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Dec. 21, 1942
Newspaper clipping |
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| Keymancollectibles.com |
The
Webs Best Recourse for Baseball Memorabilia |
June 10,
2017 |
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Southern
Association
League
President
Major
Trammell
Scott - Georgia
Military
Academy
Mini
Baseball
Bat |
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Whether
it is
personal
or
historic,
the
story
behind
a piece
of
baseball
memorabilia
is what
makes
this
great
hobby
so
interesting.
Regardless
of
value
my
favorite
collectibles
have a
good
story
behind
them. A
recollection
of a
childhood
memory,
or a
lesson
in
baseball
history,
the
story
is
priceless
and
never
fades.
Advertised as "a Very attractive novelty souvenir or party favor," this
Mini
baseball
bat was
offered
in the
Hanna
Batrite
catalog
for
many
years.
It was
made
available
in
natural
white
or
brown
finish,
sizes
15" to
18" and
this
18"
white
natural
finish
mini
bat
came
with a
cork
grip
that
was
first
marketed
in
1936.
Rarely
do you
see a
mini
bat
with
any
kind of
grip,
and yes
as
stated
in the
ad it
is
"Very
Attractive."
The
barrel
of the
bat is
branded
"GEORGIA
MILITARY
ACADEMY
COMPLIMENTING
TRAMELL
SCOTT."
This is
where
the
story
begins.
Mini Bat Major Story -
Known
to his
many
friends
as "The
Major"
Trammell
Scott
was the
former
President
of the
Southern
Association
of
Baseball
clubs.
A World
War I
Army
Air
Corps
veteran,
Trammell
was
decorated
for
bravery
in
action,
and
promoted
to the
rank of
Major.
After
his
time in
the
Army,
Scott
was a
boxing
referee,
served
on the
state
boxing
commission,
and
until
about
1940 he
was in
the
Sporting
Goods
Business.
He was
also an
active
promoter
of
amateur
sports
throughout
the
south
which
lead to
being
named
to
succeeded
Judge
John D.
Martin
as head
of the
Southern
Association
in
1938.
Major Trammell Scott was elected for a one year term in 1938, re-elected
for a
three
year
term in
1939
and
then
again
for a
one
year
term
which
expired
in
December
of
1942.
On
December
3, 1942
Trammel
Scott
boarded
a train
in
Atlanta
to
attend
the
baseball
winter
meetings
in
Chicago.
Due to
arrive
in time
for the
start
of the
league
meeting
at 4
pm,
Scott’s
train
was
delayed
by the
strain
of the
war on
transportation.
When
the
meeting
convened
without
Scott,
the
owners
who
opposed
his
original
appointment
seized
the
opportunity.
Within an hour Scott had been voted out and replaced by Billy Evans, a
former
American
League
umpire
and one
time
general
manager
of the
Cleveland
Indians
and
Boston
Red
Sox.
Evans
was at
the
meeting
in
hopes
of
landing
a
different
position,
but the
Southern
Association
bosses
settled
on him
as the
new
compromise
candidate
to run
the
league.
Scott
arrived
seven
hours
late
and
when he
walked
into
the
meeting,
Billy
Evans
was
occupying
the
chair.
It was
a tense
moment
as
National
Association
President
William
G.
Bramham
informed
Scott
the
Southern
had
named a
new
president.
Scott
was a
proud
man who
felt
that
all the
world
had
collapsed
around
him
when he
was
rudely
kicked
out of
the
Southern
Association
presidency
without
being
permitted
the
decency
of
defending
himself.
Embarrassed
by the
incident
Scott
headed
south
the
next
night,
disillusioned
and
broken
hearted.
Two
weeks
later
on
Monday,
December
20,
1942
Major
Scott
56, was
found
dead on
a
hunting
preserve
at
Newton,
Georgia.
A
coroner's
jury
returned
a
verdict
that
Major
Scott,
"came
to his
death
with
self-inflicted
gunshot
wounds."
The
coroner
said
that
the
jury
did not
rule
out the
possibility
of an
accident.
"Our
Jury
does
not go
into
the
probability
of
accident
or
suicide,
but
only
determine
weather
there
was any
other
factors
for the
sheriff
to
consider.
This Hanna Batrite company of Athens Georgia, souvenir mini baseball bat
was
given
away at
a
baseball
game in
honor,
"Complimenting"
Major
Trammell
Scott
who was
a
Graduate
of the
Georgia
Military
Academy.
Interesting
to
note;
Scott
Loved
the
open
field
as much
as he
loved
baseball
which
had
been a
part of
him
since
he
played
first
base on
the
same
team
with
Shoeless
Joe
Jackson
in the
Carolina
league.
Scott
was
noted
to be a
top
notch
first
baseman
in the
same
class
as Al
Chase,
George
Sisler
or Lou
Gehrig,
But
failed
miserably
with
the
bat.
One
sports
writer
described
Trammell
as "A
hitless
wonder,
Scott
was on
a
batting
rampage
when he
tipped
a foul"
As such Scott's baseball career lasted only two years. His last year in
1908
playing
for the
Greenville
Spinners,
with
teammate
Shoeless
Joe
Jackson,
who was
picked
up by
the
Philadelphia
Athletics
later
that
year. |
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