Baseball Remembers: Joanne Weaver
Like Superman, she came from Metropolis.
Like Lou Gehrig, she would return home to die of ALS in the privacy of her home.
In between, she would be compared to Ty Cobb, and would share a nickname with Joe DiMaggio, and would exceed even Ted Williams in accomplishments. For most of her very brief career she played alongside her sisters, setting records that can never be broken and inspiring Presidents to honor her memory.
And then, when she was still only 18 years old, it all went away.
Joanne “Jo” Weaver is likely the best hitter in the history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the same league famously profiled in A League of Their Own. If you’ve seen the movie, imagine if Kitt stayed in the league and became even better than her older sister Dottie and you’ll have some idea of Jo Weaver’s career.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Lost in Left Field to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.