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| '''Louis |
'''Louis Sockalexis''' (b. ], ] on ] ], ]; d. ], ], in ]) was a was a ] and the first ] ] player. His career with the ] team, the ], lasted three years. | ||
| A ] from the ] tribe, Sockalexis is often identified as the first person of Native American ancestry to play major league baseball <!--there is a deference between major league baseball and MLB-->. Many conflicting reports exist. In some cases, ], a ] in the early ], is identified as the first person with Native American ancestry to play major league baseball.<ref name=reliquary>{{cite web | title = The Story of Louis Sockalexis | work=baseballreliquary.com | url= http://www.baseballreliquary.org/story_of_sockalexis.htm | accessdate=2007-07-07}}</ref> Also, ], who played in the early 1920s, is noted as the first full-blooded American Indian to have played in the ].<ref name="yellowhorseauction">{{cite web| title = Photo Auction | url=http://www.lelands.com/bid.aspx?lot=682&auctionid=704 | accessdate = 2007-05-29}}</ref> | |||
| Sockalexis became a rising baseball star in Maine in his teens. He attended the ] and excelled in ], ], and ]. In the ] season, Sockalexis posted a .436 ] and posted .444 in ]. Handsome and popular, Sockalexis was the school's star athlete. His games attracted large crowds and "Sock," as he was called, was the most sought-after college ballplayer in the country. | |||
| == Early life == | |||
| Louis Sockalexis was born on the Penobscot Indian reservation near ] in ]. | |||
| His grandfather was Chief of the Bear Clan.<ref name=maine>{{cite web | title=Louis Sockalexis | work=maine.com | url=http://people.maine.com/publius/almanac/encycweb/htm/soclalex.htm | accessdate=2007-07-07}}</ref> In his youth, Sockalexis' athletic talents were very noticeable. It was reported that Sockalexis could throw a baseball across the ] from Indian Island to the shore of Old Town.<ref name=maine /> Additionally, it is said that Sockalexis and his father entertained crowds at the ] by playing catch across the entire track.<ref name=maine /> | |||
| Louis Sockalexis transferred to the ] in December, ] but in early March ], was expelled for drinking and destroying a local brothel after the madam refused to provide her services to a "red man." | |||
| After completing his ], Sockalexis began his ] career in ] at the ].<ref name=maine /> While there, he participated on the school's ], ], and ] teams.<ref name=deadspin>{{cite web | title=Before Chief Wahoo | work=deadspin.com | url=http://deadspin.com/sports/college-basketball/holy-cross-crusaders-243249.php | accessdate=2007-07-07}}</ref> Sockalexis spent those summers playing baseball in the Trolley League along the coast of Maine.<ref name=maine /> After the end of the 1895-96 baseball season, the Holy Cross baseball coach accepted a position at the ] in February, ]. When that happened, Sockalexis decided to transfer to Notre Dame.<ref name=ndbio>{{cite web | title=First Cleveland Indian was a Domer first | work=nd.edu | url=http://www.nd.edu/~ndmag/w2000_01/clevew00.html | accessdate=2007-07-07}}</ref> In his two season at Holy Cross, Sockalexis compiled a .444 ].<ref name=maine /> | |||
| On March 9, 1897, Sockalexis signed a major league contract with the Cleveland Spiders. In his first three months, he posted a .338 batting average. Sockalexis generated great enthusiasm among ] sportswriters and fans with his spectacular plays in right field, speedy base-stealing and powerful hitting at the plate. Sockalexis hit only three major league home runs but each one was dramatic in the deadball era. | |||
| In 1897, the Notre Dame baseball team played an exhibition game against the ] at the ].<ref name=ndbio /> In a sign of things to come, Sockalexis had to deal with taunts, ], and insulting chants during the game.<ref name=maine /> At the same time, ] in attendance insulted a delegation of Pensobscots who had come from Old Town to watch the game.<ref name=maine /> | |||
| Fifty years before ] faced derision and abuse as the first ] in the majors, Sockalexis endured hostile crowds and racial taunting as the first ]. In Cleveland as well as other cities, crowds and opposing ballplayers jeered and showered him with abuse, but as Robinson did in his rookie year with the ] ], Sockalexis displayed restraint and dignity and soon won favor with his exciting plays on the field. | |||
| ], a future member of the ], pitched that day for the Giants; and, before the game, Rusie had promised to strike out Sockalexis.<ref name=maine /> Things did not go well for Rusie as Sockalexis hit a ] off of Rusie's the first pitch.<ref name=maine /> | |||
| From his college days, Sockalexis had developed a drinking habit that worsened in Cleveland. By July 1897, his heavy drinking led to a literal fall from stardom when he suffered a leg injury after jumping from the second story of a brothel. After the injury, he never regained his speed in the field and saw only limited playing time in ] and ]. In 1899 he was released from the team. | |||
| However, Sockalexis' career at Notre Dame was short. In an event that foreshadowed future problems, the University expelled Sockalexis not long after he arrived for his problems with alcohol.<ref name=blbio>{{cite web | title=Baseball Library Bio | work=baseballlibrary.com | url=http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Lou_Sockalexis_1871 | accessdate=2007-07-07}}</ref> Although he played exclusively as an outfielder in the majors, Sockalexis played outfield and ] while at Notre Dame and Holy Cross.<ref name=deadspin /> | |||
| After leaving Cleveland, Sockalexis signed with various ] in ]. He finished the 1899 season under the careful management of former batting star ]. Without the pressures of national fame and racist abuse, Sockalexis excited the smaller crowds with a display of his former skills in clutch hitting and game-winning home runs. Unfortunately, Sockalexis's ] had become so severe that he drifted as a vagrant for three years and was arrested several times. | |||
| == Professional career == | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| On ], 1897, Sockalexis signed a major league contract with the ]. Just a month later, on ], Sockalexis made his major league debut. Just a few months after he was expelled from school, his drinking problems resurfaced. On ], 1897, Sockalexis, in an inebriated condition, jumped from the second-story window of a ]. He severely injured his ankle in the fall.<ref name=blbio /> Eventually, the injury affected his play. In the five games after the injury, he had nine ] in 18 ]s.<ref name=blbio /> However, his fielding was not very good. From ] until ], Sockalexis played in just one game. In that game, he committed two errors.<ref name=blbio /> In his first season with the Spiders, Sockalexis hit for a .338 batting average with three home runs and 42 RBIs. In 66 games that season, Sockalexis also had 16 ]s. | |||
| In ], Sockalexis signed with the ] (see photo) and "spiked himself to the water cart" as the saying went. He played a complete season and posted a .288 batting average. By ], he had gone back to Indian Island and regained sobriety. He ran a ferry across the Penobscot River in the summer months and worked as a logger in the winter. | |||
| Burdened by his ],<ref name=maine /> Sockalexis played just two more seasons of ]. In 1899, the Spiders released Sockalexis. He finished his career in the minor leagues and in ], Sockalexis returned to Indian Island to coach juvenile teams.<ref name=maine /> Five players who he coached went on to play in the ]. However, his baseball career ended for good in ].<ref name=blbio />. | |||
| In his last years, Sockalexis was able to share his talent with the people of Maine. He organized and coached a team of Penobscot youths, five of whom went on to the ]. Crowds came to watch him umpire games for the Maine Leagues, and he was widely respected for his accurate calls and extensive knowledge of the rules. His friends recalled him for his quiet dignity, generosity and humor. | |||
| == Later life and legacy == | |||
| Sockalexis developed numerous health problems and died prematurely of heart failure at age 42 while working in a logging camp. | |||
| In his later years, Sockalexis suffered from ] and heart trouble.<ref name=maine /> On ], ], Sockalexis died in ]. | |||
| In ], baseball writer ] named ], an early ] catcher as the first ] in the majors. However, in January, ], Sockalexis biographer Ed Rice obtained Toy's death certificate which listed Toy's ethnicity as ], supporting the claim that Louis Sockalexis was indeed the first Native American Major League ballplayer. | |||
| Although Sockalexis had a brief career, during his time in professional baseball, he faced many non-tangible obstacles. It was reported that fans of the opposing teams often shouted racial slurs toward him due to his Penobscot heritage. Additionally, fans imitated war whoops and war dances in his presence.<ref name=reliquary /> Later, when sports journalists attributed his rapid decline to alcoholism, they identified the disease as the inherent "Indian weakness".<ref name=reliquary /> | |||
| Recently there has been controversy over the name of the ] and their mascot, Chief Wahoo. Although the "Indians" nickname dates back to Sockalexis' rookie season with the Spiders in 1897, the official name for the current ] team was selected by Cleveland sportswriters, not from a fan contest as numerous sources claim in ]. Sockalexis had died two years earlier but there was no mention of him in the announcements. Newspaper cartoons of that era, as well as the team's current Chief Wahoo mascot, were and continue to be racially offensive to some and bear no resemblance to Louis Sockalexis. | |||
| Sources:<p>1. ] by Ed Rice (Tidemark Press, 2003) | |||
| In recognition of his accomplishments, the ] elected Sockalexis. He was joined by his second cousin, marathon runner Andrew Sockalexis. Andrew Sockalexis finished in second place during the ] and ] ]s and in fourth place at the ] in ]. | |||
| <p>2. ] by ] (McFarland & Company, 2002]] | |||
| ] article by Francis Hatch in "Downeast Magazine," 1963 | |||
| == |
==External links== | ||
| * | |||
| <div class="references-small"> | |||
| * on Find A Grave site | |||
| <references /> | |||
| </div> | |||
| ⚫ | {{DEFAULTSORT:Sockalexis, Louis}} | ||
| == External links == | |||
| * {{baseball-reference|id=s/sockach01}} | |||
| {{Persondata | |||
| |NAME = Chief Sockalexis | |||
| |ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Lou Sockalexis, Lou Sockalexis | |||
| |SHORT DESCRIPTION = ] ] ] | |||
| |DATE OF BIRTH = ], ] | |||
| |PLACE OF BIRTH = ], ] | |||
| |DATE OF DEATH = ], ] | |||
| |PLACE OF DEATH = ], ] | |||
| }} | |||
| ⚫ | {{DEFAULTSORT:Sockalexis, |
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Revision as of 05:48, 19 July 2007
Louis Sockalexis (b. October 24, 1871 on Indian Island Old Town, Maine; d. December 24, 1913, in Burlington, Maine) was a was a Penobscot and the first Native American Major League Baseball player. His career with the National League team, the Cleveland Spiders, lasted three years.
Sockalexis became a rising baseball star in Maine in his teens. He attended the College of the Holy Cross and excelled in baseball, football, and track. In the 1894 season, Sockalexis posted a .436 batting average and posted .444 in 1895. Handsome and popular, Sockalexis was the school's star athlete. His games attracted large crowds and "Sock," as he was called, was the most sought-after college ballplayer in the country.
Louis Sockalexis transferred to the University of Notre Dame in December, 1896 but in early March 1897, was expelled for drinking and destroying a local brothel after the madam refused to provide her services to a "red man."
On March 9, 1897, Sockalexis signed a major league contract with the Cleveland Spiders. In his first three months, he posted a .338 batting average. Sockalexis generated great enthusiasm among Cleveland sportswriters and fans with his spectacular plays in right field, speedy base-stealing and powerful hitting at the plate. Sockalexis hit only three major league home runs but each one was dramatic in the deadball era.
Fifty years before Jackie Robinson faced derision and abuse as the first African American in the majors, Sockalexis endured hostile crowds and racial taunting as the first Native American. In Cleveland as well as other cities, crowds and opposing ballplayers jeered and showered him with abuse, but as Robinson did in his rookie year with the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers, Sockalexis displayed restraint and dignity and soon won favor with his exciting plays on the field.
From his college days, Sockalexis had developed a drinking habit that worsened in Cleveland. By July 1897, his heavy drinking led to a literal fall from stardom when he suffered a leg injury after jumping from the second story of a brothel. After the injury, he never regained his speed in the field and saw only limited playing time in 1898 and 1899. In 1899 he was released from the team.
After leaving Cleveland, Sockalexis signed with various minor leagues in Connecticut. He finished the 1899 season under the careful management of former batting star Roger Conner. Without the pressures of national fame and racist abuse, Sockalexis excited the smaller crowds with a display of his former skills in clutch hitting and game-winning home runs. Unfortunately, Sockalexis's alcoholism had become so severe that he drifted as a vagrant for three years and was arrested several times.
In 1902, Sockalexis signed with the Lowell Tigers (see photo) and "spiked himself to the water cart" as the saying went. He played a complete season and posted a .288 batting average. By 1906, he had gone back to Indian Island and regained sobriety. He ran a ferry across the Penobscot River in the summer months and worked as a logger in the winter.
In his last years, Sockalexis was able to share his talent with the people of Maine. He organized and coached a team of Penobscot youths, five of whom went on to the New England League. Crowds came to watch him umpire games for the Maine Leagues, and he was widely respected for his accurate calls and extensive knowledge of the rules. His friends recalled him for his quiet dignity, generosity and humor.
Sockalexis developed numerous health problems and died prematurely of heart failure at age 42 while working in a logging camp.
In 1963, baseball writer Lee Allen named James Madison Toy, an early American Association catcher as the first Native American in the majors. However, in January, 2006, Sockalexis biographer Ed Rice obtained Toy's death certificate which listed Toy's ethnicity as Caucasian, supporting the claim that Louis Sockalexis was indeed the first Native American Major League ballplayer.
Recently there has been controversy over the name of the Cleveland Indians and their mascot, Chief Wahoo. Although the "Indians" nickname dates back to Sockalexis' rookie season with the Spiders in 1897, the official name for the current American League team was selected by Cleveland sportswriters, not from a fan contest as numerous sources claim in 1915. Sockalexis had died two years earlier but there was no mention of him in the announcements. Newspaper cartoons of that era, as well as the team's current Chief Wahoo mascot, were and continue to be racially offensive to some and bear no resemblance to Louis Sockalexis.
Sources:
1. "Baseball's First Indian: Louis Sockalexis, Penobscot Legend, Cleveland Indian" by Ed Rice (Tidemark Press, 2003)
2. "Louis Sockalexis: The First Cleveland Indian" by David Fleitz (McFarland & Company, 2002]] 3. "Sockalexis: Maine's Great Ballplayer," article by Francis Hatch in "Downeast Magazine," 1963
External links
- Baseball Reference Profile
- Louis Sockalexis page on Find A Grave site