Skip Nipper’s Nashville Baseball Podcast

Nashville attorney Jack Norman, Sr. retired from practicing law in 1981 but often wrote articles in both the Nashville Tennessean and Nashville Banner about memories of his hometown. Born in Nashville in 1904, his “ The Passing of the Nashville I Knew” appeared on a regular basis in the Banner and led to the publication of “ The Nashville I Knew ” (Norman, Sr., Jack. Nashville: Rutledge Hill Press...

My favorite team has always been the Yankees, but I am willing to give up my allegiance once  the Yankees come to Music City for a regular season game and I trade my New York jersey for one with "Nashville" across the front. If you wondered how many times the Yankees visited Nashville to play exhibition games, in this episode, I tell about the first visits to Sulphur Dell to the last one...

It would be hard to imagine that  Yankee soldiers did not teach the locals how to play the Northern version of base ball. Even in prison camps in both the north and south, games were organized as a way to give players and spectators opportunity to divest themselves of the perils and weariness of war – if even only for a few hours. In this episode, I tell about Civil War era baseball, and wonder wh...

Kicking off season 2 of Skip's Corner, this episode is about Tookie Gilbert, who came from a great baseball pedigree, the son of minor league immortal. In this episode you will hear about how the youngest Gilbert earned his nickname and how he fared in his baseball career. Want to stay in touch? Find me here: X: mrsulphurdell Instagram: @ nashville_baseball Facebook: Skip Nipper Email me: 262...

Over the years I have had opporunity to acquire a number of baseballs, signed by baseball players and coaches, and each one has its own story. It is not a large collection, but they all are special to me. Listen in as I tell about many of them and the circumstances which allowed me to ask for an autograph. I even acquired one in a suprising way. Today I am celebrating the 52nd episode of Skip&apos...

His major league career may have been up-and-down, but in Nashville it was all up, as Carl Sawatski endeared himself to fans with two outstanding seasons in 1949 and 1950. From his first at-bat on Opening Day in Chattanooga, he hit perhaps the longest home run in Nashville Vols history. The ballclub had an amazing run to the Southern Associatoin pennant from that day forward, and Sawatski added fi...

Hank Schenz became a member of the Nashville Vols in 1947 but was subject to injury and only played in 99 games. Four years later, he was picked up by the New York Giants and played an important part in the success of the ball club. But not as a player. In this episode I raise the question whether Bobby Thomson had prior knowledge of Ralph Branca's pitch to him, and the home run that became &...

Fred Russell was one of the most well-known and well-respected sportswriters in his day. There are few who can match his popularity or his ability to involve his readers. In his Sideline Sidelights column published in the Thursday, August 16, 1990 edition of the Nashville Banner, Russell published “a team of Nashville Vol players (1901-1963) who after leaving Sulphur Dell fared best in the big lea...

After Jim Zapp's death in 2016, his lifelong friend, Hall of Famer Willie Mays, paid tribute to his teammate with a letter about how special "Zapp" was to him when he wrote, "I couldn't have asked for a better friend." In this Skip's Corner episode, I tell about Jim Zapp's career from his first team in Hawaii until retirement. I was fortunate to have receive...

There is perhaps no more beloved baseball player from the Nashville community than Junior Gilliam. Born in Nashville in 1928, he paid his dues with the Nashville Black Vols and Baltimore Elite Giants before becoming a star with the Brooklyn Dodgers. When the ball club moved to the west coast to Los Angeles, his legacy continued. In this episode, I tell about his career and how much his Dodgers fam...

Negro League greats Turkey Stearnes, Henry Kimbro, and Junior Gilliam all hailed from Nashville, and their names are easily recognized. There was another great player whose name is not often recalled, but his baseball abilities set the tone for all great catchers. ln honor of Black History Month, listen as I tell about Bruce "Buddy" Petway, one of the great defensive catchers of all time...

Listen as I tell about Tom Wilson's 1935 Elite Giants; unhappy with attendance at Tom Wilson Park, he made up his mind to move his ball club to a northern city, first to Detroit, and then to Columbus. I consider him the Father of Nashville Negro League baseball, his venture was a bold move which lasted one year before he relocated again in 1936. His club ultimately found a home in Baltimore i...

Southern Association club directors passed a new rule in 1933 that startled the baseball world. It was intended to eliminate the intentional pass, especially those issued to power hitters. It did not last long, but listen as I describe the controversial rule, giving two bases to runners in certain situations. Want to stay in touch? Find me here: X: mrsulphurdell Instagram: @ nashville_baseball Fac...

There are two members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown who were born in Nashville. One was a player, Negro Leagues star Norman "Turkey" Stearnes, and the other was an executive, Lee MacPhail. I visited Cooperstown a few times, and I still hold close to me a special memory during one of those visits. In this Skip's Corner episode, I tell about a special person I m...

Nashville's unbelievable run to the pennant in 1940 led to a hard season in 1941. Included was a season-ending series of double headers, including seven in a row. Hear how the Vols moved into second place before the start of the playoffs by overcoming quirks in the schedule. Want to stay in touch? Find me here: X: mrsulphurdell Instagram: @ nashville_baseball Facebook: Skip Nipper Email me: 2...

Nashville's City League had its beginnings in the earliest part of the 20th Century. In 1963, the league was in its heyday, with Nashville Sporting Goods leading the way in league standings after strong competition from Radnor Plumbing and Falstaff. In this episode, I describe the excellent 1963 season and speak about some of the stars who made the City League a great presence in the annals o...

Buster Boguskie was commissioner of the Tri-State League, an amateur baseball league beginning its fourth year. He organized nine teams to play the 1963 season with opening games taking place on May 5 with the season concluding in mid-August. Listen as I tell the names of players and the teams who made up Nashville's storied Tri-State League in 1963, as I hope you recognize many of them and t...

Does "Sounds" make sense as the Nashville pro baseball club's team name? How about "Stars"? There are have been a myriad of wild and crazy team names, some whimsical and some comical, but cities have various reasons for claiming a certain moniker for baseball clubs. In this Skip's Corner epidsode to close out the year, I tell about many of them, including ones used fo...

Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby reminds us of how we anticipate the coming of spring. As the year comes to a close, I do too, but my brother Jim has a unique ability to express his thoughts to include preparation for the new year with special memories of baseball in a purer form. Listen as I read a letter he sent to me not long ago about baseball, not as it is today, but, as it was. Want to stay in t...

Major League players would often form teams in the off-season to showcase their talents in cities and towns that normally would not be able to see them. In this Skip's Corner episode I tell about some of those teams, and one fateful attempt by a non-baseball star to take advantage of what should have been a profitable venture. Want to stay in touch? Find me here: X: mrsulphurdell Instagram: @...

Larry Gilbert was a native of New Orleans. He played two seasons in the major leagues with the Boston Braves, including the famous 1914 “Miracle Braves” pennant-winning team, before returning to his hometown to play for the Pelicans. He also managed the club to four Southern Association championships and Dixie Series titles before becoming  manager and part-owner of the Nashville Vols in 1939. Hea...

Chattanooga's Joe Engel, owner of the Lookouts in the Southern Association, was one of the great promoters of baseball of all time. His antics brought fans into the stands, and in doing so taught other teams how it was done. In this episode of Skip's Corner, listen as I tell about Engel and a few promotions by the Nashville Vols, taught by the "P. T. Barnum of the Bush Leagues"...

There was something special about Farrell Owens, who passed away two years ago on November 20, 2020. His life impacted players and friends where his counsel guided and molded lives, not only as an authority on Nashville’s baseball history but in his ability to express a personal passion for baseball. Whether talking about his family, faith, or baseball, he told stories uniquely conveying his exper...

When Southern Association owners found the league in turmoil after the 1961 season due  to lack of Major League affiliations, one potential franchise shift could have changed the landscape for years to come. Listen to how Birmingham's storied franchise could have found a new home in Music City! Want to stay in touch? Find me here: X: mrsulphurdell Instagram: @ nashville_baseball Facebook: Ski...

In the 19th Century, railroads played an important part in the growth of Commerce and Industry. Likewise, the distance between cities and access to rail travel determined which cities would be included as new baseball leagues were established. Hear as I talk about the establishment of the first Southern Leagues and how cities were chosen as members. Want to stay in touch? Find me here: X: mrsulphu...