Search Other Collections

Take me back to the Oral History landing page.


Maybelle Blair - Baseball

In 1948, Maybelle Blair, then of Redondo Beach, California, was recruited by a scout from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League to be a pitcher for the league. Pay was $55 per week, more than her father was making. She pitched for one season with the Peoria Redwings, but pulled a leg muscle during a game which sidelined her thereafter. The following season she played professional softball for the Chicago Cardinals, then gave up her sports career for an opportunity to work for the Northrop Corporation in California. After 37 years she retired from Northrop, one of their few woman managers.

Interview Links

Feature Excerpt

The AAGPBL Scout

Abstract

Interview Session (Audio)

Photos

Videos


Photos

Caption

Maybelle Blair’s baseball card, chronicling her stint in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1948. She played for the Peoria Redwings.

Where:

Peoria, Illinois

When:

1948

Ownership:

This image is considered to be in the public domain.

Caption

Maybelle Blair and Shirley Burkovich. The two travel the country, reminiscing about their AAGPB experiences and promoting the development of a new woman’s baseball league.

Where:

Unknown

When:

Unknown

Ownership:

May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.

Caption

Maybelle Blair takes up her batting stance during an event at MCU Park in Brooklyn, New York on July 1, 2017. The park is the home of the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Where:

Brooklyn, New York

When:

July 1, 2017

Ownership:

May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.

Caption

Where:

Unknown

When:

Unknown

Ownership:

Unknown

Caption

Maybelle Blair takes up her batter’s stance during a visit to historic Fenway Park during the Memorial Day weekend in May, 2017.

Where:

Fenway Park

When:

May, 2017

Ownership:

May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.

Caption

Where:

Unknown

When:

Unknown

Ownership:

Unknown

Caption

Maybelle Blair had her picture taken with Geena Davis, star of the 1992 film League of Their Own, at the Bentonville, Arkansas Film Festival in May, 2017.

Where:

Bentonville, Arkansas

When:

May, 2017

Ownership:

May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.

Caption

Maybelle Blair was an inspiration to the young girls sitting in the bleachers as she told them about her time in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. The event took place at Boston’s Fenway Park in May, 2017.

Where:

Fenway Park

When:

May, 2017

Ownership:

May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.

Caption

Maybelle Blair, with baseball in hand while wearing a well-weathered glove, beams for the camera at an event in 2017.

Where:

Unknown

When:

2017

Ownership:

May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.

Caption

Maybelle poses for a picture during the late 1940s.

Where:

Los Angeles, CA

When:

1940s

Ownership:

May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.



Social Links