Mava Lee Thomas
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Mava Lee Thomas €²â€²Tommie′′(September 1, 1929 – August 6, 2013) was an
infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...
and
catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
who played in the
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley, which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...
. She was a
switch-hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers, although there are some exceptions. Characteristics Right-han ...
and threw
right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to and causing it to be stronger, faster or more Fine motor skill, dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dext ...
. Born in
Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making ...
, Mava Lee Thomas was the only player in AAGPBL history whose father played in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
. Her father,
Herb Thomas Herbert Watson Thomas (April 6, 1923 – August 9, 2000) was a stock car racing, stock car racer who was one of NASCAR's most successful drivers in the 1950s. Thomas was NASCAR's first multi-time Cup Champion. Background Born in the sm ...
, was a
center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...
/
second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...
for the
Boston Braves The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...
and
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
in parts of three seasons spanning 1924–1927. In the fourth grade, Thomas learned her baseball skills from her father, who taught her the importance of competition, practice, adversity, and teamwork. ′′Tommie′′, as her father dubbed her, attended several schools while growing up in Florida because Mr. Thomas worked as a
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...
and
scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...
for the Giants organization. She heard about the AAGPBL while attending
Ocala High School Forest High School is a school near Ocala, Florida, United States. It has an EMIT (engineering) program. The school's colors are green and gold and the school mascot is the Wildcat. As of 2014, it had an enrollment of some 2,058. Forest High Sch ...
, where she played for the VFW team.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The AAGPBL operated from 1943 to 1954 and gave over 600 women athletes the opportunity to play professional baseball and to play it at a level never before attained. The league was conceived by
Philip K. Wrigley Philip Knight Wrigley (December 5, 1894 – April 12, 1977) was an American chewing gum manufacturer and a Major League Baseball executive, inheriting both of those roles as the son of William Wrigley Jr. Biography Wrigley was born in Chicago in ...
during World War II, under the idea of initiating the innovative project to maintain interest in baseball as the military draft was depleting major-league rosters of first-line players and attendance declined at ballparks around the country. After graduating from school, Thomas attended an AAGPBL tryout at
Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...
. The switch-hitter made the grade and joined the
Fort Wayne Daisies The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana that played from through as members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. History The Daisies represented Fort Wayne, Indiana, and ...
for the 1951 season. Thomas earned $75 per week plus expenses with the Daisies, which was a considerable amount of money in those days, even though the girls played six nights a week and a doubleheader on Sundays. She was mostly used as a backup for Mary Rountree (C) and Jean Weaver (3B). At the end of the season, Thomas became concerned that poor attendance indicated an uncertain future for the league. Then, she was determined to continue playing ball and went into the US Navy to play in the female softball team, serving also as a member of the Armed Forces Recreation Society. After discharge in 1953, she played exhibition games for the Hagerstown Mollies of
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
during two years. She got married in 1953, but the marriage lasted only two years. Thomas also finished a degree in recreation at the
University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
and went to work for the Ocala Parks and Recreation Department in 1984, helping to establish such events as Light Up Ocala and the annual fishing derby at Tuscawilla Park, before retiring in 1995. In 1988, Thomas received further recognition when she became part of ''Women in Baseball'', a permanent display based at the
Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...
in
Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in ...
, which was unveiled to honor the entire All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. In addition, Thomas and her father became the only father/daughter combination to be inducted into the Florida Baseball Hall of Fame. The AAGPBL folded in 1954. Lady pitchers, catchers, and fielders drifted into obscurity until 1992 when the film ''
A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). It stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Ma ...
'' was released. The film kindled a renewed interest in these trailblazers who have their own places in American history. While the film does not use real names,
filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...
Penny Marshall Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 â€“ December 17, 2018) was an American actress, film director, and producer. She is best known for ...
seemed to be aiming for realism, as her work includes fake newsreel footage and pseudo-documentary ''present day'' scenes at the beginning and end of the fictitious story. Since then, Thomas and her teammates have become the darlings of the media. They have been honored several times for their significant contributions, responding to request for autographs and corresponding with young athletes interested in hearing of their days in the AAGPBL. IMDb.com – ''A League of Their Own'' (1992 film) Thomas felt proud to be the only girl ball player with a major league father. She remembered him into playing an old-timers game in 1988 when he was 87 years old. ''He had
spike Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (Broderick book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter ...
scars on his arm from
Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American professional baseball center fielder. A native of rural Narrows, Georgia, Cobb played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent ...
'', she explained in an interview. Tommie Thomas died in 2013 in her homeland of Ocala, Florida at the age of 83, following complication from
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
.


Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Mava 1929 births 2013 deaths Ocala High School alumni All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players Baseball players from Florida Sportspeople from Ocala, Florida University of Florida alumni Deaths from dementia in Florida Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Florida 21st-century American women