
February 26 in Baseball History
“Bill Veeck, considered the P.T. Barnum of baseball due to the imaginative innovations he put in place as the owner of the Indians (1946-50), Browns (1951-53), and White Sox (1959-61, 1975-80), is elected by the veterans committee into the Hall of Fame. In addition to the many promotions he employed to bring fans into the ballpark, ‘Sport Shirt Bill’ is best remembered for integrating the American League by signing Larry Doby to play for the Tribe, and the 1948 World Champion Indians, a team that drew more than 2.6 million fans, setting an attendance record that lasted for more than three decades.”
Wait, WHAT! Branch Rickey deservedly gets credit for breaking the barrier with Jackie Robinson, but Bill Veeck was the guy to do it in the AL? Why is this not a bigger deal?