Maybelle Blair

Our guest in this episode is the women's professional baseball player who inspired the classic movie and now TV show A League of their Own, Mabel Blair. What is your chick for keeping in such great shape? Oh? My god? Just having fun every day of your life. You know, if you can't have fun, you might as well laid out and die. As far as I can serve, wife, I hang around. Why do you do for fun? Every day? When you wake up? What are you looking forward to?

Looking forward to? Is watching a base small game or an athletic game, things like that, because that's why I'm very interested in all sports. So, going back to the other side of things, When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up? Oh my gosh, I never even thought it because I was too busy playing baseball with my family, because that's all we had to do in our day. We didn't have TikTok and rethe this or Yahoo or what all. You know, we did have all that stuff. So we

were very poor. But we had a baseball and we had a bat. At our baseball had to have a bunch of tape on it because we couldn't afford another tape. And our bat was broken a lot, and we just hammer in another tack or two. You know, I keep playing baseball, and that's what I did. You started your own team in fourth or fifth grade? Oh yeah, what did your parents think of that? Well, they didn't even think anything about it. They just took that for natural,

you know, because it was at our family. But boy, I had all those teachers and even the principal. You know, there's all back at me because I don't know, I guess they thought. I don't know what they were thinking. But anyway, I had my own team, and uh, I was so thrilled because one of the teachers had a friend that I was right down the street or about two or three miles away from where I was going to school, and so she talked her into putting a

team together. So we so I had somebody to play against. So we had a couple of games or four five, and it was so much fun, and my team one. You know, of course, otherwise I went kicked him in the rear. Ind So what was next for you after your your baseball career was done? After my baseball career, I went to work for Northern Aircraft and very fortunately I became the third woman manager of northn p Aircraft.

It was amazing. I was very very fortunate. And when I was in there, I wanted to learn how to operate all the equipment because he told me, says, maybe how you have skills to be a manager? And I said, you're out of your cotton pick and mind you know, no no way. He says, well, i'd going to try to train you to be a badge. I says, I don't think so, and he says, yes, I'm going to it. I says, well, I won't even consider it unless I can learn every piece of equipment that's in this organization.

So I learned to drive craives, semi trucks, trucks, bandies, forklifts. I learned every piece of transportation that was in there, and then I said, I was reading. I became a dispatcher. I wanted to learn that too, and then from that that he may be manager. What was your management style? How did you lead? How did I leave with fairness? I want to production out of my people. And people said, well, Babel, how did you hire? Are six good truck drivers and

this and that? I said, well, number one, especially in transportation, I wanted somebody that had coordination. So where do you get it? Into sports world baseball? You've got eyes, you've got coordination, you've got quickness. So this is what I

really went after with athletes crew. So what would you say has made it so that you've been successful in multiple fields that a lot of people have frankly failed in is you've got to be motivated and if you do it or something, give it a hundred ten percent. That's one thing even about Major League Baseball players today, they don't give it there all until it's contract tiber, it's getting close to it. Then man, do we go out and play it. Our averages start glade up, and

our field leads better, we make better, spectacular plays. It's amazing. And these are the things that you have to go buy you just gotta give it. Do you counsel baseball players? Do you talk to major league players? Oh? I talked to major league ball players. Yes, I don't manage them or anything. No, I could talk. I talked to them. But my goal is to have a league of our own again for the girls. And I go to Baseball

for All with Justine Siegel. I've been with her ever since she started Baseball for All and all these little girls all they want to do is be able to play baseball, not softball. So we're trying to give them a chance in life to have this. This is why what the International with as Baseball Center for Women in Rockford, Illinois, where we could have a home of our over we can develop our old umpires at all of this because you know, like I said, girls have eyes. We could

be umpires. We don't have to go compete with them in as far speed and strength of that, and you know, being a major league baseball player, but we can't stand behind that plate and see if it's over the plate or not. We got those eyes and we know the rule book back and forwards. So what's the problem. Why can't we They have it in football and basketball and They're much harder to referee and ump player than baseball. I have to say. I have four little girls who

are eight, six, five, and three. I got how wonderful, and three of them are playing softball regular already asked me why do girls play softball and boys play baseball? Oh? Really, you're getting it already. Well, is because Jolie, the good old boys have pushed them into softball on account of scholarships. And believe me, I understand that thoroughly. I mean, you know, if you could have the parents get a scholarship, saves

thousands of dollars for your family and yourselves. But I'm hoping it will change where it will be a baseball for women. But after they get out playing uh softball, they could play baseball because I played professional softball also, and a lot of people don't know that, but I play both. And the girls that played the professional baseball in the league of their own all Americas. We went from league to league, you know, back and forth. It could happen. And these are the doors that we want

to open up for girls in baseball. Well, it does start early. My daughter is a varsity softball player in high school. But I will say that it frustrates her so much how much attention and sort of money is put into the baseball program versus the softball program. For you, having seen so much in all of your ninety five years, what would you say is sort of the biggest excitement and disappointment that you see today in terms of gender equality. It's getting closer. Our problem is, uh, if you're a

paid customer, you want to see the best. And this is this is one of our problems now until the girls get better in their sport. The basketball and the soccer are coming along great right now as far as a fan participation, and if we keep up the good quality. We got to have the quality for somebody to go out and see it. You're not going to go out there and see a girl miss a ball that should have caught right in her hand, or you know, miss a basket nineteen times and the scores four to six

at the end of the game. You want like they're doing today. Well, it's growing and it's will grow as long as we keep up the good uh quality of our ability. And this is why I like to see the league of their own or a new league start for women's baseball. You've got to have the quality before people will pay. And I don't blame them. I wouldn't go see it either, even as you know what I'm saying. I mean, it makes sense if you think about you know,

women and soccer. Women like the women's soccer teams in the United States are just remarkable. They're getting much better. But when they were compleating about the salary, well, I could understand the owners. They gotta make money. They can't pay you a hundred thousand dollars and you a hundred thousand dollars. And the guys that are the guy's got twice attendance that you're getting. How can I pay you

a hundred thousand? Right, these are the reasons because we got to have the quality, and they're getting it now, and you notice the attendance will start even going higher. They're starting in right now, going great for the women's soccer and I love it and basketball and basketball, and just like the w n b A and the NBA, you've got to realize, our greatest women basketball player right

today is either Sue or of Candas Parker. And they couldn't sit out amids mab a bitch because they're not strong and physical enough not that they're the greatest in their ability, Yes they are. But the women and fans now are going to go see these girls play because they are so good and when they go to that basket, when they shoot it, they're going to get it in. But you know, when you've got Shack O'Neil under there and Canadas Parker, you know who's going to win the battle. Right,

There's just no doubt. This is why we got to have the good product out there and we're doing it. And now a quick break. Now, your personal life recently came into a lot of sort of a spotlight and you came out as gay. What kind of bravery did that take and what made you decide to do that? Well, it took a lot of bravery. It took ninety five years to come out because I've been gay all my life and it was my whole life. I could have ruined it very early in life because nobody understood how

es gay people are. It's not that we choose our sexuality. It's there like they say, well, it's because I've been hanging around with Da Da Da. Well that's not true. You could hang out with me for years and you wouldn't change your mind, right, right, Well, it's the same way you're not going to change anybody's sexuality. In fact, I have a lot of gay friends that have raised

daughters and sons and they're not gay. You know, by God, what else is more closer than mother mother or two mothers or two fathers right, or single gay girl or a single gay guy. And I have known so many of them. Girls or boys are just perfectly normal because that's your sexuality. You can't help it. So what made you come out now? Because at I said to myself that if I could help one individual, I would be

thrilled to death. If I could just do it and let people know at my age now that it's not bad to be gay, that people now are understanding and I can understand what's going on, And if I could keep open that door a little bit more where more people get the idea, it would be worth coming out at And if I could save one little boy or one little girl, all the misery that I went through trying to hide it by going out with men that I didn't want to go out with, and I was

just miserable, but I had to put on a good act, and I did. And now I'm out and I'm very happy about it. How has your life changed since you shared your story publicly, Well, it's been only about six months. My family has accepted me. So many people now have accepted me, and I am so thrilled about it that I don't have to hide and I can be myself.

And that's what it's all about, be yourself, if you can be yourself and live your life, because life is very short, as I finding out, and and I got just take in there, and uh, I got trying to get that door open and get a league of their own, for our women to be able to have a league of their own in a home of their own in baseball. Before I get under the grass and sit on this side of it, you've been fighting a very long for decades.

What keeps you going? The determination I'm determined to help if I can at all, until I'm going to give it all by all until I on the other side of the dirt. Let's put it that way. What's your morning routine? Oh, I get up and God, I gotta shut up my cap because she's always hungry. So that's the first thing I do is I have to feed her. God, she's a Oh, she's wonderful, but starts sweetest scan I've

ever hit my life. Excuse me, I get up and make my coffee and have toasted, get my friend and feed her and open the break and just like everybody else, is everybody you do when you get up, for God's sake, same thing every day. Tell me, in speaking of longevity and routines, what do you think are a few tips that have helped you and the people that surround you who have lived longer lives. What are the patterns you've seen? Well,

the main thing is you've got to enjoy life. Don't go someplace that you don't want to go because you're gonna be miserable. Don't go, I mean, you know, don't make everybody else miserable. Right. If you're not going to have a good time, stay home. And if you do have a job, be sure that you enjoy it, because if you're not enjoyed it, if people working for yours not going to enjoy it either, So don't even give it a try. So go to something else that you

can enjoy. And uh, there's doors opened all over the place. If people would take advantage of education or falling their dreams, it would be a wonderful place. But you can't give up. And this is what the problem is. People will not do it. They will put out the effort, and you've got to have effort before you do anything. I don't care what it is. If you had to put your career into three words as a story, what would your story be? I will, I will, And that's why it's

got to be is I always? I will, and it will be done. Thank you so much, made Val, You're amazing. Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. I know got it. I'm very happy, you know, and I'm going to be happy until I die. I think the temptation when you meet someone like may By Blair, who's and such a histol. I don't know how else to describe her but to say, oh, she's so cute, but like she would she would eat you for breakfast. I mean, she is cute, but she is a fighter and you don't mess with me Bell No.

I mean I think that it's remarkable to me just how many different things she is still doing every single day and she's years old. I like, started our speed round without really warning her, and I just said, well, what's her morning routine? And She's like, what does anyone do in the morning, I do what everyone else says. She's just so funny, you know, she doesn't she pulls no punches totally. She does pull up punches, and like, it was really amazing to hear about her baseball career.

It's amazing to hear about what she's working on now, trying to really continue to advance women's baseball. But one of the things I loved learning about me about and didn't know it was like her corporate career. I mean, she became like the third women's manager for North Rep, which is a massive corporation. I think one of the things that I loved hearing from her is she was talking about you have to always give a hundred and ten percent. But she really was basically saying, like most

people aren't trying hard enough. And I know you and I share that kind of sentiment where it's like the people who try hard are the ones who are going to succeed. And she put it into her baseball career, and then she put it into her corporate career, and now she's putting that energy and effort into creating a women's baseball league. And I wouldn't doubt that she can do it, Like I feel like I would never ever

bet against Maybel. Right. The other thing I think that has to be noted is that she's someone that is still constantly evolving, and I think that there is this sense or just assumption, and maybe it's just an American culture that like, you turn sixty or seventy and like, Okay, it's all over now, nothing new will be happening to you in life, like nothing new to dream about, or

do you know? Maybel came out as lesbian in her nineties, right, like she's still learning, still changing, and still participating in a cultural discourse. And when she did speak out publicly for the first time about her sexuality, she did it because she wanted young girl ball players to feel comfortable. The fact that she came out at she might be the oldest public figure to come out, right, But what's remarkable about it is, like I found it. She's a

tough person. But then there was something like almost heartbreaking when she said, you know, I don't want a young person to have to suffer the way I did when I was all my life going out with men. I didn't want to go out with I mean, when she puts it in those terms, It just it kind of it really pulls your heart strings. I have the chills

just thinking about it. I mean, imagine for nine years hiding who you are, and it really puts things in a different light when you hear it that way, a life that you look back on and realize that the entire higher time you were socializing for nine years, you weren't able to be your authentic self or to share

your authentic self with everyone. So I mean, I'm thrilled for her that she was able to finally do that, but it it does break your heart a little when you realize how many people are probably suffering that way. Thanks for listening to What's Her Story with Sam and Amy. We would appreciate it if you leave her review wherever you get your podcasts, and of course, connect with us

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