Classic card of the week

Dotty Kamenshek, 1993 Ted Williams Collection

My Dotty Kamenshek card is probably my best 1940’s style female baseball card. Again, probably. Now, you may be saying to yourself, “Dotty Kamenshek? Who the hell is that? I mean, I’ve heard of Kammie Kamenshek…are they related?” Excellent question. Turns out, Dotty Kamenshek actually is Kammie Kamenshek. Allow me to explain. Just because she had ovaries did not make Dorothy Kamenshek immune to the innovative brand of professional baseball nicknames, which simply involved adding an “eee” sound to the end of someone’s first name, or as some kind of variance of their last name. For example, Jorge Posada is often referred to as “Jorgie” (“Georgie” for Caucasians), Tim Hudson is “Huddy,” Jeff Francoeur is “Frenchy,” Curt Schilling is “Douchey,” and – to bring it back around to where I started – Dotty Kamenshek, obviously, is Kammie. In another lifetime – one in which professional female baseball had taken over the sports landscape as it has in 2007 – Dotty Kamenshek may have earned the nickname “Kam-Rod,” or even “Big Mami.”

But what do we really know about Kammie Kamenshek? Back of the card – take over: “Kammie” Kamenshek was probably the best all-around player in the All-American Girls’ Professional League’s brief history. Well, obviously, back of the card! I mean, they don’t make baseball cards for nobodies! Tell me more. Kamenshek, who came from Cincinnati, starred for the Rockford Peaches most of her career and formed the league’s best double-play combination with second baseman Snooky Harrell. You’re probably not going to believe this, but in my 1946 Yahoo! Women’s Baseball Fantasy League, I had Kammie Kamenshek and Snooky Harrell! I don’t think I have to tell you who won the league that year. Anyway, Kamenshek was actually a first baseman, making it even more amazing that her and Snooky were able to establish themselves as "the league's best double-play combination." They perfected the now ordinary 3-4-3 double play, where the second baseman takes the ground ball, throws to first, and then runs to second base, tagging out the 350-lb woman who was running the bases.

Of course, the big question still remains: Who the heck played Kammie Kamenshek in “A League of Their Own?” Was it Geena Davis? Madonna? Tom Hanks? More importantly, who played Snooky? (It was Rosie O’Donnell.) We may never know the answers to these quest-…wait, wait, I’m looking it up right now…ummm, turns out, nobody played Kammie Kamenshek in “A League of Their Own.” Well then. Guess she wasn’t that good after all.

Did you know?
Kammie Kamenshek could still rake in 1993, as evidenced in the below photo. She was also, apparently, very holy.