By Larry Mahoney, BDN Staff March 23, 2018 1:00 am BANGOR — Ed Rice, author of a book about Indian Island native and former major league baseball player Louis Sockalexis, is again at the forefront of an effort to recognize the groundbreaking athlete. Rice has teamed up with Theodore Bear Mitchell and John Bear Mitchell on the board of directors of the “Friends of Sockalexis,” a committee that will raise money to build a monument dedicated to Sockalexis. Rice and Theodore Bear Mitchell … [Read more...]
Archives for 2018
Demise of Cleveland’s ‘Chief Wahoo’ opens the door for proper recognition of Maine’s Sockalexis
By Ed Rice, Special to the BDN February 13, 2018 1:00 am Thanks to the courage and persistence of just one man, the end of the appearance of Chief Wahoo on the playing uniforms of the Cleveland Indians will finally end but, sadly, not until the start of the 2019 season. While I’m not sure Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, knows anything about the history of Louis Sockalexis, I do know he cared enough to make a stand against an image that many people believe is the … [Read more...]
Neither Chief Wahoo nor the Indians’ nickname honor the Penobscot man that inspired them
By: Ted Berg, Writer for USA Today | February 1, 2018 11:54 am Earlier this week, after continued pressure from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, the Cleveland Indians announced they will strip the controversial Chief Wahoo logos from their on-field uniforms starting in 2019. The club will still sell some merchandise with the racist imagery, but doing so will prevent others from profiting off use of the smiling, red-faced caricature. The Cleveland club began using early version of Chief Wahoo … [Read more...]