History revealed in faculty's book on WU, baseball

by Frances Parish 
parishf@mytjnow.com

After two years of research, Robert Gorman, Head of the Reference Department in Dacus Library, has recently published a book about the South Bend Blue Sox team from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II. Gorman is the co-author of the book with his friend Jim Sargent, who has previously written short biographies of some of the players in the Women’s league.  

Throughout the league’s history, the number of teams has fluctuated.  Gorman said in the first year of the League there were four teams, In 1948 there were 10, only to decrease again to five teams in 1954, the last year of the League. 

Gorman said that only two teams, the South Bend Blue Sox and the Rockford Peaches, stayed in the league during the entire 12 years of its existence. Gorman chose the South Bend Blue Sox as the subject of his book because he was acquainted with one of their players, Jean Faut, who lives in Rock Hill.  

“She is probably the greatest pitcher in the league during their overhand period,” Gorman said.  

Gorman said that the League began as a fast-pitched modified softball game, in which they only had nine players instead of ten. He further explains that the type of pitching changed from under-hand, to side arm, and then to over-hand pitching.  

Gorman also said Faut learned to play baseball in her hometown in Pennsylvania from the local semi-pro baseball team, The East Greenville Cubs, and the 2nd baseman taught her how to pitch. Even though Faut was a pitcher, she came into the league in 1946, as a 3rd baseman. 

“During her career, she pitched two perfect games, which no professional ball player, male or female, has ever done,” Gorman said. 

Faut played in the league from 1946- 1953. Gorman later discovered that a 1942 Winthrop Graduate, Lib Mahon, had also played on the same team as Faut in the Women’s League. Gorman said Mahon played on the South Bend team for most of her career. 

Mahon typically played the position of an outfielder, but “she was also a pretty good hitter,” Gorman said. “She was an all-star player twice.” 

Mahon played in the league from 1944- 1952. Gorman said that women in the league played multiple positions unlike the men today.  

“Those women were tough, really tough,” he said. “They defied convention. They were playing a man’s sport. They were trail blazers for the women’s movement.”

Gorman said that no one has ever done a history on an individual team in the league, but there have been several histories written on the league itself.   

The hardest part of writing the book for Gorman was gathering the research. 

“We were basically breaking ground,” Gorman said. “There weren’t many secondary sources.” 

Jim Sargent, co-author of the book, conducted many of the interviews while Gorman looked through newspapers, mainly the South Bend Tribune. Gorman said that many women in the league kept scrapbooks, and he was able to use some photos from them in his book.   

Quotes from the players and short biographies of the players quoted are woven into the history of the team in the book, as well as game accounts and photographs.  

Several years ago, Faut came to Winthrop to speak to students, and Gorman is hopeful that he could have a book-signing in the near future and that she will be able to come to the school to talk to students again.