Scheananigans with Scheana Shay - A League of HER Own with Aunt Shirley

Episode Date: September 4, 2020

It’s time for some family bonding! Scheana is joined by her mother and an actual legend, the one and only, her Great Aunt Shirley. She talks about playing women’s professional baseball in the 40s and 50s on the Rockford Peaches. Fun fact: The film “A League of Their Own” is actually based on Aunt Shirley’s team and she even makes an appearance in the movie! This week’s episode is sponsored by Pretty Litter – Go to PrettyLitter.com and use promo code SHAY for 20% off your first order. Scheananigans with Scheana Shay is produced by ACTIONPARK MEDIA. Follow us on Instagram: @scheana @scheananigans @actionparkmediagroupSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From Vanderpump Rules to Vegas and everywhere in between, it's time to party with Sheena Shea. This is Shenanigans, and now here's your host, Sheena Shea. Hey, everyone. Welcome back to Shenanigans. Today, we are back in Palm Springs podcasting, but not from my house. I have sitting in front of me an actual legend who you would know from Vanderpump Rules as my great aunt Shirley. How are you? Good, thank you.

So if you missed the episode this past season, I think it was like episode 18, where we had a Tom Tom versus Sir softball game. ball game, you would have seen a little montage of me as a kid playing baseball and talking about how my love for baseball was inspired by my great aunt Shirley, who played on the Rockford Peaches in a little movie called League of Their Own. It was based around. So I have some questions about playing baseball. Was it the 40s, 50s? Yes, 40s and 50s. 40s and 50s. Okay, so a little before I was born. And we also have my mom here co-hosting. Hi.

You haven't been on the podcast for a while. It's been a minute. I know. Have you even seen the new studio? I haven't. Oh, we've got to make that happen. Yeah, looking forward to it. Yes.

But for today, we've got some fun questions, like I said, for my Aunt Shirley. And I think we should just get right into them. Are you ready? I'm ready. All right. First off, tell everyone where you grew up. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Grew up in a small town just outside of Pittsburgh, about eight miles out of Pittsburgh, called

Swissvale. Swissvale. Swissvale. Okay. And played baseball. Sheena, I don't ever remember when I didn't play baseball. I just loved the game. My dad played.

My brother played. And I just kind of followed in their footsteps. But at that time, there was nothing for girls. There was no baseball for girls. There wasn't anything. So I played with the boys. Okay. Vacant lots and on the street.

Yeah. So that was my growing up days was playing baseball with the boys. I mean, that was my growing up too. I played baseball with the boys. I was the only girl on the all boys baseball team. So what year are we talking? Let's paint a picture. When did you start playing baseball?

How old were you? Oh gosh. Like I said, I don't ever remember not playing. I was maybe six, seven years old. Wow. And my brother used to take me with him. He played on a baseball team. And so when I was about 10 or 12 years old, he would take me with him.

And now that I think about it, the reason he took me with him was, see, they put me in the outfield to shag the balls. Then they could just stand up there and hit all day and they didn't have to go out and pick up the balls. That was my job. But it was good for me because then that's the way I got to learn to play the outfield. Gotcha. So you were the ball girl. I was the ball girl. Shag the balls. So mom, was it, I think it was you who actually taught me the game of baseball. Because, I mean, the movie came out. So if y'all haven't seen A League of Their Own, first of all, what are you doing?

This is such an iconic movie with Tom Hanks, Gina Davis, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell. It's just incredible. It's based on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that started in, what year was it that the league started? 1943. 1943. 43 to 54. Wow. And it's so sad that it ever ended, you know?

It was devastating to all of us. Yeah, I can imagine. I thought that was going to be my career. Yeah. 16 years old. I planned on playing forever. I made no plans for anything else. That was going to be my career. Yeah. 16 years old. Uh-huh. I planned on playing forever. I made no plans for anything else. That was going to be it.

Yeah. That was my career, baseball. So you were 16 years old when you tried out and joined the league. What did your parents think about you being so young and moving away to play a professional sport? Well, like I said, we were a baseball family. Yeah. Everybody was sports-minded. to play a professional sport well like i said we were we were a baseball family yeah everybody was sports minded so my dad and my brother uh of course we the three of us were all excited uh my mom she

was hesitant she uh she when she found out that i i after i i made the team and uh got a telegram saying to report to spring training. A telegram? And, yeah, telegram. Did a messenger bird bring it? We talk to kids nowadays. I don't think they know what a telegram is. Yeah, I only know from the movies. That's a slow text message. But anyway, we got a telegram saying to report to spring training in Indiana.

Well, my brother and my dad and I, we're jumping around. We're all happy. Hey, I'm going to play baseball. Yeah. My mom said, wait a minute. She says, I never heard any girls baseball league, baseball team. He said, taking all those girls down there to Indiana somewhere. No, she says, she's not going by herself. She says, I'm going with her. So she bought a ticket and we went on the train, went to spring training. She met the chaperone and the manager and they assured her that everything was on the up and up. Yeah. It was okay.

Okay. And then so she turned to me and she said, okay, you can stay. That's crazy. Yeah. Now, speaking of the chaperone, in the movie, we see that some of the girls are a little naughty and they poisoned the chaperone so they could sneak out to go to bars. Did anything like that happen when you were out in the road? Obviously you were too young. Right. I was too young for the suds bucket. Yes. Oh, the suds. That's my favorite scene in the movie. I've always wanted to learn how to

swing dance and jitterbug. Yes. So did anything like that really happen? Yes. The girls went out to the I don't know if they called it the suds bucket then, but they went out. But did they have to sneak out? Were they given permission?

You were given permission, but it was a coming back. They had to sneak back in. So it was like past curfew. I remember those days. So was that hard for you as one of the younger players to not go out with all of them? Well, there were a few of us teenagers on the team, so we kind of hung out together. We were more for the movies and shopping and just going around town.

And that was about the extent of our fun was just going. And in some cities, when we were on the road in some cities, they had like a fair or carnival or something. We had those kind of things to do. But no such bucket stuff. Now, if you were only 16 when you started playing, you hadn't graduated high school yet, right? That's right. I was still in high school. So that was another thing. We had to get permission from the school for me to leave because spring training started in April and school wasn't out until June.

So I had those few months there that I would be out of school. So we had to go to the principal to see if I could go, you know, check your grades. Yeah. Did you have a tutor while you were out on the road? Not a tutor, but they sent me assignments. And then I would have to do an assignment and send it back. And then they'd send me another assignment. Kind of like 2020. Yeah, it's kind of like 2020, exactly. So that's the way it worked. Fortunately, I was able to leave school early.

Wow. So did you graduate then? I graduated, but not really. Like you didn't do the full cap and gown. You were doing something much cooler. I was still, that was already, I was already gone. But yeah, I just went to the school and picked up my diploma. But no regrets.

I know you have no regrets. No. Oh, that's so awesome. Sheena, you asked me if I was the one who kind of taught you about it. But the movie, and correct me if I'm wrong, Aunt Shirley, the movie came out in 1992. Yes. Is that right? 91 or 92. Yeah, I thought it was like 92. Sheena, and correct me if I'm wrong, Aunt Shirley, the movie came out in 1992. Yes. Is that right? 91 or 92. Yeah, I thought it was like 92.

Sheena, you were seven. And I specifically remember taking you to the movie theater over in West Covina. It was just you and I. We went and saw the movie. Why did we go to West Covina? I don't know. Maybe it was the timing of the time it was playing. But we went there to see the movie.

And Sheena had never talked about baseball had no interest in baseball she's seven yeah and um once she saw her aunt shirley on the big screen and learned all about the story she wanted to play baseball and i remember literally taking a paper napkin she had no clue of the game drawing on a paper napkin a diamond and explaining to her. This is like home base, first base, second, you know, and went through the whole thing explaining the game to her. And then next thing I know, Sheena is signed up and tries out and is the only girl on the boys' Little League baseball team with her hair down to her waist. And she just went out there and and she held her own I played second base second base yeah I let you play yes they did she played

every game because sometimes the girls you know they took them on the team but they wouldn't let them play no Sheena played I don't ever remember being benched you never I was like I you know I always played and so I did that until I got into junior high. And then I really wanted to be a pitcher, but I wanted to do the underhand fast pitch. So that's when I switched to softball. And that's just when the softball league came to our area. There was no, you know, just kind of like back in your day, there wasn't a girls softball league available until then. Oh, I didn't know that either.

So that's when you did end up switching over to the girls softball league I thought you were like I don't know I was gonna say like 13 maybe 12 13 I was younger than that because I skipped a grade and so when I was in junior high so I was probably like 12 11 or 12 you played little league for like five years yeah switched over to it was like second grade skipped third grade fourth fifth sixth I might have been like the transition year yeah I think in Shirley's memory of the 40s is better than ours of the 90s I think I know it is but that's how I'm like I don't remember that at all as we've always told you her love of baseball came from absolutely you and a paper napkin a paper napkin so funny and I mean that's a movie that I know any time of day, any channel that it's on, any part in the movie, I'll always stop and watch it.

I do too. I tell you that, Aunt Shirley, always. And that's the God's honest truth. It is such an amazing movie. And you know, the kids do tell us that too. A coach came up to us and said, she plays the movie before every game. Oh, I like that. Now, did a lot of the girls get scouted how you saw in the movie before every game. Oh, I like that.

Now, did a lot of the girls get scouted how you saw in the movie? Like, was there like a scout out going and watching the softball games and stuff? Yeah, that's the way they usually found them. So tell Sheena, I mean, I know all these answers, but I love hearing the stories. I can never hear them too many times. Tell her how it came about that you actually tried out. My brother, I didn't see it, but my brother saw an article in the newspaper saying that they were holding tryouts for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. And he said to me, why don't you go down and try out? Oh God, I'm not going down there. No way. And he says, oh, come on.

He says, you don't have to go down and try it. He says, we'll just go down, sit in the stands and watch. Well, I thought after I got down there, I thought to myself, I think he brought me down here because he knew there was wasn't going to be long before I went down there. There was no way I was going to sit in those stands very long. So what I don't remember you telling me is from the day you tried out, was it one tryout? Was it over a week, weeks or how long before you actually found out you were accepted into the league? I can't remember. I think those tryouts lasted a couple of days because there were quite a few girls. Yeah.

And there were a lot of girls there. Then they told us that, you know, we'll contact you. Okay. And then that's what I said. Via telegram? Via telegram. Got the telegram. That's crazy.

Same to report. Cool. Wow. So in the movie, was it at Wrigley Field that they had the trial? You said Indiana, right? Indiana was where I went to spring training. Oh, spring training. But then did they do tryouts?

Was it at Wrigley? Because they said, what, Walter Harvey, the chocolate man? Yeah. But was that based on Wrigley? Actually, Walter Harvey, the chocolate man, was actually Wrigley, the gum guy. That's what I thought. Yeah. But he must not have been able to give his permission.

Right. So they had to use someone else's name. Yeah. But they did hold tryouts at Wrigley Field. Okay. But they went all over the country. So the movie is pretty true to life then, right? She did a good job.

Penny Marshall. I tell you. Yeah. The A.A.G.P.B.L. owes a debt of gratitude to penny marshall i tell you uh if it hadn't been for penny marshall we would be sitting at our reunions looking at each other no one would have known about us wow yeah we wouldn't be here today talking yeah if it hadn't been for that movie that's well we would still be here talking because you're still a legend in our family yes but even even us i don't we didn't nobody talked about it even yeah yeah when we came up someone asked me one time that well when you

went back to school you know after you played and then you went back to school for school. Weren't you a big celebrity? And I said, no, no, nobody said. They knew I played baseball, but no one cared. I didn't say anything. I was just glad to be back, you know, with my school friends. Yeah. I wonder what got Penny Marshall interested in the league and wanting to do a movie. Did she ever?

I know you've met her and dealt with her. Did she ever tell you why? Two boys, the Candell brothers. Casey played for Houston Astros in Seattle. Okay. And his brother Kelly. Their mom played in our league. Oh, okay.

And they did a documentary about their mom. in our league oh okay and they did a documentary okay about their mom oh cool and they got it to pbs and penny marshall saw it on pbs and that was at the time that we were being recognized by the hall of fame the baseball hall of fame oh wow so that gave her an opportunity to come down and talk to all the girls and everything and and i guess she thought uh i can make a movie about yeah right so she that was 1988 okay so she had to go back to hollywood get some backing get some uh you know someone to to have the same feeling for the movie that she did. But I mean, we have already said this, but I mean, I've loved the movie. It's such a good movie.

I mean, it's really a good movie. Like Sheena said, if y'all haven't seen it, you really need to watch this. It's just so well made. It's a movie that you don't even have to be a baseball player. No. It's a feel-good movie. The story. Yeah, it's just a feel-good movie. The story, yeah, it's wonderful.

And now it's in the Congressional Library. Oh, wow. Library of Congress. Wow. And you are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Our league is. Your league is, yes. We were all recognized by the Hall of Fame. Yeah, that's amazing.

That's so cool. And the movie is the highest grossing baseball movie ever made. Wow, I didn't know that. That doesn't surprise me. Now, you're talking about Field of Dreams, The Natural, Rebecca Robinson's story, Babe Ruth's story, Gary, I mean, there are some big movies, Major League, Bull Durham. I mean, there were some big movies Major League Bull Durham

I mean there were some big baseball movies the highest grossing baseball movie ever made what baseball players did you look up to when you were young you know I liked the Pirates I liked the team Pirates and I never

singled out anybody in particular. I just loved the team. The fan of the team. I liked everybody. Yeah. I didn't have any favorite players. Gotcha. Now, you got to be in the movie.

How did this come about? And were any of your friends in the movie with you as well? Yeah. She invited Penny Marshall. Penny Marshall invited anyone who played in the league to come to Cooperstown for the ending of the movie. Okay. And so I think there were 50 of us. Wow.

That came up there. Okay. And anyway, she told us to just go out and play yeah i love that and that's what we did we just went out on the field and played but not 50 of you were shown in the movie like while you were in the hall of fame and whatnot there was a small group of you in that part yeah who are like really featured in the movie. Yeah, exactly. Well, I don't know. You know, most everybody was around somewhere.

Yeah. But I'm thinking of the one scene where you all take like that one picture. Oh yeah, it's probably about what, like 20, 25 maybe. And I guess that was that maybe more of the characters who got things based off of like your character with Alice. The picture. She said, let's take a picture of the peaches.

Yeah. The original peaches. Yeah, the original peaches. I loved that. So that was just why that group was there. That group right there. Okay. And now out of that group, how many were actual actors who didn't actually play in the league?

I think the only ballplayers were two of us, myself and the girl next to me, Susan Payne. And I think the rest were the actresses. Gotcha. Cause I always, what I wondered too, I don't know if you know this, but the woman who played the older Dottie, Gina Davis character, her voice is identical. Is itena Davis's voice and she's just mouthing it? Okay. Okay, yeah. Because I'm like, she's good. Well, people did, and I didn't realize it either,

but everybody thought that was Geena Davis made up. I thought so too. Because she looked so much better. And Kit. Kit also. Kit looks identical. Yeah, and that. The casting, amazing.

Incredible. Like you say, then all they did was dub in Geena Davis's voice. Yeah. Okay, I always wondered that because... And you didn't think to ask him, surely? No, I don't think I've ever asked that because it's like, I mean, I've done voiceover work,

you know, and obviously, you know, you just, it's easy to do. But I always wondered that. And then the character who played Kit, I'm like they cast someone who looked so good but even like in the Bohemian Rhapsody movie I mean the way they cast Queen I'm like that looks exactly like him like the guitar player Brian so crazy so they did an incredible job with that I know and you know when we were were in Illinois, she had us come to Illinois because what she wanted to do was she wanted to match up a player with an actress.

Yeah. An older player and an older actress. And I had a laugh because we all had to go do little bits, you know, try out. And finally she came on and she says, this isn't going to work. She said, the actresses can't play ball and the ball players can't act. Well, whatever happened, it worked. Right. She scraped that.

Yeah. And she just went with with the older character actress. But you got your couple lines in. Yeah. And, you know, I still to this day, I don't know what how that happened. We were just all standing around. And and she says, I want someone because Alice in the movie was superstitious. You know, she didn't change her socks and things like that. So anyway, she said, she looked at me, she says, I want you to go to, when Dottie comes over, she says,

I want you to go over to her and say, because I had catcher's equipment on. Right. Because I had been catching in this. Right. And I had catcher's equipment. Maybe that was why she said it. She said, go over and say to Dottie, Dottie, having you here is good luck. Yes.

She says, then get off. Then go. You've served your purpose. Yeah. Get off. Yeah, but it's funny because looking at your baseball card, that actress does look very similar to how you looked back then. I don't know, Alice.

And I've met her, and we've taken pictures together. And I was telling Sheena, so correct me if I'm wrong, didn't you tell me the one scene in the movie where Alice is, like, lying across the bench totally bruised from her hip to her knee, or down her thigh, you said those were real bruises, correct? Absolutely. Oh, my gosh. Those looked nasty.

To this day, we met with him here a year or so ago. She said that she actually, it took three years for that to, she had nerve damage. Oh, my gosh. From that bruise. Because the actors can't play ball. So it was, yeah, actors can't play ball. So it was. Yeah, we can't play ball. Kate, good segue, though, going into that, talking about injuries.

You guys, you really did play through a lot of injuries, right? All you players were injured in attic play. Well, you know, if you say you're hurt and you sit down, someone take your place. Yeah. Right. Like in the movie, they say they play with broken fingers. Double headers. Yeah.

And you'd be on a bus all night for double headers and whatnot, right? We did. We played seven days a week, double headers on Sunday. Wow. That's crazy. But you loved it. This is what you wanted to do. So it wasn't work or a job for you.

It wasn't work. Someone said, oh, didn't you? What was the worst thing about it? There was no worst. Everything was wonderful. I mean, I just wish that either the league lasted longer or that I was born sooner. Right, because you were so young. I could have had a longer time to play.

Okay, before I ask you the next question, though, we're just going to take a little break. Using an overpriced trash bag? Pricey, pricey, pricey. A bag that breaks? Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy. Or a smelly bag? Stinky, stinky, stinky. You've got to snag Hefty's Ultra Strong Trash Bag, always at an ultra-low price.

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Does that mean you literally played every position? Yeah, I played whatever. If they needed an infielder, I played the infield. If they needed an outfielder, I played the outfield. Okay. Did you have a favorite position? No. I thought that's what I was going to say.

Speak. I was just glad to be playing. I mean, I would never say, no, I don't want to play this position. Or, no, I like this position better. Catcher seems tough, though. No, I said, wherever you want me on. That's amazing. And it's one thing to be able to say that, but to be able to do it is a whole other thing.

So not anybody could say, sure, put me anywhere. You were able to play any position, which is a mad talent. That was from playing with the boys. Because, you know, sometimes with the boys, you had to take what was left over. Sure. You were the girl, so you took what was left over. Yeah. I mean, second base was not bad.

I wasn't complaining. I was in the infield. Yeah. That's great. All the left over. Yeah. I mean, second base was not bad. I wasn't complaining. I was in the infield. Yeah. That's great. All the action is. Yeah. Now, how many teams were in the league? Because I think it started out, was it Racing, Rockford, Kenosha, and South Bend?

Did it start out as those four? Original four. Okay. And then how many did it expand to? It varied through the 12 years of the league. When the league finally ended, there were 10 teams. Okay. But throughout that 12-year period, they'd go to eight, then they'd go to six, then someone would drop out.

Yeah. A city would drop out. Yeah. And another one picked up. Gotcha. And you were always on the peaches. No. No.

Oh. I played, my first year I was with Muskegon Lassies. Okay. Muskegon, Michigan. That was my first year in the league Muskegon Lassies Muskegon Michigan that was my first first year in the league oh I didn't know that no clearly you haven't read her baseball card Sheena that you know I have in your place it's literally you can even see it in my last vlog my Palm Springs house tour it's literally on display well remember I told you that I was like I know I have your baseball card it I've had it since 1992 in that like plastic, like enclosed case. I'm like, I know I have it. But when I moved to Vegas and then my mom moved me to Marina when I was in Vegas, it got misplaced.

I found it. Yeah. So now moving to San Diego, I found the baseball card and I was like, you know, I knew I put it somewhere smart and it was in a purse right next to a framed poem that Papa, my mom's dad had written me. And that was the only thing in the purse. I kept those two things so special to me in a purse, zipped it up because I knew it would make it to wherever it went.

But then I just, I stopped carrying that purse. And so I just recently, when I was unpacking stuff in my Palm Springs closet to get stuff to go to San Diego, I was like, I knew it. I knew I had it. So it's literally on display. And I just did a closet tour on my last vlog

and I show everyone your baseball card. Good. Yeah. But anyway, so yeah. So she said she started with the Muskegon Lambs. Muskegon, Michigan. All right. And then the next year I played on a touring team. We toured the East Coast.

Okay. Two teams. We traveled together and we just played each other. Oh, where? And we did that for one season. Okay. There were two reasons for that travel touring team. One reason was that they recruited along the way people.

And the second thing, it was to give us a little more experience. Because sometimes you get on a team and and the the positions are were filled and they didn't get get as much playing time so this touring team gave us a little more extra playing time that we might not have had in the league okay and then uh then the next year i was with the rockford peaches and you you were a peach. I was a peach. I love it. Did you have, I'm trying to think, I know that May was number five because I remember my first baseball number was number five. But did you have the same number when you played on different teams

or was it just? No. You know, some people want a certain number. Right. Not me. I take whatever. Just give me a number. I'll play wherever. I not me i take whatever just give me a number just give me a number yes in fact i can't even read someone asked me well you know see but only number i remember i don't know why i remember it and i don't know where i had it number nine i

had number nine one okay i don't know i can't remember what team it was, whether it was with that touring team or whether it was Muskegon or Rockford. But that's the only number I remember. But I'm sure I had more than one. But like you said, it wasn't about that for you. Alice, the character in the movie, had her superstitions. You just wanted to play ball.

You were just happy to be playing. And a lot of girls did. They want certain things. Those certain place on the bench. They go, no, don't do this. I've always been a number person. And I was a Madonna fan as a kid. And I had the dark hair, like she had the dark hair in the movie.

My birthday is in May, which is the fifth month. And so I was like, I have to be number five. And her name is May. And my birthday is in May. That's what the five is. Yeah. Okay. my birthday is May. That's what the five is. Yeah. Okay. But speaking of May, now you told me you have a friend, Maybel, and that character was kind of based off her.

Yeah. Tell me about Maybel. Maybel, she's, Maybel is. Let's say how old Maybel is first. Maybel is 93. Wow. 93. And she and I traveled together promoting women's baseball.

All over the country. We go all over. Yeah. We go to different ballparks. Yeah. And we talk to the kids. And she's a firecracker. And she is.

Yeah. She's got to have an audience around her. I've talked to her on the phone. Yeah, she's funky, that's for sure. Oh, my gosh, I love it. And her name's Maybell. Yeah. So they call her May.

All the way. So then they add, but all the way May. More things than one. So anyway, but she kids about it. Yeah. And so anyway, but she kids about it, you know, because, and she says, you know, that she wasn't really, that she wasn't what they portrayed Madonna as. Called promiscuous. You know, but she uses it, you know. Sure.

And people enjoy it. Yeah. I love that. She makes fun about it. So who all did you get to meet when you were on set for the film? Well, the first place we met people was when we went to the, I told you, they had like, they wanted us to come. They were going to match up the people. That was in Skokie, Illinois.

Okay. And there we met Rosie O'Donnell and Madonna. Oh, cool. And not Gina Davis or Tom Hanks. Okay. But the lesser characters in the movie. And that was Rosie O'Donnell's, I think. This is like a breakout role for her.

I think that was her first role for Rosie. I think that movie pushed her into better things. Oh, yeah. Totally. And Laurie Petty, we met there. And Biddy Schramm, the crying, the one that cried. There's no crying in baseball. Oh, such an iconic line.

Yes. Biddy Schramm. Anyway, those girls. And we did meet Gina Davis. She has a film festival every year. And a couple years ago, she had invited us to her film festival because she was showing the movie. Oh, cool. So she invited us.

So we got to meet Geena Davis. That's awesome. But other than that, it was just the lesser characters. Megan Cavanaugh, Marla Hooch. Yeah. Marla Hooch. Yeah. Marla Hooch. A lot of night games. Of course, Tracy Reiner.

Yeah. And all those girls. But they come to our reunion. That's awesome. So I wanted to ask you about that. So I know obviously right now with COVID, a lot of the appearances and stuff have been canceled. But to this day, you still travel with some of the ladies and do appearances and reunions and whatnot, right?

Yes, we do. Now, I remember hearing, I'm not sure how long ago this was, but didn't you guys have like a van that was like broken into and a bunch of the memorabilia was stolen? Didn't that happen? Oh, yes, yes. So sad. That was in Phoenix.

Okay. Yeah, we were there for an event, and we had items that we sell, you know, T-shirts and bats and balls and that stuff. And they had it in a van. And the whole thing was stolen, or was it? They took the whole van. They took the whole van. Oh, my gosh. They just hooked it off the truck and took the whole van.

That's so crazy. And they found it, but it's empty. Everything was empty. Nothing was in it. That's so crazy. And they found it, but it's empty. Everything was empty. Nothing was in it. That's so sad. So when, I guess I can't say when because we don't know when anything is going to open back up. But do you know if you have any appearances planned for 2021, assuming that you're able to travel? No.

All of our events this year were canceled, and so nothing has been planned for 21 yet. Maybe towards the end of the year. And Shirley, tell us how many people that played in the league are still with us today. I know you keep a roster because I've been here with you. Unfortunately, when I was with you just a couple months ago within that time, there were two passings, I believe, while I was here visiting with you. So I know you keep this amazing record of everything.

Plus, also, are you the treasurer of the All-American Girls? No, not of that. I am of the IWBC, which is another different organization with them. So I know you're very involved with everything. But how many are still with us? If nobody reports in, no family said anything, we don't know. But right now we have 60, I think 65 of us. That's a lot. That's a lot. Yeah. I didn't think there was that many.

Yeah, 65, I think. Wow. Not all of them are able to come to the reunion. Right, right. We get about 20 at the reunion. That's still a good amount for y'all's age able to to come to the reunions you know of course they're when wheelchairs and on walks right and that but but they're there yeah wow so recently you had come over to my house and we watched the netflix documentary a Secret Love. And I don't

know if you guys have seen that, but it's a story about two women, only one who played in the league, who fell in love back in the forties and for their entire life had to hide their romance from their friends, their family, pretty much everyone. And I know one of them sadly passed away. But did you know the other one who played in the league? Did you ever get to meet her? Oh, yes. Played against her. Didn't play with her, but played against her.

And yes. And then, of course, they always came to the reunions. They were always at the reunions. So were you or any of your friends aware of the relationship? I mean, to have a same-sex relationship, especially back in the 40s or 50s, people didn't talk about it. Were you aware of anything like that? You just wanted to play ball. Well, you know, all of that stuff seemed to go over my head.

I don't know. I just never... Well, I mean, I was there at Sheena's when we watched the documentary together. Did anything in that surprise you? The whole thing surprised me. The whole thing surprised you. Okay. Like I said, I don't know.

I was so naive about that that stuff i never you know realized back in the day but now like you said at the reunions and stuff did any did you you didn't know these women were in a relationship yes oh you did know now okay so it was just back then you just didn't see it i I guess they hit it so well. Yeah. It's sad, actually. I guess they had to. Yeah. I mean, I don't know.

But according to them, they said they couldn't tell anybody or even their family. They said they were cousins. Right. You know, for certain things. But it is a really good documentary. If you guys haven't seen it, watch A League of Their Own first. And then watch that. And you'll have even more of an appreciation for it. But it was a good documentary.

It's just sad that, you know, back then people had to hide who they truly were. Right. Wow. Well, Shirley, are there any other fun stories you can think of? I just enjoy being with you two. Aw. I know. I love you guys.

I love you too. And just because I'm in San Diego now doesn't mean I'm not going to still be here getting your groceries for you. I'm still going to come visit. Yeah, that's right. Sheena and Erica, they're my grocery girls. Aunt Shirley lives right around the corner from Sheena's Palm Springs house. I could walk. I mean, it's 120 degrees out right now, but in the winter, I could walk.

Yeah, you could really walk. Yes, but I will still be here, so you'll still get us. Me too. You're still stuck with us. Yeah. I would say to shout out your Instagram handle, but she doesn't do social media, folks. So here you're having it. I'm still on the flip phone.

It's a brand new flip phone, though. But it's brand new. Well, thank you so much, Anne Shirley. I've been wanting to do this for so long, and I'm so thankful that you were able to share your stories. Just such an iconic movie, and you are such a legend. Well, thank you you tell everybody to watch yes

yes alright thanks for listening guys thank you bye Sheena Shea Shea FK thanks for listening to

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