Maddy English

By Lou Parrotta

I have just read in the September 2004 issue of Touching Bases, the quarterly journal produced by the All American Girl's Professional Baseball League Alumni Association, that Madeline English passed away over the summer after a tough battle with cancer. "Maddy," as everyone who knew her affectionately called her, played in the AAGPBL from 1943-1950 and was a tremendously gifted third basemen for the Racine Belles of Wisconsin.

As you may recall, the AAGPBL was the whole premise behind the phenomenal movie "A League of Their Own," that starred Geena Davis, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, and numerous others and was directed by Penny Marshall, who earned her fame on such classic television shows as "Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley." The 1988 film, now considered by many to be among the top ten baseball-themed movies ever made, caused the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum to host a 15th Anniversary Reunion of the movie for the actual women who played the game and inspired it. These women, who were supposed to only be entertainment for people while World War II raged on in Europe and the Pacific, ended up being superb athletes in their own right, and in the twelve years the league existed, they did more than entertain; they played highly qualified baseball and earned legions of fans.

It was at the reunion of the these women in 2003 that I was fortunate enough to meet Maddy and listen to her describe her career to a very attentive audience of nearly 200 people. Maddy described what it was like for the Belles to win two AAGPBL championship series in 1943 and 1946. She fondly recalled her whopping salaries that were considered good money in those days. And, finally, she recalled the impact that the women had on the national pastime and the nation as a whole during those perilous times.

More importantly, Maddy discussed her post-playing career that consisted of a thirty-seven year career as a public school teacher outside of Boston. She bragged to me that the greatest feeling she had was when the city of Everett named a school after her. "It was an amazing honor," she said. "I am the only former member of the AAGPBL that had a school named after her." It was a fitting honor for a deserving woman.

I will always remember Maddy rushing outside after her talk to pick up a baseball glove and play catch with the young girls who attended the event. She was a natural teacher who cared most about being on a baseball diamond helping others appreciate the game she loved dearly. In her 79 years, she brought much joy to everyone she met, and she will be sorely missed.

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