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Louis Sockalexis, a Penobscot Indian from Maine, was one of the greatest college baseball stars of the 1890s. Following his days playing for Holy Cross and Notre Dame, he went directly into the major leagues with Clevelands National League team in 1897, becoming the first of his race to play in the majors and the first minority athlete to play in the National League. This is a complete biography of Sockalexis, known during his playing days as "Chief of Sockem" and "Deerfoot on the Diamond." For three seasons, Sockalexis batted well over .300, hit home runs, and made incredible throws from the outfield, but he found it difficult to adjust to playing in the major leagues. He often found himself the object of ridicule and hatred from sportswriters and fans in other cities. Sockalexis began drinking heavily and was suspended by the Cleveland team for playing while intoxicated. His alcoholism brought his career to an unfortunate and premature end in 1899, and he died in 1913 at the age of 42. Shortly after his death, Clevelands American League team was named the Indians and Chief Wahoo was adopted as its mascot, something that has sparked controversy in recent years and brought attention to Sockalexis once again.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1 Where the River Broadens Out
2 The College of the Holy Cross
3 From Worcester to Notre Dame
4 The National League
5 Tebeau's Indians
6 "He's the Stuff and He's the People"
7 The Polo Grounds
8 Fall from Grace
9 The 1898 Season
10 Sitting the Bench
11 "The Sorriest Shell of a Team Ever Seen..."
12 "A Sorrowful Spectacle..."
13 Bender, Meyers, and Andrew Sockalexis
14 The End of the Line
15 Louis Sockalexis and the Cleveland Indians
16 Epilogue
Appendix 1: William J. Fox Letter
Appendix 2: Sockalexis Statistics
Notes Bibliography Index
About the author
David L. Fleitz is a web developer and database analyst who lives in Troy, Michigan. A longtime SABR member, he has written nine other books on baseball history.
