Mary “Bonnie” Baker, South Bend Blue Sox
Image Source: Life Magazine
Photo Subject: Catcher Mary "Bonnie" Baker of the South Bend Blue Sox suits up in a jersey and skirt for the start of the league's third season. According to her obituary, many who knew Baker felt that she had served as the inspiration for Geena Davis's Dottie Hinson character in "A League of their Own."
Fun Fact: After the United States entered World War II, Major League Baseball began losing its star players to the military. Chicago Cubs owner P.K. Wrigley feared the league might collapse, so he came up with the idea to launch a hybrid game of softball-baseball that could be played by women to entertain U.S. factory workers still employed stateside.
About 280 women participated in the inaugural spring training and selection camp held in May 1943. In the end, 60 women were selected for four teams with 15-member rosters. The first four teams were placed in midsized cities with war industries—South Bend, Indiana (the Blue Sox); Racine, Wisconsin (the Belles); Kenosha, Wisconsin (the Comets); and Rockford, Illinois (the Peaches). The average player salary ranged from $45 to $85 a week, good pay for the time.
Mary Baker was a skilled athlete and was also a former model. She quickly became one of the league’s most iconic and recognizable stars. Affectionately nicknamed ‘Pretty Bonnie Baker’, she appeared regularly in publicity shots and news articles and is believed to be the inspiration for Geena Davis's Dottie Hinson character in "A League of their Own."
Painting Detail: Printed on 8.5” x 11” canvas and painted using Schmincke Mussini and Marshall’s oil paints. Finer details were made using Prismacolor pencils.
Acknowledgement: Mary Bonnie Baker, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame