Philadelphia Baseball History

Niagara Falls.  Tourist from across the globe have been attracted to the majestic beauty of the falls for more than two centuries. But the deceptive beauty of the Falls is also a call to danger.  Attention seekers have courted that danger, daring to plunge over the Falls in homemade barrels.  Others have dared a tightrope walk over the soaring heights.   Since 1850, about 5,000 bodies have been found at the foot of the Falls.  An estimated 20 to 30 people use the Falls each year to commit suicide. The Falls have even been used in an attempt to cover up a gruesome murder.  The tranquility of the tourist attraction was shattered on July 9, 1903.  That day, William LaBlond, operator of the popular tour boat, the Maid of the Mist, found a mangled, bloated body in the Niagara Gorge, a natural pool just upstream from the Falls.  The man’s leg had born shorn off, likely due to the boat’s propellers. The only clothing left on the body was his tie and hi...

When you look back at Connie Mack's time in Philadelphia, you see a lot of elephants.  There were elephant on the Athletics' uniforms.  There were elephants on the hats.  Connie Mack had elephant statues.  There was an elephant in the Athletics' logo.  The A's Christmas cards even had an elephant.  Now, most fans of Philadelphia baseball history can tell you that the elephant originated from a comment by John McGraw, the famous manager of the New York Giants.  He called the Philadelphia Athletics a white elephant.  Connie Mack was so amused by the comment, that he adopted the white elephant as the team's mascot.  But, what exactly does all of this mean? White elephants were revered in southeast Asian culture.  They were seen as a sign of wealth and opulence.  Rulers kept white elephants as a symbol of their power.  Because white elephants were revered, they were protected from performing labor.  But this meant that a g...