Evidence
The evidence that exists on the subject of Eisenhower playing semi-pro baseball consists of quotes and later statements which can be contradictory. In June 1945 during his homecoming trip to the United States at the end of World War II in Europe, General Eisenhower attended a New York Giants game in New York City. According to articles in The New York Times (June 20, 1945) and Life (July 2, 1945), he acknowledged in a meeting with the two team's managers that he had briefly played semi-pro ball in Kansas. He was again quoted as referring to this incident during his visit to Abilene, Kansas, a few days later (The New York Times, June 23, 1945; The Wichita Eagle, June 23, 1945). The Times quoted him as saying:
I was a center fielder. I went into baseball deliberately to make money, and with no idea of making it a career. I wanted to go to college that fall, and we didn't have money. But I wasn't a very good center fielder, and didn't do too well at it.The Eisenhower Center Biography affirms his need for money after graduating high school, but makes no mention of a baseball career. Instead, it states that he "had been working for two years at the Belle Springs Creamery after his high school graduation in 1909" in order to make money.
Eisenhower never made it clear what years he played ball and for what teams. His naval aide's wartime diary, My Three Years with Eisenhower: The Personal Diary of Captain Harry C. Butcher, USNR (Simon & Schuster, 1946), mentions that during the war General Eisenhower told his staff and colleagues stories about playing semi-pro baseball.
Eisenhower's early biographer, Kenneth S. Davis (Soldier of Democracy, Doubleday, 1945), relates that it was common for temporary "town teams" to be organized to play teams from other towns and that players would split up the gate money at the end of the game. Quite often this would amount to only a few dollars per player.
After his election as president in 1952 there was renewed interest in Eisenhower's sports activities, and he received numerous inquiries regarding his having played semi-pro baseball. The president and his staff either ignored these inquiries or outright denied such activities.
Mel Ott, major league baseball player, is quoted as saying that "The General admitted that as a youth he had done so (played semi-pro ball), under the assumed name of Wilson." A player by the name "Wilson" is listed among the 1911 roster of the Junction City Soldiers minor league team of Junction City, Kansas. He was said to have played in 9 games with 31 at bats and 11 hits for a batting average of .355. He also had 10 putouts in 10 chances for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Read more about this topic: Eisenhower Baseball Controversy
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