Early Years
Born in Washington, D.C., Blue grew up a fan of the Washington Senators. Despite stern discouragement from his family, who thought baseball was a waste of time, Blue was determined to play baseball. He attended Briarly Hall Military School in Poolsville, Maryland, where his play drew the attention of professional scouts. Blue signed with the minor league Martinsburg Blue Sox. In 1917, the switch-hitting Blue reportedly hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in the same game.
The Detroit Tigers purchased Blue’s contract in the fall of 1917. Blue did not make the team in 1918 and was drafted into the U.S. Army. Blue served at Camp Lee, Virginia until the war ended in 1919. He re-joined the Tigers after World War I, but was sent to Portland in the Pacific Coast League, where he played in 1919 and 1920.
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Famous quotes containing the words early and/or years:
“In an early spring
We see th’appearing buds, which to prove fruit
Hope gives not so much warrant, as despair
That frosts will bite them.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“America is a great country. It has many shortcomings, many social inequalities, and it’s tragic that the problem of the blacks wasn’t solved fifty or even a hundred years ago, but it’s still a great country, a country full of opportunities, of freedom! Does it seem nothing to you to be able to say what you like, even against the government, the Establishment?”
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