Baseball in New Orleans

: 1902 New Orleans Pelicans (S. Derby Gisclair personal collection)

: Pelican Stadium, c. 1950s (S. Derby Gisclair personal collection)

: Mel Ott (Arthur Schott Collection)

New Orleans has never had a major league baseball team, but it does have a rich history with the national past time. Join Mark and his panel of guests as they explore the rich history of baseball in New Orleans from its earliest days through today.

Today’s guests include…

* Tim Grubbs, announcer for the Baby Cakes and Director of Team Travel

* Ron Swoboda, announcer for the Baby Cakes, and former major league baseball player known for “the Catch” in the 1969 World Series.

* S. Derby Gisclair, author and baseball historian

* Cookie Rojas, Senior VP and General Manager, New Orleans Baby Cakes

Baseball in New Orleans can be traced back to the 1850s and the earliest origins of the game itself. Derby describes the scene back then, including games played on the Delachaise Estate, near present day Touro Hospital in the Garden District.

Along the way, you’ll hear about the players and the places where they played. Ron Swoboda, who played for the 1969 Miracle Mets, regales us with stories of individual players from the past and today. His perspective as a former major league ballplayer helps bring the stories alive!

You’ll learn about Abner Powell who managed the Pelicans and gave us the tarp and the rain check.

The guys walk us through the early days of the New Orleans Pelicans. Later we discuss the return of minor league baseball to New Orleans in 1993, with the arrival of the Zephyrs.

Cookie shares the stories and the thought process behind the name change from Zephyrs to Baby Cakes in time for the 2017 season.

Learn about the Baby Cakes 2017 promotion for all children born in Louisiana in 2017.

All this and more in this episode of Beyond Bourbon Street!

Resources

You can find Derby’s books and information at New Orleans Baseball and on Amazon. His website has great articles and images of the game, including the photos at the top of this post.

Find all things Baby Cakes at their website. Here’s the direct link to the 2017 promotion if you have had or are expecting a baby in 2017.

Follow Tim Grubbs on Twitter, @MrTimGrubbs.

You can listen to Tim and Ron broadcast Baby Cakes games live through the Baby Cakes website here or using the TuneIn app on your smartphone.

Check out Cookie’s Inside the Shrine podcast on the Baby Cakes website, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thank You!

Thanks to Cookie, Tim, Ron, and Derby for taking time out of their day to join us. Thanks to Derby for sharing the photos you see at the top of this page.

A special thanks to Julie Couret for connecting me to Cookie Rojas and the Baby Cakes organization!

Julie is a must follow on Twitter (@JulieTCouret) if you love New Orleans and want a real insider’s look into every day life in the Crescent City. She is also the Chief Executive Coach at 7602 Business Performance.

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If you do enjoy listening, please share Beyond Bourbon Street with someone who shares our love of New Orleans.

Links and show notes at beyondbourbonst.com/44