In 1938, a consolidation of farm clubs between Brooklyn and Nashville was agreed upon at an all-day conference in Cincinnati between Larry MacPhail, the new Dodgers boss, and Nashville owner, Fay Murray. But for the outbreak of World War II and Murray’s death, the new relationship could have rivaled Branch Rickey’s farm system. In this episode, I t…

In the final season of the Nashville Vols in 1963, general manager Ed Doherty declared August 30 as "George Archie Night" at the ballpark—a fitting tribute to a local hero. Archie was a coach for the Nashville Vols at the time, an unpaid position at home games, and that’s how he was dressed when he was honored that night: in his Vols uniform. In th…

Stephen W. Dittmore has over 20 years of experience as a higher education administrator and professor. He received a PhD from the University of Louisville in 2007 and holds bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Drake University. His recently published book is an excellent account of the life of one of Nashville’s favorite baseball sons…

My brother Jim ("Jimbo," to me, mostly shortened to just "Bo") and I learned everything there was to know about The Game from our Dad, Virgil Nipper: how to throw, indeed, and how to hit. Jim sent me one of his unique perspectives not long ago as a letter on our lives at the ballpark. Bo remembers many things better than I do, and his letter helped…

In 2005, the Nashville Sounds won the Pacific Coast League championship, the first pennant for the ball club since 1982. Teams are often pre-judged for success on where they are in the standings on Memorial Day. In this episode, you will learn about that great season and how the first two months of the PCL season marked the future for the Sounds! W…

In what I have often termed, “the greatest coup in the history of the Southern Association”, on November 8, 1938, Nashville club owner Fay Murray shocked baseball fans, Southern Association moguls, and everyone in between by announcing he had convinced Larry Gilbert, the New Orleans Pelicans veteran manager, to become the Nashville Vols manager, re…

A baseball museum in Nashville could be a fantastic addition to the city's cultural landscape. Nashville already has strong ties to baseball, with a strong amateur baseball foundation, the Nashville Sounds, and the possibility of an MLB stadium in the future. A museum could showcase the history of baseball in the city, highlight its Negro League te…

Will General is the marketing director for Music City Baseball, the initiative is to bring MLB to Nashville as the "Nashville Stars.” He joined me to tell me how he is leading efforts to grow the Stars brand and how honoring the Negro Leagues’ legacy Is an essential ingredient to that end. Another ingredient is a new design concept and brand partne…

Umpires have been criticized and disparaged for years, yet they continue to uphold the integrity of the game. The pay scale is pretty good, but defending one's decision in the old days could lead to fights among players, managers, and fans. The umpire's job can often become a thankless one, too, as being judge and jury usually leads to having to ta…

On April 19, 1963, opening night in Knoxville before 2,827 fans to begin the season, Eddie Crawford stepped to the plate as the third batter in the first inning for Nashville, becoming the first Negro player to play in a regular season game for the Vols. Although he did not finish the year with the Vols, his claim to Nashville baseball history stan…

We often think of Tennessee State and Fisk Universities as institutes of higher learning in Nashville for African American students. Did you know at one time there was another Black university? Founded in 1866 as the Nashville Normal and Theological Institute by the American Baptist denomination, it was renamed in 1874. A baseball team was formed i…

Would you venture a guess as to which year was Nashville professional baseball’s first championship? The answer is 1895, and the team had an unusual name: Seraphs. Other members of the Southern League were Atlanta, Evansville, Little Rock, New Orleans, Memphis, Mobile, and Montgomery, and the pennant was not awarded until the season was over. What …

Before joining the Nashville Vols, Buddy Gilbert spent two seasons in Savannah, a Cincinnati Reds farm club, just like Nashville. One of his teammates in 1957 was Curt Flood, a 19-year-old prospect who played third base for the ball club. Flood would go on to be a star player for the St. Louis Cardinals. He would become well-known for challenging M…

In this episode, I tell about a special group of Nashville baseball fans and give special tribute to one of them. In 2003 Oktoberfest in Germantown, I first met Pete Mason who shared a special story that occurred at Sulphur Dell. Pete recently passed away, and I want to honor his memory as a way to express my appreciate his special friendship. I ho…

When asked how I feel about MLB coming to Nashville, I do not hesitate to answer, and in this episode you will hear me tell what my stance is. Controversial? No, not when many share the same feelings I do. Taking a stand, having an opinion, and making a stance are necessary to hold true to one’s feelings. I hope you will listen to mine! Want to sta…

i hope you enjoyed hearing Mark Aubrey in Part One, because we continue talking about Knoxville baseball, the Negro Southern League, and University of Tennessee baseball in Part Two! Mark has researching skills like few others, and you can learn more by visiting his websites http://oldknoxvillebaseball.blogspot.com/ and https://bbsas.net/wiki/index…

Mark Aubrey is a distinguished Negro Leagues researcher from Seymour, Tennessee, near Knoxville. His focus has been on the 1920 Negro Southern League and the history of the Knoxville Giants. You will enjoy listening to Mark and his passion for research - and his penchant for sharing his findings. Just wait for Part Two, when we go deeper into Mark’…

Listen to this episode with TrapperHaskins as he tells about the influence of his father and family, and how he became one of the founders of the Tennessee Vintage Base Ball Association. Trapper is a passionate author, musician, carpenter, and vintage ballistic, and you will enjoy hearing his story! Thanks for listening! Want to stay in touch? Find…

In 2000, Trapper Haskins moved to Maine with his wife, Mandy, where he undertook a two-year apprenticeship learning traditional wooden boatbuilding in Rockland. Once finished, they took the rowboat they built, Oxbow, 2,300 miles down the Mississippi River. Haskins wrote about the experience in a memoir titled Crooked Old River, released in 2024. A …

In Part Two of our talk, author Keith Wood continues discussing the Memphis Red Sox with me. His work brings out the financially-stable Martin brothers, the location of Martin Park, and how politics shaped Negro League baseball in Memphis. I hope you will listen as Keith takes us through a time of both turmoil and stability but also gives us a glim…

Keith Wood landed a position in the Memphis City School District at Sheffield High after college. He moved to Millington Central High School in northwest Shelby County while completing his master's in history at the University of Memphis. Currently teaching at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, that role allowed returning to grad school and…

In 1949, Bob Borkowski batted .376 in 138 games with the Nashville Vols to win the Double-A Southern Association batting title. On July 23, teammate Carl Sawatski was leading the team in batting with a .379 average, with Babe Barna hitting at a .371 clip to for second place for the Vols. Borkowski was third with a .365 average, but at season’s end,…

We were fortunate to have New York Yankees great Don Mattingly as our guest speaker on January 19. Like Harmon Killebrew many years ago, he was a terrific guest speaker. The only difference was that Killebrew stood behind a podium and delivered an eloquent speech, and Mattingly preferred a Q&A interview style. And, as luck would have it, I was aske…

The results are in! This project began in September when I asked for votes for favorite players who wore a Nashville Vols uniform beginning in 1950 until thnn team closed up shop after the 1963 season. In this episode you will learn the choices made by you, the fans of Nashville baseball! Want to stay in touch? Find me here: X: mrsulphurdell Instag…

You are in for a treat in this episode, as Bob Hale and I talk about the possibilities for future Major League Baseball expansion plans. Bob is the administrator for a fantastic Facebook group, “MLB Expansion” which can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/mrywrjv2. The group has close to 10,000 members, and I am glad to be one of them. Our discussio…

With 2024 ending, I want to review the Top 10 episodes you listened to from my baseball history podcasts during the year. First of all, thank you, especially for those who made a comment or maybe listened more than once. I cannot thank you enough - more to come in 2025. Happy New Year! Want to stay in touch? Find me here: X: mrsulphurdell Instagram…

As best as I can tell, 92 former major league players passed away in 2024, and there are some great names among them, such as Mike Cubbage, Billy Gardner (who played for the Nashville Vols in 1953), Rico Carty, Ed Ott, and Don Wert among them. But quite literally, an All-Star team could be built around some of these names. In this episode, I call o…

You may already know this, but "Donnie Baseball", the "Hit Man", is returning to Nashville for a special night in January. He will be the featured guest at the 87th Annual Old Timers banquet to be held on Sunday evening, January 19th, at the Sheraton Music City Nashville Airport. He will join a long list of notable basball players, coaches, scouts,…

My book was a labor of love for more than one reason. Dedicated to my father, Virgil Nipper, and supported in a special way by my mother, Dorothy, in this episode I talk about how the concept began and the encouragement I received to bring it to fruition! If you wish to purchase a copy: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/9780738543918/?quer…

Word has come of the passing of one of Nashville’s best all-time pitchers, Bob Kelly. His obituary begins by saying, “Bob went to the diamond in the sky on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at the age of 97.” Kelly was a dynamic pitcher with the Nashville Vols during two seasons before his career ended in 1958. Kelly led the Southern Association in los…

With the possibility of major league baseball coming to Music City, it begs the question: “where would a team play?” A better question is, who’s going to build it? In this episode, I compare special ballparks built in Nashville while looking forward to the next one! Want to stay in touch? Find me here: X: mrsulphurdell Instagram: @nashville_basebal…

Let me tell you about someone from Nashville, a professional player, a pitcher, and a pretty good one, too. Frank George Hahn pitched for Cincinnati between 1899-1905, and the New York Highlanders in 1906. He pitched in 243 games, made 231 starts, had 212 complete games and pitched 25 shutouts. And he was called “Noodles.” He was born on April 29, …

I have been curious about why Tom Wilson moved his ballclub when he did. First, to Cleveland in 1931 (renaming them the Cubs), then back to Nashville that same year, then to Columbus and Detroit and back to Nashville in 1935, Washington, D.C. in 1936 and 1937, before settling in Baltimore beginning in 1938. In this episode, I refer to Bob Luke's ex…

There are many side stories with a Nashville baseball connection. In this episodes, learn about how Boston, Nashville, and Cleveland were connected by a major league team owner who had his eye on a successful minor league manager he wanted to become his manager. Had he achieved his objective, the Nashville Vols’ baseball trajectory might have not b…

Every once in a while, I am invited to speak to a civic group or in a school classroom about Sulphur Dell and Nashville’s excellent baseball history, including Negro Leagues baseball. When my friends at the Nashville Stars office allowed me an opportunity to speak to kids, I immediately said, “Yes!” Two fourth-grade teachers, Ms. Plemon and Mr. Fie…

In January of 1969, Herschel Greer, vice-president of Vols, Inc., the stock corporation that owned the now-defunct Nashville Vols and the property known as Sulphur Dell, announced the ownership group approved a sale to Frederic Gregg, Jr. Gregg was a financier and owner of Lin Broadcasting Group. According to Greer, Gregg paid $255,000 for the land…

Many Hall of Famers appeared in Nashville at Sulphur Dell or Tom Wilson Park, either in a regular season game, exhibition game, barnstorming game, or as a manager of one of the ball clubs. In this episode, let me take you to 1905 during a five-day period when five Hall of Famers appeared here. You might be surprised at one of them! Want to stay in …

An African American a cappella ensemble consisting of students at Fisk University organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for college. The Fisk Jubilee Singers became famous worldwide. In 1882, a baseball team was formed to become the Fisk University B. B. C. (Base Ball Club), playing other Black college and independent teams. In this episode, le…

Jim O’Toole was a Cincinnati Reds” Bonus Baby” and sent to Nashville for 1958 for his first pro season. The Vols did not have a particularly good year, but the left-hander did. At season's end, he led the AA Southern Association in wins with 20, complete games with 21, 280 innings pitched, and 189 strikeouts. He became a dependable starter in the m…

I met Bill Greason in October of 2017, when the Friends of Rickwood hosted the inaugural Southern Negro League conference in BIrmingham. He spoke to us in the Rickwood conference room and told his story, then took questions from everyone until it was time for him to return to his home in Birmingham. Before he got up to leave, I asked him if I could…

In this episode, I discuss quirky plays, oddities, and noteworthy happenings at Sulphur Dell. Some are historic, while others are just plain funny. Listen to more great history from Nashville’s quirky yet famous ballpark! Want to stay in touch? Find me here: X: mrsulphurdell Instagram: @nashville_baseball Facebook: Skip Nipper Email me: 262downrigh…

A few days ago I got a chance to catch up with an old friend in North Carolina. His name is Rooster Narron. I Have known him a long time, but in the not too distant past we took in a few Nashville Sounds games together at Herschel Greer Stadium. Those visits turned into a writing opportunity for me as I learned Rooster’s dad and an important part h…

Baseball, as we know it, had its foundations in the 1800s, probably around 1835, a few years before the Mills Commission declared that Abner Doubleday drew out the playing field and wrote a few rules in 1939. How did softball start and how did it become so popular? In Nashville, softball leagues once rivaled the number of area baseball leagues, and…

Fred Russell, Nashville Banner sportswriter, began a project in 1943 to select a Nashville Vols Hall of Fame. He did not complete the list, but he named a lineup of players through that season and later in 1950. Listen to this episode as I tell about Russell’s choices, then consider helping me complete the Hall of Fame for players through 1962 - I …

Sam Smith, president of the South Atlantic League, was at the 1962 Old Timers banquet. Why, might you ask? Because the Southern Association had folded only five days before, and he was wooing Nashville to come to the SALLY League for 1962. Birmingham decided to pull its club over the use of Negroes, and the Detroit Tigers, the Barons major league a…

Today I umpired a game in Tennessee Vintage Baseball at Oaklands Mansion in Murfreesboro between the Stones River Scouts and Phoenix of East Nashville. These teams play the “gentleman’s game” (gentle ladies play these days, too) and it is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. The rules are different from what we may know, and in this e…

Henry Kimbro was a stocky speedster who earned his living slap-hitting baseballs between third base and shortstop or into the outfield gaps. He served as the leadoff hitter for the Baltimore Elite Giants for 13 of his 18 seasons in the Negro Leagues as his 5’ 8”, 175- pound frame could generate quite a punch when he chose. On Saturday, August 10, t…

Chuck Dressen stuck by his players and taught them to win. He studied them, and he played situational baseball. In Nashville he won over 200 games in parts of four seasons and led the Vols to a fourth-, third-, and two second-place finishes. He became a well-loved, no nonsense Nashville manager. In this episode you will hear about the career of Chu…

The first ceremonial opening day “first pitch” took place in National Park, later to be named Griffith Stadium, on April 14, 1910, by William Howard Taft, preceding the game between the Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Nationals. It began a tradition by presidents, dignitaries, entertainers, and other special guests before games in the major l…

Scrolling through online sources for baseball games (whether one word, “baseball,” or two “base ball,” every once in a while I come across something with added interest. I am going to take you back to October of 1868, Saturday, the 3rd, and then fast-forward to an article in the Sunday, July 10, 1927 edition of the Nashville Banner, entitled “C. S.…