Silver Bullets Room

When I began my card paintings project, I did so knowing that by its nature as a spectator sport developing in 19th-century America, baseball has privileged white males among its players, management, and leadership. The major leagues of the modern era did not include Black players until 1947, and only in my lifetime, across the century and a half of this storied sport have Black field managers and executives worked in the major leagues. 

As much as the major leagues (and our society) be free of racism, it shouldn't stop there. There are already women included among field coaches, and I for one would like to see female players and managers in my lifetime. With that in mind, here is a gallery of women in baseball, from the 1940s to today.

I have thought about adding this room for a while, but what really motivated me was a few weeks ago -- during Women's History Month, no less -- my stepdaughter and I were painting cards, and she asked me why all of the players were boys. I didn't have a good answer. The best I could do was to tell her that there were already some coaches -- in fact, she was making a painting of Alyssa Nakken's card -- and that I hoped there would be women who played some day soon. We spent many afternoons last year going to an improvised batting cage for me to pitch to her, so who knows, she may be one of them.

Here is a gallery of card paintings for notable women in baseball, which I hope to expand:

The All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League

Leaving aside the league's use of the term "girls", the AAGPBL was a professional league that operated in the Midwest U.S. from 1943 through 1954. The 1992 film "A League of their Own" tells the story of the Rockford Peaches, one of the teams that lasted for the league's entire history.

Jeanne Geissinger, Fort Wayne Daisies/Grand Rapids Chicks, Fritsch 1995

Jeanne Geissinger ("Dutch") Harding was thought to be the best player at second base in the league and in 1953 led the league in triples and runs batted in while tying for the home run lead and winning the batting title in 1954.

Helen Westerman Austin, Kenosha Comets/Rockford Peaches, Fritsch 1995

Helen Westerman "Pee Wee" Austin was a catcher who played for Kenosha and Rockdford in 1943 and 1944.

The Colorado Silver Bullets

The Colorado Silver Bullets were a barnstorming team sponsored by the Coors brewing company. They played four seasons from 1994 through 1997. Most notable among these is Julie Croteau (third from the top), who got her start in the Washington, DC area where I also grew up. 

She went to Osbourn Park High School, where her parents filing a gender discrimination lawsuit on her behalf against the school when she was cut for the team. She became the first woman to playe college baseball at St. Mary's College in Maryland, then was on a semipro team in Fredericksburg, Virginia. (There is a short documentary about her coproduced by the new Fredericksburg Nationals, the low-A farm team of the Washington Nationals which formerly played in Woodbridge, Virginia.) I'm particularly proud of my card painting of her, because her story was part of my growing up (she was two years ahead of me in school), and also part of my learning about the ability of sport to change society.

Alyssa Nakken

Finally, and most recently, we turn to Alyssa Nakken, who joined the San Francisco Giants in 2020 as the first female coach in the major leagues. This is her Topps Now card, made by the company to commemorate her first game.

I hope that by the time today's kids have daughters of their own, that they will be able to give them examples of baseball players - and presidents - who are like them. It would be welcome - and about time.