Comiskey Park’s Exploding Scoreboard Was a Spectacle Like No Other in Baseball

One of the showcases of this Chicago ballpark was a  scoreboard that put on a show of its own whenever the White Sox homered.

by Rich Watson

In 1948, James Cagney made a movie called The Time of Your Life, about the customers of a saloon. Cagney’s character played a pinball machine. At one point, he hit the jackpot and the game lit up, making all kinds of noise.

Bill Veeck saw the film. He was one of baseball’s great raconteurs and iconoclasts during his four decades as an owner for three different teams, including the White Sox. He looked for innovative ways to sell the game, from night baseball to integration to wacky fan promotions and more.

Seeing Cagney with his pinball machine inspired Veeck to commission the creation of something that would enliven the experience of coming to Chicago’s Comiskey Park.

Mike Donlin’s Second Career As An Actor, With Vaudevillian Wife Mabel Hite

This World Series champion turned to acting during his playing career and wrote a hit play with his wife.

by Rich Watson

In 1905, Mike Donlin was on top of the world. The outfielder and first baseman was third in the National League in hitting with a .356 average and his team, the New York Giants, beat the Philadelphia Athletics in five games for their first championship. 

“Turkey Mike” (he was said to have strutted like one) was known for drinking, partying, and dressing flamboyantly—for the turn-of-the-century era, anyway. One story about him claims he arrived at the ballpark wearing a medallion on his lapel, bearing a newspaper photo of himself. When security didn’t recognize him, he pointed to the medallion and proclaimed “I am Mike Donlin.”

The following season he broke his ankle while sliding into second base. He missed most of the 1906 season and the following one. During this time, though, he got a taste for what would become a second career when he met and married stage actress Mabel Hite.

Before Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio Married a Different Hollywood Actress

When Joe D was coming into his own as a superstar, he met and married a movie star long before his romance with Hollywood’s ultimate blonde bombshell.

by Rich Watson 

When Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe in 1954, it was headline news around the world. They were superstars in their respective fields, adored by the whole country and living their lives in the media spotlight. His relationship with her was abusive and marked by jealousy, yet the truth of it wasn’t well known at the time.

In 1939, DiMaggio was a star, but he was not yet the baseball legend he would become in later years. The fifty-six-game hitting streak, the hundred thousand dollar contract, the ascension to the Hall of Fame, the Mr. Coffee commercials, they all came much later—and before he even knew who Monroe was, a different film actress had caught his eye.