There’s a John Fogerty song from the 1980s, “Centerfield,” and the first line of the refrain is, “Oh, put me in, coach, I’m ready to play today!” At 97, Maybelle Blair is ready to play, in fact she might be at the top of her game.
“I feel like I’m on top of the world. In fact, I really am. This is probably one of the happiest days of my life,” she said after the New York Mets and their Amazin’ Mets Foundation presented their inaugural Legacy Award to Blair during a September pre-game ceremony at Citi Field in New York — then, she was a 96-year-old legend.
And from over 10 feet away, Blair threw out the first pitch, and to everyone who saw it, it was a strike!
“The Mets are a first class organization, and I respect all of their support,” Blair said. “I love baseball. It’s my life. I grew up not knowing anything else but baseball, so I’m gonna die not knowing anything else but baseball because I love it so much.”
For a baseball fan, being around Blair infuses you with a love of the game you’ve never had before. That’s because Blair is a true baseball pioneer. In 1948, she played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which was made famous by the movie A League of Their Own, and a recent Amazon series by the same name. Blair was the inspiration for the film and show, and served as a consultant for both. She also played int the National Women’s Softball League.
At the Tribeca Film Festival in June of last year, while promoting the series, Blair made headlines by coming out as a lesbian at the age of 95. She said the response to her revelation has been wonderful. “I never expected that I would get the response that I did, especially from so many straight people. No one turned against me, and I was afraid that my family might, but it never happened. I’m thrilled about it and so happy that people in this day and age realize that gay people have hearts filled with love, and that we are part of the world, and part of everyday life with the lives that we lead.”
Blair has led an exceptional life, dating back to her days rooting for her beloved Cubs. “When I was little, I knew everything about the Chicago Cubs, and so every week my mother and father could pull out a couple of bucks, and we’d go to the ballgame at Wrigley Field. And those were our happiest days, just going down to the Wrigley Field and sitting in the bleachers in the sunshine. And we tried to go on Sundays because they had double headers, so we could see both games. So that’s what I enjoyed the most.”
I had to tell Blair about the time I asked my close friend, a Franciscan Catholic monk, the late Father Angelo, about what his idea of heaven was. He said it was sitting in the Wrigley Field bleachers on a beautiful summer day, watching a Cubs game. The score is tied, the game goes into extra innings, and it never ends, and her face lit up with a big smile.
“That couldn’t be better. That is the best definition of heaven I have ever heard. I love that because that’s what it’s going to be for me. I’m going to go up there and enjoy the game with all of my ballplayer friends that I played with. There were 650 of us, and there’s just a few of us left.”
But don’t think for a minute that Blair is ready to metaphorically pull out of the game. With an abundance of energy, and a mind sharper than a line-drive, she still has work to do. “Right now, I’m working my hardest to get a women’s baseball Hall of Fame in Rockford, Illinois. And it will be international, not only for women in the United States, but all over the world.”
“Look, we don’t need to be inducted into the guy’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown because we don’t belong there. The exhibit that is there for us is wonderful, don’t get me wrong, but our Hall of Fame should be our own exhibit. Women, we understand each other, and we know we can’t compete with the men, so we need our own place for our own history. That is my dream.”
“By the way,” she added. “I hated Rockford when I played, because I played for the Peoria Redwings, and they were our rivals.”
Blair’s enthusiasm for the game has not waned since her days in Peoria. “Just standing down on the sidelines of Citi Field today just makes me so happy. You’re part of baseball. You get your feet down there on that ground and that turf, and you just realize how important baseball is in your life.”
I told Blair I felt the same way and joked with her that the Mets had just offered me a two year contract. “Well, I got my uniform on and I’m ready to sign up myself,” she replied.
