Baseball trivia

[Dynasty]

Jackie Mitchell's professional debut was on 4/2/31 in an exhibition game between the Chattanooga Lookouts (Mitchell's team) and the New York Yankees.

Mitchell, 17, had just recently signed with the Lookouts and pitched to just three batters in the game. Mitchell struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig before walking Tony Lazzeri.

After this performance, MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis cancelled Mitchell's contract with the Lookouts, effectively preventing Mitchell from having any chance playing Major League baseball.

Question: Why did Landis cancell Mitchell's contract?

Answer on this page (3/4 down) (http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/aleagueoftheirown.php)

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

He was black?

[Duke]

I don't get it.

~D

[daryn]

did you guys read the article? by read i mean, skim down about 2/3 and look at the pictures?

[Zeno]

A woman. The link does not work for me.

-Zeno

[Duke]

Yeah I read the article, and I saw that it was a woman. I assumed that KSOM was making some sort of a joke when he said it was a black male. I didn't understand that joke.

Therefore: I don't get it.

~D

[daryn]

i assumed (probably correctly) that he was just taking a guess at it before reading the article (cheating).

he may not have even read it yet.

[Dynasty]

I'm surprised this isn't a more well known story. I had never heard of it until I stumbled on it.