9/7/13 (Indian Country Today) The stated mission of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, in Cooperstown, New York, is “to preserve history, honor excellence and connect generations.” It fails on all three counts where Native American players and history are concerned. For even as its exhibition walls feature portraits of pioneer players and time-lines for Afro- American players, Hispanic players and women players, no such recognition and celebration exists for the American Indian … [Read more...]
Maine students should protest, end Native American school mascots
By Ed Rice, Special to the Bangor Daily News From our Colonial period right through to the present day, Native Americans have always been the victims of an intrinsic “institutional racism” in the United States. Or, put more bluntly, it’s always been okay to be flat-out disrespectful. Don’t think so, huh? Ready to join the gutless, no name-given and no address-given e- mailers who will undoubtedly post their “enough with the political correctness” mantra to this commentary on this … [Read more...]
Indians facing curse?
Perhaps the city of Cleveland and fans of the Indians should be asking the question: Are we in the presence of a baseball curse, one that may be beginning to approach the magnitude of the one that allegedly faced the Red Sox for 86 years and is steadily creeping toward the magnitude of the one that still, allegedly, plagues the Cubs for more than 100 years now? If there is a curse, it’s deserved. Already, around the country and here in Maine, people are beginning to talk about the “Curse … [Read more...]
Hall should address real issues
“Forget Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, put Louis Sockalexis in the Baseball Hall of Fame!” To hear that truly great master of being disingenuous and champion of using “Straw Man” fallacies — using logic fallacies I’ve cautioned my students not to use on their peers in my oral communications classes for a decade — you’d think that is my position and the Penobscot Nation position, according to Bradford Horn, National Baseball Hall of Fame public relations director. Of course, if you had … [Read more...]
Sports Illustrated should recognize Sockalexises
By Ed Rice, Special to the Bangor Daily News In a largely admirable July 31 editorial in the Bangor Daily News titled “A Baseball First,” the Penobscot Nation tribe was supported in its efforts demanding respect for Louis Sockalexis from the Cleveland Indians baseball franchise, but that editorial contains the very regrettable line that “the tribe might do well to narrow the focus of its outrage.” No, it should not! And since more than 137 media outlets all across the country published the … [Read more...]
Author wants Sports Illustrated to honor Penobscot athletes’ legacy
Gale Courey Toensing 4/26/09 Indian Country Today ORONO, Maine – Author and professor Ed Rice is passionate about Penobscot Nation super-athletes and cousins Louis and Andrew Sockalexis. Louis was a phenomenal baseball player who rose to legendary heights in the late 1800s and early 1900s and was the inspiration for the nickname “Indians” that the Cleveland major league franchise first adopted in March 1897, and then officially adopted in February 1915. Andrew is among the greatest … [Read more...]
Negro League team played in Bangor; game accounts reflect accepted racism
This story was published on Aug. 05, 2006 on Page D1 in all editions of the Bangor Daily News On a Bangor baseball field that no longer exists, almost 100 years ago in May 1907, Louis Sockalexis, the first American Indian to play major league baseball, played for the Bangor town team against a club comprised of barnstorming Negro League players from the Philadelphia Giants, reigning champions of the “colored leagues.” The black players, at that time, were not allowed to compete at the highest … [Read more...]
Record may prove man’s status in baseball history; document boosts Sockalexis Hall of Fame claim
This story was published on Jan. 26, 2006 on Page A1 in all editions of the Bangor Daily News Ed Rice was home doing chores on Jan. 16 when an envelope arrived via FedEx. What he found inside, he said, made his jaw drop. Rice, the author of a book about legendary Indian Island baseball player Louis Sockalexis, who played in 94 games for the Cleveland Spiders from 1897 to 1899, now has what he believes to be the most compelling piece of evidence that Sockalexis was in fact the first … [Read more...]
At baseball hall of fame, Mainer goes to bat for legend Sockalexis
This story was published on June 11, 2005 on Page A1 in all editions of the Bangor Daily News COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – Ed Rice made his case for Indian Island legend Louis Sockalexis on Friday afternoon, asking for recognition and respect for the baseball player during a talk at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Orono, Maine, resident and author of the Sockalexis biography “Baseball’s First Indian – Louis Sockalexis: Penobscot Legend, Cleveland Indian” appeared at the final session of the … [Read more...]
Recognizing Louis Sockalexis; local author making pitch for Penobscot Indian to Baseball Hall of Fame
This story was published on June 04, 2005 on Page D1 in all editions of the Bangor Daily News OLD TOWN – A little more than 100 years after Louis Sockalexis stepped on to a baseball diamond as a Major League Baseball player in Cleveland, Nate Lonko stood in the infield of Old Town High’s baseball field, posing for a photo with a bat over his shoulder. Like Sockalexis, Lonko is pretty successful at what he does as the starting shortstop. They both lived right around Old Town – Sockalexis … [Read more...]