The following is a short story I wrote about Ollie Pickering, a professional baseball player from Vincennes. Could It Be? As a kid growing up in the 1940’s and early 50’s Vincennes Indiana was a great place to live. I lived with my parents, at 19th and Main streets. We lived in the big house on the hill. (The house or the hill is not nearly as large as I remember it as a 7 or 8 year old). It was so much fun living there; we could slide down the hill in the winter snows and had plenty of room to play baseball games in the summers. There were enough kids my age and older to play. To name some that I can remember; Allens, Blakleys, Tromleys, Winklers. Landrys and others that I can not remember. Of course both boys and girls played. We used to gather in the open lot across from the Winklers home on 19th street at mid morning and with a short break for lunch and then back playing in the afternoons. What great memories I have of those times. After the games a couple of my friends and I would go around the corner on Broadway to Mr. Pickering house. He was usually setting out on the front porch swing drinking coffee. He would see us coming and invite us up to talk baseball. He always told us that he had played in the Major leagues, and he had plenty of stories that we would listen to over and over again. He always said he was the person that started the phrase “Texas Leaguer”. (For those that are not familiar with that term, a Texas Leaguer is a pop fly that is just over the infield and in front of the outfielders). He had many great stories about his playing days and famous players with whom he used to play.. He knew all the great old players and told stories about many of them. We moved from our Main Street home about 1944 and I never saw my friend Mr. Pickering again, and realistically I guess seldom had I thought of him until the Spring of 2001. It was Tuesday, April 24, 2001 to be exact……. I was away from my Dallas, Texas home and I bought a copy of the USA Today newspaper as I usually do when I am away from home. When I opened the sports section the banner called my attention to a story on page three…..American League First 100 Years…….. I read the story about the first game ever played in the American League between the Chicago White Stockings and the Cleveland Blues. The first pitch was thrown by Roy Patterson, it was a ball! But that was not what caught my attention….it was the box score that gave the players for each team, I glanced at the players that played that historic first game and there it was, the first name listed playing for the Cleveland Blues was.…..PICKERING…… COULD IT BE?????? Could it be my friend of so long ago, Mr. Olie Pickering?? I did a quick figure of what I though Mr Pickering’s age might have been in 1944 and thought…yes it could be that my friend Olie Pickering from Vincennes Indiana was actually the first batter to ever come to bat in the American League. When I got back to Dallas I sent an e-mail to Sports Editor of the USA Today and ask the question…..COULD IT BE?? Was the Pickering that was the first player ever to bat in the American League Olie Pickering. Almost immediately I received the answer….. YES , OLIE PICKERING was indeed he first batter in the American League. As we approach a new baseball season Vincennes can be proud of one of their own. Thanks for the memories Mr. Pickering, and thanks to the USA Today for their story that made it all come to life once again…. Paul (Andy) Anderson Vincennes Lincoln High School Class of 1954
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 01:48:21 +0000
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