted Nashville, 24-17, in the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday, June 12, 1946. Nashville won the first game that day by a score of 4-3, but the nightcap was one for the record books. Listen as I tell about this and other high-scoring g…

Have you ever wondered what ballplayers did during the off-season back in the day when salaries were not exorbitant like they are now? What did Nashville Vols do in the offseason? In this episode, hear how players would be spending their winter once the 1952 Southern Association season ended! Want to stay in touch? Find me here: Twitter: Skip's Cor…

Hugh Hill was born on July 21, 1879, in Ringgold, Georgia, and signed with Newt Fisher’s 1901 Nashville baseball club in the inaugural season of the Southern Association. As a pitcher, he won six games while losing five, playing in 51 games because he was also an outfielder. The ball club won the pennant that season, and when 1902 rolled around, Fi…

Today, April 1st, marks a day of notoriety all its own. I have heard of pranks on April Fool’s Day that run the gamut, and if you have had fun with it, been the butt of a joke, or if you have made a family member mad, it is a fun day in most cases. Unless it is taken to an extreme, which I do not forgive. Some are funny. Others? Not so much. Baseba…

It was going to be the trip of a lifetime, and boy, was I excited about it. For most of my life, I had dreamed of visiting Cooperstown, and finally, it was going to happen. In this episode, I tell about a special visit that rivals two spring training trips, MLB World Series and All-Star games, and the birth of all four of my children. Well, maybe n…

Tennessean sports editor Dave Ammenheuser coordinated a spring training trip in 2016, and I tagged along with high school teammate Bart Leathers and everyone’s “Mr. Nashville Baseball”, Farrell Owens (both deceased). Dave has moved on to various assignments, but eight years later, here we are to talk about that great six-games-in-five days “immacul…

Betty-Jane Taylor and I have known each other through her husband Larry, who not only played for the Nashville Vols, but was basketball and baseball coach at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. Larry passed away not quite two years ago, on April 21, 2022, at the age of 91. He was a good baseball friend and loyal member of the Nashville Old Timers Baseb…

Tony Rankin loves the game of baseball as much as anybody, both as an autograph collector and with a passion for its purpose. A clinical therapist, speaker, and author, in this Skip’s Corner episode Tony explains how we like to remember things that take us back to a fun place in life that we don’t necessarily have today when he says: “Baseball is t…

As we bring Black History Month to an end, I want you to know about a special player with a special talent. Ray Dandridge never had the chance to play in the majors, but the record shows he was clearly one of the greatest third basemen of all time. And, he had a brief connection to Nashville baseball. Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame i…

If you have never been to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, it is worth a few hours of your time. It honors athletes, teams, coaches, sportswriters, and sports executives for their contributions to sports in our state. In celebraton of Black History Month, it is important to highlight inductees who played Negro Leagues baseball, and to call attent…

Clinton “Butch” McCord was destined to be one of baseball’s greatest players. The color of one’s skin was a factor in many baseball careers throughout the United States, and Butch ran into many roadblocks along the way, too. But never did he let them get him down. I have spoken about Butch many times, but never have I made him the subject of an ent…

Michael Thurmon was one of the organizers of the Tennessee Vintage Base Ball Association. His love for history led him to study early base ball, as it was played in the middle of the 19th Century. Today, he has taken his love for The Game to coach a team of youngsters who he teaches baseball skills, but he goes a step further, too: He teaches him a…

You are really going to enjoy this Nashville Baseball History podcast episode. Joey Hale, who coached the Southeast regional team from Goodlettsville to the 2012 Little League United States Championship, is my guest. He describes the journey to Williamsport and tells about each player. His passion for baseball and teaching youngsters the game is ev…

Nashville’s reading public who relied on the written word from the newspapers, the morning Nashville Tennessean and evening Nashville Banner (the Banner is long gone and the Tennessean is no longer the up-to-date version, through no fault of its own) knew they could trust the writers to deliver the best coverage, the best detailed account of a game…

When the Nashville Baseball Club needed a manager to bring the team out of the Southern Association cellar, Bill Bernhard was just the man to do it. With nine seasons of major league experience, and nearly Cleveland's big league manager, Bernhard immediately made an impact. The man known for his genteel demeanor, he learned his craft from Hall of F…

Dick Sisler came from a baseball family. His father, George, was a two-time batting champion and a career .340 hitter and was named to the inaugural class of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. His brother, Dave Sisler, pitched in the major leagues for Boston, Detroit, Washington, and Cincinnati, and his brother, George, Jr., was president …

A few years ago I selected the Top 10 Most Influential People in Nashville Baseball History with the emphasis on "influential." That list was limited in that regard, but I have a dream to produce a Baseball in Nashville Hall of Fame by taking nominations from others. That list could be honed down to a select few for induction in 2024, with more add…

Guy Lefty and Christine lived only a few blocks from Sulphur Dell, where he played baseball for the Nashville Vols for 20 years. He found it hard to continue their holiday traditions when she passed away, but during one visit to the old ballpark, a surprise was in store. Listen to this fictional account of a beloved ballplayer and a Christmas Day s…

During the 61-year existence of the Southern Association, only three players hit for an average over .400, and all three played for the Nashville Vols. In all, 18 players who led the league wore a Vols uniform, and in this episode I name each one. Insight into the controversy of Hugh Hill's .416 batting average in 1902 is explained, too, and I hope…

David Lindsey's father, Eldon "Toby" Lindsey, was a minor league pitcher and played parts of two seasons for the Nashville Vols with six seaons in the minors before serving in the military. His influence on David and his brothers Gerry, Jimmy, and Danny, all excellent players in their own right, went a long way in each one finding a special place i…

Here in Music City, the name goes with the territory. In 1925, the establishment of radio station WSM and its launch of the broadcast that would be called the Grand Ole Opry further secured Nashville's reputation as a musical center and sparked its durable nickname of Music City. Ballparks, football and soccer stadiums, and just about every other s…

I have an unpublished personal “Circle of Honor,” which includes family members, teammates, acquaintances, and friends, a unique list of many who have been meaningful to me in my life. One of them is Rick Brewer, who passed away a few days ago, and I could do no less than let listeners know how much he meant to me and hundreds of others. He was a g…

Nearly 40 years before becoming “Sulphur Dell”, the low-lying area north of Nashville’s downtown was called Sulphur Spring Bottom. It had a natural salt lick and sulphur spring, and many years before the city was founded, the area teemed with wildlife, especially buffalo and deer who came to lick the mineral salt. It was there baseball found its ho…

Ty Cobb, Christie Mathewson, Ted Williams, Monte Irvin, and Yogi Berra are just a few baseball Hall of Famers who served in the military, often putting off or leaving their careers to sign up. George Archie, Johnny Beazley, Charlie Gilbert, Russ Meers, and Hoyt Wilhelm were a few lesser known ballplayers with a Nashville connection who served in th…

With Daylight Savings Time ending, we gain the one hour we gave up in March and are now on Standard Time. Years ago, there was a change in time as ordered by Congress and I often wonder how the fans took to the change in time, and how it affected attendance to baseball games in years gone by. In this episode I tell about the early days when there w…

The impact of television on baseball attendance was never more thoroughly demonstrated than the night of the Joe Walcott-Ezzard Charles championship boxing match, June 5, 1950, when clubs generally reported low gates as fans remained home to view the title bout. Television was a new dynamic in homes across the nation, and baseball games began its s…

After attending Nashville's Pearl High School, Wilbur "Yank" Adkisson spent three years in the Army during World War II, where he played baseball with some of the greats: Joe DiMaggio, Enos Slaughter, Josh Gibson, Roy Campanella, Satchel Paige, and Jackie Robinson. He became a Negro Leagues star with the Nashville Cubs, where he was known as a powe…

Pete Weber is not only the radio play-by-play announcer for the Nashville Predators but also has a history in baseball. His story takes us from his hometown of Galesburg, Illinois, to Notre Dame and many stops along the way. Join us in listening to our conversation about his love of sports, his broadcasting career, and the personal stories that mak…

As a member of the Tennessee Vols baseball team, R. A. Dickey "had to win at everything," according to teammate Travis Copley. Dickey's long road to success included determination, perserverance, and dedication, and learning a new pitch: the knuckleball. Listen as I tell about this family man's journey through minor and major league baseball, his 2…

Music and baseball go hand in hand, don't they? From the Jazz age, to Bluegrass, to Country, to an eclectic music scene that now defines Music City, what are the chances those genres paralleled Nashville's growth? Listen to this episode as I tell about band leaders and musicians who not only played music on stage, they played baseball on the field.…

Bobby Durnbaugh, the consummate teammate, was my friend, and I enjoyed our visits and phone conversations. He blessed me by talking so freely about his thoughts on baseball and memories about his experiences. He was a fan-favorite in the cities he played in, but especially at Sulphur Dell in Nashville. I hope you will listen to this episode, a hard…

Steve Burger's story includes growing up in Donelson, playing Little League, Babe Ruth, and American Legion baseball. As a 1969 graduate of Donelson High School who excelled in football, basketball, and baseball, he was an All-Nashville player in all three sports. After high school, he attended Vanderbilt University on a football scholarship and pl…

In front of 2,800 fans at Sulphur Dell on September 10, 1940 George Jeffcoat fulfilled a prediction he made to local sportswriter Raymond Johnson, and sets a Southern Association strikeout record in the process. Jeffcoat was one of four brothers to play minor league baseball, and he and his brother Halboth made it to the major leagues. Listen to th…

On Wednesday, February 5, 1969, just five years before his passing, Tamulis was honored as Old Timer of the year at the annual Nashville Old Timers banquet. In 1942, Tamulis posted an impressive 20–8 record for Nashville in leading the Vols to the Southern Association playoffs championship and Dixie Series title. In this episode I tell about his ca…

Nashville's Hadley Park opened on July 4, 1912, and was one of the earliest parks anywhere in the United States to be “set aside for the exclusive use of colored people.” It was home to the Capital City League, where the Black community’s semi-pro stars played games. In this episode, I tell about the home of Negro League stars Clinton “Butch” McClo…

Gene Paulette held down first base for the Nashville Vols in 1914 and 1915, and when the Browns offered four players in a trade, he became the possession of the St. Louis ball club for the 1916. Two of the players who came to Sulphur Dell helped lead the Vols to the 1916 Southern Association pennant. Paulette did not fare so well, and as a member o…

Nashville’s ball club won the first two Southern Association championships in 1901 and 1902, then fell on hard times for the next five seasons, finishing fifth, fifth, seventh, seventh, and eighth. But in 1908, the team returned to its winning ways in a tight pennant race that went down to the final game. Local sportswriter Grantland Rice named tha…

“Stars” has a connection to a Negro Leagues team that played in Nashville for a short time years ago. Today, a Major League team by that name has tremendous support from stars in the entertainment and baseball communities in Music City in hopes of professional baseball here at the highest level. There was another opportunity for a Nashville basebal…

On January 15, 1959, the Nashville Vols baseball franchise was sold to a group of local businesspeople, which included county musician Eddy Arnold and politician and Tennessee Secretary of State Joe C. Carr. Known as Vols, Inc., President Herschel Lynn Greer headed the group. It was an attempt to keep professional baseball alive at Sulphur Dell in …

The tall marquee that called attention to Nashville's famous ball field stood over the entrance to Sulphur Dell. It was quaint, colorful, and quirky, and was historic in what it represented in days gone by. One aspect of the ballpark was historic, too: the Negro bleachers. In the days of segregation it was an aspect of an unfair time in the history…

Clyde Shropshire was a notable attorney in Nashville, and held prominent positions on the board of several businesses. A staunch supporter of suffrage, prohibition, and tax equalization, he served as Speaker of the House between 1917-1919. He also was major stockholder and president of the Nashville Baseball Club beginning in 1914. As voting rights…

Nashville has become known for its hot chicken recipes, served at well-known restaurants in the area. The Nashville Sounds even changed the name of the ball club for a series, becoming the “Hot Chickens” for a marketing promotion. One hundred years ago, a hot chicken first came to town by the name of Nelson “Chicken” Hawks to play in the outfield a…

Nashville manager Larry Gilbert took a chance on a pitcher with a sour reputation, Cletus "Boots" Poffenberger, and for one season he was magnificent on the mound. It ended with a poor decision made in 1941 after being unhittable the previous season. In his book Boots Poffenberger: Hurler, Hero, Hell-Raiser (2014, Summer Game Books), Austin Gisriel…

Jerry Bell's major league debut took place on September 6, 1971, as the 23-year-old faced the Kansas City Royals. Jerry allowed one hit, walked two, and gave up an earned run in 1/1/3 innings. His baseball story began with his father, Nashville amateur star Blackie Bell, and continues to this day with his own influence on young players. This interv…

With a voice like Mississippi River steamboat, umpire Harry Samuel Johnson had a reputation that earned the trust of managers and players. The son of a saloon owner, his work ethic and fairness gained him that respect because he also knew how to handle himself on the field. He published a book about his his time calling games and included interpret…

Ed Dundon grew up at the Ohio Institute for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb in Columbus, Ohio, the first residential secondary school in the United States to incorporate a baseball program. He became a pitcher, and at 6’0″ tall and weighing 170, began a baseball career. First, he played at the major league level with Columbus in the American Ass…

Tommy Brown's 1956 season in Nashville was a special one, but his claim as the youngest major league player to hit a home run will always be the special accolade he will hang his cap on. It was a shot heard 'round Brooklyn, and placed Brown in the annals of baseball lore. In this episode, I tell how he got his nickname, about his special feat at Eb…

Bill Rodda was a favorite of six Nashville managers during the 1930’s, and was a hero of Sulphur Dell fans. He was a threat at the plate, batting over .300 during his Nashville career, and is the Vols all-time career hits leader. When his family came to Nashville recently, proud moments evoked memories of their beloved patriarch. Listen to Rodda’s …

J. L. Wilkinson, owner of the Kansas City Monarchs, conceived an idea for a portable lighting system so his Negro League team could play games at night. First used by his ball club in a game in Enid, Oklahoma, on April 28, 1930, and on May 13 and 14 he brought his team and lighting system to play the Nashville Elite Giants at Tom Wilson Park. Liste…