Saucer Caps

[b]Elnora Sunderman[/b]: The only spring training held for the Women's Baseball League was held in Chicago, Illinois at Wrigley Field. I think Philip Wrigley was surprised. There must have been hundreds of women from across the country who converged on Chicago with nothing more than train tickets, a cardboard suitcase and a dream.

[b]Eileen Senter[/b]: I took the trip from New Orleans to Chicago. The other Jax Maids were with me, and we get to Wrigley Field. First time I had ever been to Chicago. We start looking for the street - is it Waverly? I don't remember. But as we're walking down the street, we're bumping into other women wearing athletic gear, satin jackets, caps, carrying bags with bags and gloves, and I realize that it's going to be a convention.

[b]"Lucky" Linda Spolsino[/b]: Wrigley Field. Mary Mother of Mercy. It was a cathedral, and I was standing on holy ground. I just stood there for about five minutes thinking, "wow, I've finally made it to the big time."

[b]Elnora Sunderman[/b]: I think the major league scouts in the stands realized that they had underestimated the number of attendees. The players were quickly broken up into groups. The schedule was stretched out from dawn to dusk. Wrigley was going to be in full use until the Cubs returned from Spring Training.

[b]Eileen Senter[/b]: We called it the Sally Rand Training Camp. You might not remember, but there was a stripper called Sally Rand. She was a fan dancer; she had these big fans and she'd flutter them around. When we broke up for games, do you think anyone was going to [b]bunt[/b]? We were trying to make the cut. Everyone swung for the fences. Swoosh! Swoosh!

[b]Elnora Sunderman[/b]: The various teams had come up with the names of their sister clubs - usually with "Lady" affixed to the name. The Brooklyn Lady Dodgers. The New York Lady Yankees. Both the Braves and the Indians named their clubs the "Squaws".

The Red Sox and White Sox had a problem. Both clubs felt that Lady Red Sox or Lady White Sox was too cumbersome a name. Both clubs considered "Red Stockings" and "White Stockings" but these names could be confused with the original names of each club.

I think Boston and Chicago actually discussed this together. In the end, they settled on "Laces" as feminine enough. The Red Laces and the White Laces.

[b]Max Granillo[/b]: Babe Ruth showed up in Chicago. He had been asked to take part in the WBL as a manager by the Dodgers, but he declined. However, at the end of the training camp, he met with the women who had been gathered to form the Lady Yankees. He gave this rousing speech about the greatness of the Yankee tradition. He finished his speech, "You might be a broad...but despite that, you're still a [b]Yankee[/b]."

[b]Eileen Senter[/b]: Babe Ruth took a few swings at some of our pitching. He must have hit a couple out of Wrigley Field. Boy, he could hit!

[b]Elnora Sunderman[/b]: Lonnie Plotner and his wife were trying to determine what kind of uniform the players should wear. They wanted to emphasize the feminity of the players and finally came up with what could be called a modified dress that buttoned-up in front like a hotel clerk's uniform. At chest level was a patch with the logo of the team - for example, the Lady Yankees had the locked N-Y symbol from the parent club.

All uniforms were monotone colors, except the Lady Yankees which of course wore a pinstriped dress. There were no home and away versions of the uniforms - the monotone color was usually bold enough to tell teams apart. Boston's teams went to pink.

[b]Eileen Senter[/b]: A great uniform, unless you had to squat. Then you could see London and France.

[b]Tulla Zimmerman[/b]: The younger girls thought, "Let's see. Let's bring these hemlines up about an inch."

[b]Elnora Sunderman[/b]: The ensemble was completed with a knee-length skirt, long socks and and a precarious-looking cap. Great if you wanted to be a model, not so great if you wanted to play baseball.

[b]"Lucky" Linda Spolsino[/b]: We called it the Saucer Cap. It sat on your head like a saucer and all it needed was a cup of tea. Some of the ladies had an updo going on. So they compromised by bobby-pinning the cap to their hair. If they were catchers, then the mask was going to destroy their dos anyway.

So the players would come out of the dugout for the National Anthem and that hat would just [i]float[/i] on the top of their hair. But bobby pins will never let you down. That cap stayed on, rain or shine.



[b]WBL Notice, March 1, 2009[/b]:

[b]DRESS CODE FOR LADIES[/b].

1. The following colors have been accepted for uniforms.

[b]American League[/b]

Boston - Pink
Cleveland - Red
Chicago - White
Detroit - Blue
New York - Pinstriped
Philadelphia - Gold
Washington - Gray
St. Louis - Brown

[b]National League[/b]

Boston - Pink
Brooklyn - Blue
Chicago - White
Cincinnati - Red
Philadelphia - Black
Pittsburgh - Gold
New York - Orange
St. Louis - Gray

In the event that the uniforms have to be maintained, thread color should match uniform color in all circumstances.

2. Caps may be affixed to hair with pins, but should not be worn at a rakish or ludicrous angle.
3. Hair should reach the shoulder line. For players whose hair does not currently reach their shoulder line, this standard should be met by the end of the 1943 season.
4. Hair length should not fall beneath the shoulder blades.
5. Only moderate makeup should be worn. If makeup is to be worn, it is not to be the previous day's makeup. If makeup is not worn, the face should be neatly scrubbed.
6. Any accessories, with the exception of wedding bands, should be plain and simple. It is recommended that players do not wear jewelry onto the field of play.
7. Any clothing worn off the field for the durations of the contracts should be well-fitted and in simple and tasteful colors.
8. All hemlines should be even. Pants of any length are prohibited.
9. Slips should not show.
10. There should be no visible leg hair.
11. All stocking seams should be made straight. Stockings with runs are not to be worn.
12. Cleats are to be cleaned before entering the field of play.
13. Shoes off the field of play shall be cleaned and polished.
14. Runover heels are forbidden.