Play Ball!, Part 4: The Deep Bench – Oddballs, Owners, and Also-Rans

ABC:LHS #090    We start with three ballpark Franks...

...Francis Richter, whose writing helped to make the game respectable; he is in the Baseball Hall of Hame.

...Frank Fleer, the man who ALMOST invented the pink gum that's accompanied baseball cards for nearly a century.

...Frank Bettger, who went from failure to success after he blew out his throwing arm in Chicago (prepared and presented by fellow guide Rich Wilhelm).

...Joseph Howard Berry, Jr., who is in two Halls of Fame but is nearly forgotten today because of an unfortunate nickname; yes, it's that bad.

...Thomas Mitchell, partial owner of the Phillies during some lean times, including the staggeringly bad 1930 season; on the bright side, he co-founded Jupiter Island, Florida.

I will release an optional segment on September 5th about the rich history of baseball nicknames, and the problems with who does the naming.