Skip's Corner

Nashville's Old Timers Baseball Association has been around since 1938 when Harry "War Horse" Rogers came up with the idea to gather players and fans for "hot stove" baseball conversations. For 84 years, the organization has supported local baseball at all levels. Hear about Rogers and the illustrious history of the Old Timers.

Joe Casey was born on Juy 31, 1926, and passed away on his 96th birthday. He was an iconic figure in Nashville as Metro Police Chief for 16 years, but few know he had a promising career in professional baseball before he hurt his arm. A man of stature in his build and reputation, his family's connection to my family has been long-lasting, and I will miss him. Listen in as I tell about that special relationship.Note: Casey was signed to a professional baseball contract by the Boston Braves but never made it to the big leagues, and the Nashville Vols team he played for was not the minor league baseball team but a basketball team in the Southern Basketball League.

Recent Baseball Hall of Fame inductions gave me reason to check how  many in Cooperstown had some connection to Nashville. I knew of several, and I know I have missed some, but with 340 current inductees there were many more that I could have imagined. I hope you will listen in as I give some Nashville connection for many who are immortalized in this special way.

Nashville hosted the 1949 All-Star game, and hopes were high for large attendance as the hometown Vols touted sluggers Babe Barna, Tookie Gilbert, and Carl Sawatski. The final score did not match the enthusiasm of the fans who turned out. Listen to highlights of the game played on Tuesday, July 13 that night.

On July 11, 1916, Tom Rogers pitched a perfect game at Sulphur Dell against Chattanooga. The Lookouts' Jim "Lefty" Allen allowed only one hit in the Vols' win, 1-0.Hear about this great name in Nashville baseball history.

No ballpark in the United States had the configuration of Sulphur Dell. Its quirky hills, colorful advertisements on the outfield walls, and closeness to the action made it a fan favorite - and opposing players hated it. When they referred to the bandbox bordered by Jackson Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Fifth Avenue, and a railroad spur, it was "Suffer Hell."The odor of the nearby natural sulphur spring, stockyard, and meat packing plant lent a special flavor to the hot dogs. Learn more about the beloved ballpark by listening to this episode of Skip's Corner!

Memphis held a 7-0 lead over Nashville going into the bottom of the ninth in a game at Sulphur Dell on May 8, 1959. When the Vols put on a rally to take the win over the Chicks, it was one for the books. Listen to this episode to hear how it happened!

Bobby Durnbaugh spent four seasons with Nashville in the Southern Association, but his professional career lasted eight years in the minors, and two games for the Cincinnati Reds.At 89 years old, he is a passionate storyteller. He remembers his teammates from the good old days, truthfully and with great detail.In this episode, he looks through photographs and proudly describes the Vols' ballpark, Sulphur Dell, to his wife, Betty, and fills me in about the personalities he called teammates. Our conversation is  a blessing to me, and I hope it is for you.

Gene Smith was a member of the Nashville Old Timers Baseball Association. He was a star athlete at Antioch High School and in local amateur leagues; he passed away a few days ago. Listen in as Larry Schmittou talks about Gene's involvement as part-owner of the Nashville Sounds.

This past weekend I attended SABR's Jerry Malloy Negro Leagues Conference in Birmingham, Alabama. It was one of the most enjoyable events I have attended as I learned more about Black baseball history. I caught up with four important historians, Louis Manley, Dr. Layton Revel, Phil Dixon, and Gary Gillette, and asked them to talk about various subjects regarding Nashville's rich Negro Leagues history. Their insight was terrific, and I am grateful for their willingness to share.

Without Tom Wilson, there may not have been Negro League baseball in Nashville. I hope you will listen as I talk about him and a few other Black baseball players from Nashville who are important figures in the history of the sport.

Collecting baseball cards as a hobby is a great way to learn about player's stats. The backs of cards I collected gave tidbits about streaks and superstitions, too. Nashville players had their share of both!

Dutch McCall, George Jeffcoat, and Boots Poffenberger had amazing accomplishments while  pitching for Nashville. Hear about them and other Vols pitching greats.

When Nashville needed a new manager for 1960, they called on hometown favorite, Jim Turner. Hear how I met him in 1993 at Greer Stadium and listend to him describe how the game of baseball should be played, and who would not make it to the majors.

When I published my list of the top ten people in Nashville baseball history in 2019 on baseballinnashville.com, it was to honor those who have been most influential for the game in Nashville's long and illustrious past. Three years later, I stand by my choices; I studied as many people as possible, beginning with baseball influencers from nearly 160 years ago. In this episode, I tell how I arrived at my list, and also a few of the names not chosen.

When I heard from Irene Thoren Speece in an email describing her experiences of seeing her father play at Nashville's Sulphur Dell, I had to give her a call. I did not record it, but she told me all about submarine pitcher, Byron Speece, and followed up with a personal letter that I treasure to this day. Listen to my description of our correspondence...

Exactly 15 years after stepping on the field in Brooklyn to break MLB's segregaton barrier, Jackie Robinson appeared in Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium. In between, he appeared as a player, too, and you can learn about his visits by listening in!

1961 marked the end of the storied Southern Association, and Nashville was one of only two teams to be a member in its entirety.Today I cover the causes which ended the Southern Association, Atlanta's experiment to integrate the team in 1954, and Nashville's attempt to resurrect its Vols franchise.Won't you listen in?

Sulphur Dell hosted many major league teams over the years, and the Yankees were one of them. In 1942, the New York club visited Nashville for not one, but two exhibtion games against the Nashville Vols. Listen in on the summaries of the games, and more!

Baseball has been in my blood since the early 1920's when my grandfather, Jack Waddell, worked in the sporting goods department at Gray & Dudley Hardware in Nashville. Virgil Nipper, my dad, played three sports at North High School in the 1940s; he mentored my brother, Jim, and me through our youth into early adulthood. His great love for baseball pushed me to learn the game, study it, and make it a lifelong experience.This podcast tells about family influence, and the influence of others, that created in me a love of reading, researching, and writing about the subject I love the most: baseball. I hope you enjoy it.Enjoy the Game,Skip