Rogers Hornsby, 1929
Photographer: The Conlon Collection
Image Subject: Hall of Fame member, Rogers Hornsby, posing with his bat outside the visitor’s dugout.
Fun Fact: Rogers Hornsby’s unusual first name came about as this was the maiden name of mother. He was known for his coldness, lack of diplomacy and prowess with a bat. Hornsby is considered by some to be the greatest right-handed hitter who ever played the game. He won the triple crown not once but twice (1922 and 1925) and had the highest season batting average (.424 in 1924) in modern baseball history.
His life was singularly focused on baseball – with the exception of betting on horse racing – and he structured his life habits so that ordinary vices would not impede batting performance. He did not smoke or drink or overeat. He was not a bar hopper and rarely went out at night. He also took extreme steps to protect his eyesight.
For instance, he would not go to movies as he feared the flickering light would harm his eyesight. Also, he would not read newspaper print smaller than the headline as it might cause eyestrain.
Painting Detail: Printed on 13” x 19” canvas and painted using Schmincke Mussini and Marshall’s oil paints. Finer details were made using Prismacolor pencils.
Acknowledgement: Texas Monthly, Baseball’s Rogers Hornsby.