“We got Canadians, Irish ones and Swedes.”

Tryouts were held in Minneapolis in early May, 1944. Two local players made the team: Catcher Lorraine Borg and outfielder Lorraine “Peggy” Torrison.  The rest of the Minneapolis roster was filled with players from around the United States and Canada, just like the song in the movie says.

(Link to the official roster from the AAGPBL site)

https://www.aagpbl.org/teams/minneapolis-millerettes/1944

Spring training took place in Peru, Illinois.  Many of the girls had never been that far from home.  Millerette pitcher Audrey (Haine) Daniels was recruited from Winnipeg.  In a 2010 interview, she recalled being overwhelmed and nervous.  “I had never been more than 100 miles from home, and had never eaten a meal out. I was as green as the grass we were gonna play on.”  She also remembered feeling self-conscious and out of place because she didn’t have the appropriate baseball attire.

The Orphans

In late June, a bad case of the injury bug began to spread through the clubhouse.  As the injuries mounted, so did the losses.  Not only did the team fall from first place, they plummeted to the bottom of the standings.

In addition, the two local girls, Borg and Torrison, decided to leave and return to their amateur teams.  Torrison was reportedly homesick.  Borg was getting burned out.  She stated in a 1992 interview that she “lost some interest playing seven days a week" and "double headers on Sundays.”  Even though there were other catchers on the team, she said Jonnard played her almost every game and she was tired.

The injuries, roster attrition, and increasing number of losses were only minor issues compared to the looming specter of team finances.  The attendance figures for the home games were very poor and far less than what was necessary to keep the team afloat financially.

A Higher Purpose

At the time, few if any, of these women viewed what they were doing as pioneering.  They just wanted to play ball.  As a matter of fact, many of them didn’t even think about it until many years later.

“I never talked about it because people made fun of it.”, Daniels said.

Petrovic, recalls that one day, her son told his class about the AAGPBL during “show and tell”.  Nobody believed that his mother was a professional baseball player.

In 1988, the entire league was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Even then, most attitudes toward women’s sports remained the same.

The movie changed all that.

“A League of Their Own” was released in July 1992. The final scene of the movie recreates that Hall of Fame induction. A few former Millerettes played extras during that scene.

No longer made fun of, these women are now celebrated.

Daniels recalled being treated differently after the movie’s release. “When we go out to eat, if someone knows I played in the league, they get all mushy.  We get better service.” 

Petrovic is 97 years old and the only surviving member of the Millerettes.  She has only missed one league reunion in 35 years and keeps in touch with many of the other players.  When asked about the legacy of the AAGPBL, she said it was the friendships she made.  She recently got to throw out the first pitch at a University of Arizona softball game and says she often gets asked for her autograph.  She even has baseball cards of herself that she passes out to fans.  

The past few seasons, the Fort Wayne TinCaps (a minor league team for the San Diego Padres) has held "Daisies Night" as a promotional event.  On those nights, the team wears AAGPBL inspired jerseys, gives out Daisies bobbleheads, and invites former players to attend.  Last season, Megan Cavanaugh was in attendance.  Cavanaugh played Rockford Peaches’ slugger, ”Marla Hooch” in the film. 

In addition to the recognition, the women now look back and see the significance of what they accomplished.  “We signed to play ball.”, Kellogg said.  “But eventually we learned there was a higher purpose.”  She remembers playing games in army camps and visiting injured soldiers in hospitals. “It was gratifying because we were doing something for our country.  Because all the boys were drafted.  We were entertaining on the home front.”

Daniels felt that the AAGPBL may have been an early stop on the road to Title IX. “Young girls look up to [us]. We showed that we were as equal as the boys.”

There’s no doubt about it, women’s sports are on the rise, especially in Minnesota.

The Lynx basketball team has won 4 WNBA championships.  The Frost hockey team has won the championship in both of the PHWL’s first two seasons.   Our women’s soccer team, the Aurora, have only lost 4 games in their 4-year history and are packing the stands at TCO Performance Center.  The women’s football team, the Minnesota Vixen, have played in the WFA league championship game twice in recent years.  It was also recently announced that Minnesota will soon become home to a professional volleyball team.

The Minneapolis Millerettes may not have felt success like our current women's professional teams.  Nor did they experience the longevity.  Although their existence was brief, it was still long enough to make a lasting impact.  They were the first women's professional team in Minnesota sports history.  Their legacy can be seen today on every court, rink, and field where Minnesota women’s and girls teams play.