Toni Stone, original name Marcenia Lyle, (born 1921, St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.—died November 2, 1996, Alameda, California), American baseball player who, as a member of the Negro American League’s Indianapolis Clowns, was the first woman to ever play professional baseball as a regular on a big-league team.
Was Toni Stone married?
Stone married Aurelious Pescia Alberga in 1950, a man forty years her senior who did not approve of her playing baseball. Nonetheless in 1953, Stone was signed with the Indianapolis Clowns, a team with a reputation like the Harlem Globetrotters.
Who helped Toni Stone?
Because it was for white women only, Stone couldn’t participate in it in the 1940s, so she played on amateur men’s teams instead. She was 32 when Syd Pollock, the owner of the Clowns, signed her to help with ticket sales, at a time when integration in the Major Leagues cut into the stature of the Negro Leagues.
When was Toni Stone born?
July 17, 1921
Toni Stone/Date of birth
Is Toni Stone still alive?
Deceased (1921–1996)
Toni Stone/Living or Deceased
Why did Toni Stone change her name?
In 1949, Marcenia Lyle joined the all-male Negro Baseball League, becoming the first woman to do so. Upon joining the League, she changed her name to Toni Stone, because she felt her real name was too cute.
Who is Moe Berg and what is his significance?
Although he played 15 seasons in the major leagues, almost entirely for four American League teams, Berg was never more than an average player and was better known for being “the brainiest guy in baseball.” Casey Stengel once described Berg as “the strangest man ever to play baseball”.
Why did Marcenia Lyle change her name?
Marcenia Lyle was born in 1921 in St. Paul, Minnesota. She began her baseball career at the age of sixteen as a pitcher for the Twin Cities Colored Giants. As her career took off, Lyle changed her name to Toni Stone, which she thought sounded more professional.
Is Moe Berg a real person?
Morris Berg (March 2, 1902 – May 29, 1972) was an American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball, who later served as a spy for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.
Was Moe Berg a real baseball player?
Berg, who was said to have a photographic memory, was practiced in deception from the beginning. When he was a kid, he assumed a fake name so that he could play baseball on a Christian league team — there were no Jewish teams at the time.
Is The Catcher Was a Spy true?
Based on a true story, Paul Rudd WWII thriller never quite thrills. In “The Catcher Was a Spy,” Paul Rudd is Moe Berg, a professional baseball player turned U.S. spy enlisted by the government to stop Germany’s construction of an atomic bomb in World War II.
Who was Mo bird?
Morris “Moe” Berg spent 15 years playing major league baseball. His record on the field was middling, but Berg was distinguished by his pursuits off it — namely, his time as a US spy during World War II.
What is Toni Stone’s story?
Baseball was a game Marcenia Lyle “Toni” Stone (1921–1996) loved to play. Born in West Virginia in 1921, the girl was as fast as any boy and had a great pitching arm. No one imagined that Stone’s love for the game would eventually lead her to become the first of three women to play in the all-male Negro League.
Is Toni Stone in the Hall of Fame?
Three years later, she was inducted into the Women’s Sports Hall of Fame and the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame. • In 1990, Stone’s hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota declared March 6 “Toni Stone Day” in the city. • Stone died on November 2, 1996 at the age of 75, but her legacy lives on today.
How good of a baseball player was Jackie Stone?
Aaron called Stone “a very good baseball player,” and another Hall of Famer, Cubs legend Ernie Banks, said Stone was “smooth” after seeing her play for the Kansas City Monarchs, for whom Banks also played, from 1950-53. Here are some key points to know about Stone, who was a pioneer on many fronts through baseball.
Who is Bob Stone and when did he die?
Stone, who died in 1996, has been inducted into multiple sports halls of fame. Led by Ray Bobbitt, the African American Sports and Entertainment Group secured an approval from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority on July 30 for a non-binding financial plan for a WNBA team to play at the Oakland Arena
