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Donalsonville & FAG League?
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The AFL Web Site’s roving « birddog », Lane Harris, recently went to Donalsonville
to see what traces of the Seminoles might still be around: Lane Harris went to Donalsonville in August, 2002, and spent about an hour or so with Bo McLeod, editor and publisher of the Donalsonville News. Bo started in the newspaper business while in high school, working as a « country printer » in 1944. He quickly worked his way through various jobs at the News, and in 1948 he was named Sports Editor. McLeod continued to learn all the tricks of the trade, and in 1951, he became Senior Editor. Bo’s love for small town news publishing kept him involved with the paper, and in 1969 he bought the Donalsonville News and added « Publisher » to his long list of titles. At 76, Bo still runs the News today. « I never made enough money to leave or to learn how to do anything else! », laughed McLeod, the newspaper business in Donalsonville is his life. These days, he writes a weekly column in his paper called « Out On A Limb », and he has lots of fond memories of the town, including the two years that Donalsonville was a member of the AFL. The News carried many stories about the Donalsonville Indians. Articles praised the talents of 1955 player-manager Charles Grant, who went on to star at Graceville, and 1956 player-manager, Neb Wilson. The team was nicknamed the Indians in 1955, and then renamed the Seminoles in 1956 ( Donalsonville is in Seminole County, Georgia).. Bo remembered that back in those days, the league was commonly known in Georgia by the unfortunate nickname, the « FAG League », which of course stood for Florida-Alabama-Georgia League. To the Georgians, being member of the « Alabama-Florida League » might have been a little insulting, after all, Donalsonville (and later Columbus) was now part of the AFL, but the league name didn’t reflect this. Instead of using « FLAG » League, which had existed years earlier, the moniker « FAG » became popular. It’s assumed that the epithet wasn’t commonly known or at least used in the rural south of the 1950’s, because the News used the FAG reference often in proud descriptions of the League. The News also used the Alabama Florida League name in their articles on occasion, but the FAG League name probably helped the local fans to feel like their Seminoles had equal weight with the Alabama and Florida teams. Unfortunately today, the name would bring snickers or cause offense with people who hear the reference, but there was a time not too long ago when being in the FAG League was a source of pride. |
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Bo McLeod (right) remembers the good old days of Donalsonville baseball.
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Donalsonville in Alabama-Florida D League;
Team begins drills April 1st originally reported by Bo McLeod, March 18th, 1955 |
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Business manager Y.L. Roberts said today that pre-season drills for the local baseball
team will begin April 1st. He added that an exhibition game has been scheduled for Sunday, April 10th, with the Graceville league entry here at Gibson Field. Roberts said ample players will be available, and that the first problem, that of securing a manager, would soon be resolved, possibly by Friday or Saturday. He said the telephone strike has greatly hampered the search for personnel, but seemed pleased over his prospects. With the evening game exactly one month away, Donalsonville baseball officials are continuing their search for a manager for their brand new Alabama-Florida League entry. The Donalsonville entry was born last Friday evening, when a group of local sportsmen met with the league directors at Moseley Hall, where the decision was made to enter the league, and the A-F directors promptly accepted the local organization. An entrance fee was paid to the league, and a sum was deposited with minor league headquarters to guarantee the Donalsonville entry would remain in the league. Since the entry, a board of directors has been selected, and from that group, officers of the club have been named. Taking attention is the problem of readying Gibson Field for activity, arranging for transportation to games for players, the securement of a manager, as already mentioned, and the business of recruiting a full roster of batters, chuckers, and stoppers. These problems have made local leaders in the move well aware of the immensity of the troubles they have brought onto themselves by entering professional baseball for the first time in the history of Donalsonville. But the are not complaining, and an onlooker can detect a note of optimism within the inner circle. Season tickets will be printed and distributed for sale soon, say officials, and it is hoped that a goodly sum of money can beraised in this manner. Other money-raising projects include sale of advertising space on Gibson Field’s fence, the operation of the concession stands, the actual gate receipts, and from donations. Local citizens have rallyed to the cause, and a healthy amount of cash has been received as outright gifts to the ballclub, and from this indication, the outlook here-abouts in indeed not all dreary. Merchant C.L. « Windy » Bivings heads the Donalsonville club as president and the other officers are Dr. E.E. Moseley, first vice-president; Dennis sheffield,second vice president; Howard Rogers, secretary and treasurer; Y.L. Roberts, business manager. Directors are the above, plus J.B.Gibson, D.F.Wurst, P.E. Shingler, Clark Moseley, H.D. Broome, and J.H. Hanna. These officers were elected by the fans attending the Friday night meeting. The league will open for the new season on Monday night, April 18th. On that date, Donalsonville’s new club will be in Panama City, Florida. On the following night, Panama City will come for the first home game at Gibson Field. Members of the six club loop are Panama City, Dothan, Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, Graceville, and Donalsonville. The league has a salary limit of $3200 per month. Each Club is allowed 16 players on the active roster, ten of these must be rookies, that is players with less than 90 days professional time. Each team is allowed three veterans and three limited services players. Veterans are those with three years of experience, limited service players are those with more than 90 days and less than three years behind them. |
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Lane Harris’ visit must have inspired Bo McLeod. In this recent article, McLeod
remembers two of the biggest names in Donalsonville and AFL history. |
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C. L. « Windy » Bivings
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I was in Birmingham, I think it was 1953 or 54, in the bleacher stands down the
left field line of Rickwood Field, just above the box seats which, as I recall, went almost to the wall in left. At any rate, I was near the visitor bullpen and a man was holding a small child in his arms at the end of the box seats. The child was calling out for a player to give him a ball. A pitcher warming for New Orleans motioned for the child to come forward and he took him in arms and carried him into the dugout. One of the other players said, « What’cha got there Lee? » Later the child scrambled back with a ball. I made a point of looking up the player’s name. It was Lee Anthony. I have never forgotten that memory, one of several I have of Rickwood Field. I had never heard of Lee Anthony since until reading about the Troy Trojans on your 1938 season page. At any rate, I thought it was an elegant action by the New Orleans Pelican pitcher. I also read on your page how there was an effort was made to form a minor league in North Alabama in 1948. I didn’t know that, but I do remember that about 1950 (in the fifth grade) I wrote to SPORT magazine and suggested that there should be a professional league in North Alabama, east Mississippi, and southern Tennessee which I suggested should be called « The Farming League ». I suggested that there be teams in towns like Decatur, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Pontoc, Tupelo, Pulaski, and Columbia, Tennessee.
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