Mary Baker

Do you remember the movie “A League of Their Own” starring Rosie O’Donnell, Madonna and Gena Davis? The movie was based on the true story of an American woman’s professional ball league organized because major league baseball was postponed during WW II. The league was started by Chicago Cubs owner P.K. Wrigley. Did you know that one of those players was a young woman from Regina? Her name was Mary Baker and she was internationally renowned as an outstanding catcher, batter and base runner. She was also known for her beauty, having been a model prior to playing ball, and the media at that time often referred to her as “Pretty Bonnie Baker” . She played in the league for nine seasons, taking one year off to have her only child. In 1950 she was traded to the Kalamazoo Lassies and became the first-ever player/manager. She was the only player to ever hold that position. After the 1950 season, the league passed a rule outlawing female managers! In 1954, Baker returned to Regina and led Regina’s softball team to provincial, Western Canadian and World Ladies Softball championships. Baker broke into another male dominated career when she became the first female sports broadcaster in Canada in 1964. Baker received a great deal of recognition over the years. She was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and the American Baseball Hall of Fame. She died in 2003 in Regina. At her funeral, her career was celebrated and acknowledged by mourners who sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. Remembering Saskatchewan women who were not afraid to live their dreams and who made a difference . . . it’s a good thing!