Love Letter to Fans

6/26/06

Dear Baseball Fan,

Thank you for your interest in the AAGPBL and your lovely letter. I am pleased that you have found the story of the All American Girls to be one of inspiration for yourself and that you share our history with your students. As shown in the beginning of the movie A League of Their Own, it seemed that part of our lives had been tucked away in our own individual trunks at home containing our personal newspaper clippings and other memorabilia. The reunion that was held at Cooperstown changed all of that for us and brought our story to life again with the help of Hollywood! The trip to Cooperstown with my grown daughter Debbie and my granddaughter Jessica to be a part of the induction ceremony into the Hall of Fame was such an unforgettable honor for my family and myself.

My personal story is one of just plain fun of playing baseball as a kid growing up in Winnipeg Manitoba at the Canadian Ukranian Athletic Club, (CUAC), to competing at the highest level of competition for women in Baseball with the Racine Bells in 1950 and the Battlecreek Chicks in 1951. I was "discovered" after my big brother Fred Shero told a baseball scout to come and watch me play. My brother Fred was a professional hockey player. He was the first and only coach to this day to take the Philadelphia Flyers hockey Team to the Stanley Cup championships and win in 1974 & 1975. Fred told the scout that I was a "pretty good player" and "very fast". I had developed my speed by playing all the positions in the outfield, as there were never enough players for a full team at CUAC . When I was given the opportunity to try out, I traveled with a couple other girls I had met up with at the Chicago Airport, Dolly Pearson, who was one of our greatest short stops, was from Pittsburgh and Irma Bergman, a pitcher of whom no one could hit was from St. Louis. We all flew to training camp in Louisville Kentucky. I made the team with the Racine Bells and

during one of our games I was given my nick name when the coach said "Hey Baser go in for the runner on second base", so "Baser" it was throughout my stay in the League. I was also a good bunter and was used that way quite a bit.

Training Camp lasted two weeks and this was where the coaches watched us play to determine which teams we would play for in the League. I went first to Racine to play and then the next year to Battlecreek. I was paid $55.00 per week, but I would of played for free, as I really loved the game and the adventure. I enjoyed the friendship with the girls and as shown in A League of Their Own we had a chaperone who traveled with us and at times were able to get away to dance and relax. I was surprised one day when I saw myself in an old movie clipping of me putting on my lipstick in an HBO special of Women in Sports. You've probably read and also saw in the "Movie" that we were always a "lady" first. I did endure many "raspberries" on my thighs from sliding into base as our uniforms were skirts.

One of my biggest thrills I experienced was in June 1992 when the movie A League of Their Own came out and I was invited to throw the opening pitch at a Seattle Mariner game. Also a 9 year old little girl from Oregon who played baseball walked around the bases with me as the crowd cheered. My

picture was up on big screen and my husband, four children and grandchildren were all able to be there to enjoy that exciting time with me.

Thank you for writing to me. I do enjoy all the fan mail from around the country and am proud to say that I have 17 year old granddaughter and a 9 year old great-granddaughter who are enjoying playing the game that I so loved and so baseball continues on in our family.

Sincerely,  Doris Shero