2026 summer of Women's Baseball, World Cup, AAGPBL Reunion & Baseball For All

343 Ryan Woodward - IWBC - Women In Baseball

Mark Corbett: [00:00:00] Welcome to BaseballBiz On Deck. And oh my gosh, are you gonna love it? Today we have Mr. Ryan Woodward here with us and everybody's talking March being Women's Month. But you know what it is. It's really all freaking year. The rest of us don't realize it yet. And one of the things Ryan does, because he's working with the International Women's Baseball. Center 

I wanna keep saying classic man. I know it's center right? I dunno why I got World Baseball Classic in my mind right now, but International Women's Baseball Center and they've been doing a lot over the years and Ryan's been doing a lot also with chronicling the history of the game and giving seminars and such that folks who wanna learn more about women's participation in that as well as the All Americans did I get that right, Ryan?

Ryan Woodward: That's covers it is different every day, but yeah. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, brother. I've just been so intrigued by this year because there's just, [00:01:00] seems like there's so much going on and certainly in Rockford. 

Ryan Woodward: Yeah. It's a big one. Of course IWBC has, no less than. 800 projects going on at any given time.

Just things that we're working on. Chief among them this year is we're hosting the group stage of the Women's Baseball World Cup. And this, an international tournament only happens every couple of years. They've changed the format. It's been around since 2004 was the first one. But they've changed the format post COVID.

So now it's a whole fewer teams, but in more stages along the way. So this year, there's two group stages. We're hosting one here in Rockford. We'll have six teams, six national teams from around the world playing in that tournament. Three will advance to the finals next year.

So that's how that works now, and if that's not enough, the same time in Rockford Baseball For All nationals [00:02:00] is returning. They were here about 10 years ago or so. And now they're back and they're bringing no less than I think it's a thousand girls. That tournament grows every single year.

It breaks its own records and so that's going on at the same time. The All American reunion is going to be here. The same week just so they can interact and engage with both of those tournaments which is cool. Let's get everybody together. Big baseball party. But yeah, it's a lot, but it's very cool.

Mark Corbett: Man, the planning alone, when you think about the number of of women and their families and such that are coming to this, it has to be huge. Do you get, do you guys get a lot of help from the Chamber of Commerce? 

Ryan Woodward: Oh yeah. We've got tons of help and it's needed, it's one of the beautiful things about having.

Personally not worked on this type of thing before is you just, you don't freak out about it. You're just like, all right, what do we need to do? What's next? But no, we have great help here. Especially with GO [00:03:00] Rockford, which is our local visitors and, tourism bureau the Park district the Rockford Rivets, that's where a lot of games are gonna be taking place.

That's our summer collegiate team here in the North Woods League. The casino, the, local restaurants, everybody is pitching in because they want this to be a success, all parts of it. And can't say enough about that. This is how it always goes. Every time we have a huge event here the city just turns up and people come out for what we're doing supporting women and girls in baseball, and that's a very cool thing.

Kind of mirrors the whole legacy here of the Peaches. They're awfully proud of that history here, which was, 80 years ago was their prime. But it's just a testament to just how this region operates and celebrates how they get into and behind all the sports teams around here. Looking forward to it.

Of course, I'm looking forward to the week after when all this is a little calmed down and we pulled it off, but I have no doubt [00:04:00] that it's gonna be a success and yeah, it's pretty exciting for us to host that. In a town this size, these are major sports events and I'm just happy that we're bringing them here to the region that goes all out to to support that.

Mark Corbett: It makes a difference. You're looking both at the History Plus at what's happening now, whether you're looking at some of the women from the All Americans who are gonna be there that time, or, looking to the women of the future in some of these upcoming tournaments, whether it be Baseball For All and what was the other one again?

Ryan Woodward: We're hosting the world Cup. The World Cup. Yeah. It truly is. We have, we're gonna have girl players here. We're gonna have, veterans who played pro ball 80 years ago, and we're gonna have. Like the top elite women's teams from around the world all here at the same time. 

Mark Corbett: Oh my gosh. Do we know which teams might be coming?

Ryan Woodward: Not yet. It hasn't been released yet. Team USA is coming here because we are the host country for this stage. So obviously they're gonna put USA here. [00:05:00] But yeah, it'll be a mix. They should announce it soon because I know they're still working on where the other group stage will be held, which is typically somewhere else.

I'm guessing it will be in Asia somewhere. So many strong programs, coming out of. China, Chinese Taipei, Japan. It's probably over there, but we will see. 

Mark Corbett: I'm glad we've got this one here and good to see the the hometown, I should say the home country playing there as well. It's not necessarily that with thought they'd been at another division, but that's gotta make a lot of enjoyment for folks now.

That would be the same type of team, I guess that was at Thunder Bay a couple years ago, right?

Ryan Woodward: This is the exact same setup. Thunder Bay hosted a group stage in 23 and then finals in 24, right? And that's what we will be doing as we announced about two weeks ago. Now, we are actually gonna host the group the finals.

For the Women's Baseball World Cup in 2027. Probably be again at the end of [00:06:00] July, 2027. And this will be the top six teams from both stages this year. Oh my 

Mark Corbett: gosh, 

Ryan Woodward: it's great right now. The cool thing is if you can host a group stage, there's not too much more involved in hosting a finals, the same number of teams, it's the same format, all this stuff.

It's just bigger and more exciting, right? Because it is the finals. Yeah, we're very excited about that. It's a cool thing, but then you're like, oh yeah, in a couple months we have to get busy on 26 before we can worry too much about 27. But in a lot of ways that's been a good thing too, because now it is a.

It is a multi-year project. Yeah. You just hosting these tournaments and what else they may attract to the region, like they've attracted different events this year. In some ways it's made it easier because anything that. Doesn't go perfectly. We will know better for what we need to do for the finals next year and what works.

I'm looking forward to both. It's gonna be great. Chalk this up to [00:07:00] things I never anticipated on working on, but here I am and like how can you pass it up, right? 

Mark Corbett: Oh, wow. Yeah, me. Goodness, man, because this is history making, certainly for Rockford too, to be able to bring both of those two Beyers Stadium,

Ryan Woodward: yeah. Beyers going to, most of their World Cup games will be up at Rivet Stadium. Rivet 

Mark Corbett: Stadium 

Ryan Woodward: Loves Park which is not that far away, but we'll be having all kinds of. Clinics, exhibitions ceremonial events at Beyer. I think Baseball For All has,. Got some events planned for Beyer.

Obviously the all Americans will be out there at some point. See where the Peaches played. So yeah, it is truly, it is a citywide effort with putting everything into use. That last week in July, it's gonna be hot, 

Mark Corbett: man. Oh man. I gotta tell you, I'm gonna take a moment here to say thank you to. Sue Zipay.

She passed this last year, but I had the good opportunity to meet her and some of the other, all Americans in the past. [00:08:00] And , her heart was in this game and about putting it forward for young ladies today with the American Girls Baseball organization that. She had put together, gotta see a couple years at in Sarasota and I know they did that in Durham, but just wanted to since we were talking Peaches I wanted to honor her 'cause she was a great lady.

And that's the sort of energy you're glad to see that continues on. That encourages others to participate and enjoy the game. Find opportunities for them because all those that came before and all those that are doing things now. They're the reasons these young ladies are gonna have more and more opportunities to play the game if they so choose.

Ryan Woodward: Yeah, exactly. And that's what I think is so powerful about what we have in store for this summer, because you will see this cross generational, passing of the torch, whatever they do. Sue played pro baseball just a couple years. What? She's a teenager playing in Rockford in the last couple years of the league.

And then [00:09:00] she goes on to, she's like a tennis pro. And then there was like all the education on top of that and then creating just the American Girls Baseball and those opportunities. So you see this whole lifetime of involvement in service really to others. That gets its start when you know you're just a very young, high school aged athlete.

Yeah. And, yeah, why wouldn't you have those opportunities if you can take advantage of them to get all those people, essentially in the same room, even though it's not a room, in the same stadium. It's gonna be cool. They're all gonna be in town. And and there's events like this a lot periodically throughout the year where you do have that interaction.

But it's gonna be great. And then, just a couple days after, we are done with everything here in Rockford. The Women's Pro League is gonna fire up, down in Springfield, which is just about, I don't know, I think it's three hours away from here. So an easy drive down. I think there's a lot of people already planning to do both.

Take [00:10:00] it all in, for about a week. And yeah, Illinois is an exciting place. For women's baseball again, it used to be decades ago and it's still, it's gonna be again. 

Mark Corbett: Thank you and a lot of the other folks at the IWBC for making that possible as well, because I know none of these things would've happened if you guys weren't a bridge building, a structure foundation, if you will, for the last few years with that, oh, hey, I did want to ask you because.

Talking about the past, you're a historian and we've talked in the past about Kentucky and Anna Mae Hutchinson, but I know your thirst for knowledge of women's baseball is just immense. And you would, you've been doing some traveling and also giving some seminars. Webinars, I believe. What's the, what are some of the new things you've seen lately?

Ryan Woodward: One thing, it's funny you're talking about thirst for Kentucky and knowledge, and I've got my alley here, so I know you would appreciate that. It's not hard [00:11:00] to find everywhere, so yeah. Yeah. Recently I just, last week was in Massachusetts and it was for the first time I was out there to speak at a conference at Bridgewater State University.

Now what's fun about this is this was a women's baseball heritage trail full circle moment for me because when I started the trail in 22, which is wild that's been around for four years 'cause it doesn't seem like it. But yay for that. One of the first places I found when I was just looking for sites to add was this archive collection at Bridgewater State.

They had Mary Pratt's scrapbooks is what I was aware of, and Mary Pratt was a Rockford Peach, a Kenosha Comet, and a long history. Long athletic career and teaching career, and she's pretty legendary for a lot of people. But those of us who have, just appreciate all American history and what they did.

So [00:12:00] I added it to the map and that's cool. And that was a Massachusetts spot I could have on my map. It wasn't Cooperstown, it wasn't any of the original league cities, so I liked that it was out there. So then about a year ago, I'm contacted by a professor there, Dr. Mora Rosenthal, who was doing research on New England players in the All American League, and she was gonna be in Rockford.

And could we meet and, tour by and just talk about some of the the artifacts and resources we had available at IWBC. So we did. And, this was almost a year ago. It was April, but it was still freezing cold out there at Beyer Stadium as northern Illinois likes to be in the spring. So we had this great tour and met and talked and that was great.

And then I think I talked her into presenting at SABR and IWBCs Women in baseball conference last fall. So then she turns around and asks if I would [00:13:00] come talk about the Heritage Trail at this conference they were having that highlights. All the artifacts they have there. Now they have amazing stuff on the All Americans, which I'll talk about in a minute.

But this was like a celebration of their. Physical education major that they've had there for a long time. , It was a, originally a teacher's school has so many, colleges end up or begin, and so there was, they just had like mountains of artifacts on that history. And then women's sports at the university, going back, a hundred years ago.

Mark Corbett: Wow. 

Ryan Woodward: Then all of these they have this very impressive collection that's way more than Mary Pratt. It's several New England players. They had things from Dottie Green, Maddie English Margaret Russo, Helen Nordquist. Half of them played for the Peaches at one point. So anyway, a lot of this was on exhibit there and there was a like a one day sort of conference and [00:14:00] panel presentations connected to that exhibit and to the archive.

And so I went out there just to talk about my Heritage Trail and Merrie Fiddler from the All American Players Association was there. She gave a great talk on the Latin American tours that the All Americans did, in the late forties. A lot of stuff I didn't know. She had incredible photographs she was showing, but the day before this conference, they were.

Just offered to, we want you to come see the archive and just see what all they had. Of course, I was gonna go look at whatever they had. If it was one thing, it would've been enough. Hey, it was like boxes upon boxes of archives that they had up there. So many players. Scrapbooks covering every year of the league.

A lot of things that bled into, the National Girls Baseball League, the pro softball league in Chicago, because some of the players played there too. So I was just seeing a lot of stuff I had never seen before. And [00:15:00] authentic racing uniform and cleats and socks and programs. It was just so cool.

And it's all things you know, you're aware of, but like maybe you haven't seen that actual thing before. So I was just really happy to participate in that and just get a better understanding of the depth of the collection there because it is huge and it's something anyone should consider if they are researching the All Americans.

Like I know people like you are. It was just really great and it's actually my first trip to Massachusetts and I had some SABR friends from Rhode Island come out to the presentations and it was, this digital Zoom world that we all. Living all the time and people and then it's then you're meeting them in real life and it's, oh yeah, I saw you at a conference in Minnesota and then at something else in Louisville.

And now here we are meeting up in Massachusetts. It's just, it's a very small baseball world for [00:16:00] people who are into this. But it, it's cool when we can find ways to support each other's projects and, also learn a lot in the process by what everybody else is bringing to the table. There was so much stuff there that I'd never seen before.

Again, Merrie's presentation like obviously I knew about these tours, but just that they happened, not really a whole lot of details. I didn't know they played in Mexico City. Just fascinating stuff. I'm of course always humbled by those w ho cares about my baseball map? But 'cause it's a different kind of resource, but it's a fun resource nonetheless.

And I think I think it connected with people up there and it was just great partnership building and great. You know you have friends in Massachusetts now when you have questions about baseball research or you just want to connect and talk about baseball? 

Mark Corbett: I want to talk for a second about that map.

'cause that Women's Heritage Trail map that you have. To me, it's fascinating. We, if nothing else, just to look at it and say, oh my gosh, I [00:17:00] would never have guessed there would be that many different places across the US where there's a touchstone, whether it be a monument, whether it be a resource center, whether it be a ball field.

To me that is huge. So kudos to you on that 'cause, and I know that map keeps growing. It, that heritage trail continues to, there's more there for us to see all the time. 

Ryan Woodward: It does, and I appreciate that because it honestly, it started out, and I know we've talked about this before, but it was really just a kind of build the thing that you wish somebody else had already built for you.

Maybe you just need to do it yourself. And so that's how it's been and it's been super fun putting it together, but. Yeah, just learning more stuff. I, this past week added, I have these little challenges for the map, right? It's not about getting a certain number,, I.

I just like finding new things, but I've had this challenge of, I still want all 50 states represented on the map, and there have been about [00:18:00] 10 outliers yet. There's obviously things there, there's obviously women's baseball history there. I just haven't found it, or I haven't found a location that I can add literally to the map.

But this past weekend. I don't know. I did another late night deep dive like I shouldn't do, but you can't help it when it happens. But I crossed off Nebraska, Delaware, and Hawaii and I was really happy about that, that I do have sites on the map now for those three. So yeah, it does continue to grow.

We're coming up on about 600 identified spots, which is awesome. And I probably have, I think about 450 of those on the map. It's just, it's a slow process, it's not a huge priority to have it exact and precise, just that it's always updated. And as I talked about at this conference, sometimes it can go the opposite way.

When I was in Minneapolis for the SABR Annual Convention, , is that two years ago [00:19:00] now? I think one of the things I wanted to see was there was a mural of ballpark where Minneapolis Millerettes played. And so I set out after presentations, were over for the day and I'm gonna go find this mural.

And I, I find the building and there's just a big old white blank wall on there. Oh. I was like, what? So I actually went into the store and they knew all about it and they're like, oh yeah, they took it down because they're going to put it back up somewhere closer to where the stadium actually was. And I'm like, okay, easy explanation.

But all this to say. Things are going to change. Some places may part with their collections, some public art may come down and may go up in other places. The j Littleton ballpark where some of the League of their own series was filmed. Actually, the grandstand burned down. It's still on my map because.

The park is still there, but the grandstand burned down a couple years ago. Wow. Which was awful. But all this to say that's [00:20:00] things are gonna change with that. It's always a real thing for me. I'm not a very patient person with my projects. I kinda like to get in and get out and it's done and it's perfect.

And this,

Mark Corbett: I respect that.

Ryan Woodward: Yeah. This will never be that way though, right? So as long as it's as updated as it can be and people are finding value in it that's what's important to me. And yeah, I just, I don't stress about it too much., And after all that, it remains a fun project.

When you're talking about places that are no longer there, that are, that still need to be recognized.

I know here in Tampa there was a field, Plant Field. Now the all Americans came and they played there. It was also what spring training for a lot of different teams might be. The let's see. I think Cincinnati Reds white Sox plays there. The Dodgers played there for spring training. You'd see these teams.

It's long gone. It's where Babe Ruth hit his longest home run of 587 feet. It's gone. There is a roadside placard when you drive down by there [00:21:00] and that is only remnants still there to see it. It's part of the University of Tampa now with the business school sits on top of it and everything else to boot and it's sad to see it's.

Go. It's go. But at least there's something still commemorating the history that came before. 

Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: When you look across those 600 plus different parts, I think that are gonna be on your map, is there one that you saw and as you were going through all these that was a surprise you and you say, oh my, I had no idea that was there, 

Ryan Woodward: There are tons of those actually in.

Honestly where when I love where it comes out is when it's not related to the All American League because chances are people are gonna know about that. It's finding things when, the first woman who may have played high school baseball in Iowa again, like in the 1920s or something like that.

It's finding those resources really does it for me. I probably mentioned before, [00:22:00] there's a woman in Massachusetts. She had a park named after her. She was like the first woman to play high school baseball in Massachusetts. And those types of things are just awesome. Now, one of the things I include in my presentations both last week and before was there was a study a couple years ago on just, it was like a public history story, about monuments and things and I'll probably mess up the statistic 'cause I don't have it right in front of me.

There was something about the in the US. Less than 6% of monuments are based on actual real life women. 

Mark Corbett: Huh? 

Ryan Woodward: So and then I tell people that, and then anyone who works in this type of thing is I'm surprised it's that high. Because that's just and I think the article title was even, we don't put Enough Women on Pedestals.

So I psyched that. And then when I started the trail in 22, we had, I had three [00:23:00] statues that were of women's in baseball, right? There was the the one in Cooperstown at the Hall of Fame, and then there were busts in both Indianapolis and Kansas City of Toni Stone and Connie Morgan and Mamie Johnson.

Mark Corbett: Wow. 

Ryan Woodward: So just as the three, only three women's baseball statues that I knew of in the country. But after this past year, it's doubled. 'cause there's now something for Mo'ne Davis at the Slugger Museum in Louisville. There's a small statue of Gertie Dunn outside of Philadelphia. In the Sports Legends Museum.

And this is where I went to grad school around Westchester, Chester County, places like that, which was really cool. And there's a great statue of Toni Stone in San Francisco now. So love that. Still not enough, right? But and I think the statue element too is say that something just people. One, it's a [00:24:00] great visual.

It's something people will interact with and encounter in the public, so I think there's a lot more power to that than for the general public. Then, a, an archive that's, chock full of great material, but if people don't know what's there, if they're not seeking it out they just don't know about it.

The statue thing I like, i've been exploring just women in sports statues more just in my own, huge amounts of free time that I have to look at everything. But yeah, I think that's what I like. And there's more and more, there's just always more murals and things like that.

The players who got drafted in WPBL. In California and Anaheim, they just a mural went up about her. She's like the neighborhood hero, right? And I that already, and she, she's got, the people that we interact with, she's got, she's been a baseball hero for a long time, even if she's just in her twenties.

But, that's what's doing it now. It's raising the [00:25:00] profile. There's a lot more All American murals and things public art that's coming up. There's a, there's one in Iowa for Inez Voyce. The Muskegon Lassie field where they played at Marshfield, there's a new mural there that features some Lassie, Doris Sams and Donna Cook on it.

So there's just constantly things like that and yeah, collect them all in one place on a map. And that's fun and. Again, it's an ongoing no pressure project and a few people have made good use of it, and that's honestly all it needs to be, and I'm happy with it. 

Mark Corbett: I'm glad, brother. I'm glad I had a USA Women's National Team Baseball Pitcher Relief pitcher, Meggie Meidlinger on here a couple times in the past.

And one time we were talking and I asked her about, I think it was maybe Peanut Johnson because she, when she was a very young lady, she met Mamie and I can't remember exactly where it was, but [00:26:00] later on she goes, I wanted to know more. And she came across a chili parlor on an outside wall of it.

There was a mural of Mamie Peanut Johnson. And I, I don't know if that's on your list or not, or if that's just.

Ryan Woodward: Yeah. Is it the thing's in Washington DC or somewhere? Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: That sounds right. Okay. 

Ryan Woodward: Yeah. 

Made colorful, gorgeous mural on Mamie Johnson. And then now there's also, there's a field named after her in DC I'm pretty sure it's a football field, but it's like at the building where she used to play, as a kid.

And that's just the field that happens to be there, but that's cool. And now they've renamed a plaza little baby park. Plaza. It's in the middle of, the street. But that got renamed for her not too long ago. Yeah, I love that stuff and I love that. There are people dedicated to putting that kind of thing out there.

Mark Corbett: It's, it, I love it 'cause it keeps it in the public's face. [00:27:00] The people sometimes don't know what questions they're asked or ha to look at the history. But those images be to know more. They make you see that and you want to know more because of that. But looking at what you've been doing as far as research, I cannot imagine the fun it must be to pore over those scrapbooks.

And he's, because this is something that was important to that player at that time for them to keep as a memory and, yeah. To me, it's not only just an image of the history, it's something that was important to that individual at that time too. 

Ryan Woodward: Yeah. And just, I think I was surprised, and I shouldn't be, but how robust they were.

How was everything? That was the, 1940s version of your Instagram account or whatever just where you collected all that stuff. 

And, some things stood out because we've talked before about Anna Mae Hutchinson, that's our Kentucky [00:28:00] connection, who got in the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame a couple years ago that started.

A lot of this stuff inspired a lot of the Heritage Trail stuff, but looking through Maddie English's scrapbooks I found pictures of Hutch that I had not seen before. Not a big deal. It's just I hadn't seen this before and it was just really cool and I could recognize her right away.

So that was fun. And then the coolest thing, hands down, I saw there though, and I already told the people at Bridgewater I'd be doing this and get ready. I'm about to. Make you really busy because I can't say enough good things about the collection there and everybody's gonna wanna see it. But in Maddie English's scrapbook, in one of the first pages, there were two telegrams that she had sent to her mom. And obviously her mom saved them, and then she put 'em in her scrapbook. And the first one was in May of 1943. And it was like, basically I've just arrived at Wrigley Field and tryouts are the next couple of [00:29:00] days, but I'm safe.

And, just letting you know. Then it's like a couple days later, I've been assigned to this team in Racine that's where I'm gonna be all summer. And she's, whatever she was like 18 or something. And just seeing those, I've seen so many telegrams and things, all kinds of stuff from the league.

This was from the original tryouts and they were just back to back. I made it to Chicago, everything's fine. And I'm not gonna be home all summer because I'm a pro ball player now. And, yeah, like how can you beat that? How can you just not be seeing stuff like that you weren't anticipating seeing?

Things you've known about for 30 years and you care about and research, but then you're just seeing something new for the first time. And it was really neat.

Mark Corbett: I'm glad you're sharing these stories because otherwise people, like I said, don't necessarily even know what to look for or even have a clue if you know what's out there.

And I think I shared with you before, I was surprised when I came across an Effa Manley [00:30:00] recording at the Happy Chandler Library at the University of Kentucky. The recording was eh. But the, but the, I could, if you wanted to listen to it, you could, I wanted to listen to it so I could get through some of the crackling and all of that.

But my gosh uh, to be able to, I'll go back to what we were saying earlier. I think the statues, the murals, that's something that keeps out in front of folks. And in a world that's all about graphics and images and digital, it's, you know, it's kind of incumbent upon us to find a way, to continue to put those messages out there.

And 

Ryan Woodward: how cool. I know the recording you're talking about. I try to listen to it every year in March around her birthday, March 27th, and news history sort of thing. But it just, you're just, regardless of anything she's saying, you're just hearing her talk and just no big, it's not like she's, on the news, right and right.

It shouldn't be. This is an oral history testimony, so it's just very calm, relaxed, and she's thinking about some [00:31:00] things and just. Businesslike, but friendly and yeah, it's just, there's a whole humanity level there that I think gets lost with, professional interviews and things like that, as we think about things in a media sense now.

But I love that they also have a. They have a recording of Pat Scott who pitched for Fort Wayne Daisy's at that same archive. I don't think it's available like on their website, but you can ask for access to it. 'cause I used it in a paper I wrote a few years ago. And just as cool. And same thing, just Pat Scott.

Just very direct and it's informative and like what a cool woman she seemed to be. And again, giant career, like she was amazing softball player then baseball pitcher, and she got into like I know she was training horses and then like she did all this. Oh wow. Woodwork, craft things like, it's just touched [00:32:00] 'em all. Jack of all trades, pretty awesome. But yeah, they have that recording there too. And I know Wisconsin has a lot of oral history archives from some former All American players again, like the whole basis for this heritage trail, like things you didn't know that were out there.

Wouldn't it be great if there was a place where you could find all these things? Because that's kinda what I wanted,

sort of an encyclopedia, but of places. And so that's what we're building and thanks to you and others who keep me, informed of what's out there, like your your stadium, Plant Field,, you just talked about that.

There's just a marker there, but maybe it needs to go on the map. I've been doing a lot of that stuff too. We got the basics down, so now I'm finding places, where they, maybe some All American teams did spring training, in the fifties, in Missouri or Indiana.

And maybe it was just two teams, this is after the big years where they sent all the [00:33:00] teams to Cuba or Florida or Mississippi or whatever. But in a lot of cases those fields are still there. And yeah. There may not be anything to let you know that the all Americans played there for a week or two, but.

I know and don't think I won't go make a special trip out to the middle of nowhere to see a ball field, just to know what happened there. And one of the ones west Baden, Indiana, French Lick, there's a resort there. I remember we would go to as a kid's this big hotel dome shaped thing. And it's been restored.

It's in much better shape than when we used to just go check it out like in the eighties when I was a kid.

Mark Corbett: Did 

Ryan Woodward: you go 

Mark Corbett: by the springs and smell all the sulfur, 

Ryan Woodward: whatever? Yeah. All of that. So it turns out they this was where some MLB teams would train in like 1920s, maybe thirties.

Wow. And then the All Americans were there. I think it's like we're talking 49 to 51 [00:34:00] different teams would go and work out there together. Then they'd go down and play exhibition games at Bosse Field in Evansville, where the movie was filmed. But again, 80 years ago. But all this to say, the hotel casino, I'm not sure what all's there now, but they have.

Replace the field that used to be there. Like it went back to just being a big grassy field. But now they've put the baseball diamond there and so the two boys bombers, the summer college team in Huntingburg who plays at the other movie. Stadium in Huntingburg, Indiana. I know they played games there last summer.

The field looks great. You can find pictures of it online. So those types of things I'm starting to put on now because they are of interest in I think if it's interesting to me, it's gonna be interesting too, a few more people. So that's my big strict criteria I have now for adding to the Heritage Trail.

But it works and then, yeah. If you do have some hardcore [00:35:00] researchers they will wanna know things like that occasionally. And I love when people send them to me and I've got asked, you will appreciate about Florida because people look at my map all the time and be like, I'm going to Florida, but I don't see a lot on your map.

And I'm like, it's because we haven't found a lot to actually put on the map again. It doesn't mean things didn't happen there. But if a field's not there, if a marker's not there or if we just don't know about it I can't just go putting random things on a map and, you show up in the middle of the street and you're like, are you sure this is it?

And it might be, but yeah, it's still, it's just a huge work in progress. But this is like probably the most fun thing I've ever done. Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: I'm really glad that you're getting to do that, getting to share it with folks too, whether, be seminars, webinars, and people who have an interest in this.

But I like the idea still. I'll go back and say it again. The idea, whether it's art that's out there, murals, et cetera, [00:36:00] you're reaching people who wouldn't normally necessarily know. Should say, start to think about women in baseball and the history with it. So I like those things. And the nice thing about your map, it's digital.

PE people don't have to ask and send away for a paper map to come to their house to find this. If they're searching for something, they're gonna be able to find, your map online and be able to pursue their education. What they wanna know more about the women in baseball over the years.

Ryan Woodward: And I, I use it myself, which is sounds like something you would say of course, to prop up your own projects. But I do, and it's a cool thing because I'm like 90 minutes from Chicago here, and so occasionally I'll get to Chicago or Milwaukee or Madison, Wisconsin for stuff, whatever it is.

We're going to games. We're just gonna go see something. And anytime we do that we're gonna spend the weekend in Chicago. I will consult the map. What, which part of town are we gonna be in? Is there something to go see [00:37:00] there that I probably haven't seen before or want to get a good picture of?

And so that's been fun. There's, anytime of like quirky attractions, roadside America or Atlas Obscura. There's all those types of things. And I'm totally into that stuff 'cause I'm just, yeah. Geeky and nerdy. And I love finding weird things. I love finding movie locations. I love, offbeat weird museums, anything like that.

That I look at my trail now at the same level as I would like a roadside America, like just to me is a testament to this, the work I've put into it because it's fulfilling what like I intended it to do, at least for me. And it sounds like with a few other people. Yeah. What could be better?

And , none of these things. This is the crazy part too. 'cause I know you and I have talked about different projects, hall of Fame nominations getting baseball cards. However, we wanna, honor [00:38:00] baseball people, anybody from history, and there's just any number of things you can do.

But just every once in a while, the most obvious thing just clicks, with me, it's always, I'm in the middle of the night just like laying on the sofa or something, watching tv, and it's oh, what if I did blah, blah, blah? And like a baseball map like is part of that, and it's just, I don't know.

You can think about these things for a long time, but every once in a while it's like just become super crystal clear. This is it, and this is the process, this is the goal. And then it's super easy from that point on. Thinking is the hard part. But once you just, yeah, you get the project in mind and it's not work, it's fun.

And I. Yeah, it's really cool. Love it. 

Mark Corbett: I wanna thank you, Ryan, for telling the stories, sharing the stories, sharing the locations, and, reinvigorating people's knowledge of women in baseball. And I would like to take a look [00:39:00] back before we wrap this up and remind folks what I was going up there in Rockford and Illinois and Springfield.

What's happening again with the International Women's Baseball Center? 

Ryan Woodward: Yeah lucky for me, my women in Baseball Week project is always the last full week of July, and every year I'm always worried of like, do we have enough stuff to, point people toward, and, you know, listed on the calendar problems solved this year Rockford alone, women in Baseball week, technically is July 19th through 25. Come to our women in Baseball week.org website and just find events, find resources, find all kinds of ways to celebrate women and girls in baseball. So July 19th through 25 are also the dates. Baseball For All National Girls Tournament will be, in Rockford and Loves Park Illinois. They're gonna need a lot of fields to play those games 'cause there's so many kids coming to that. Super excited about that. You can find more [00:40:00] about them Baseball For All on their website. And we'll have information about that too on IWBC site, just so everyone knows what's going on.

Women's Baseball World Cup starts July 22nd. Wow. So just like a couple days later. And that goes through the 26th, and then there's a, or the 27th if there's like a need for a rain delay makeup game sort of thing. All of those games are at Rivet Stadium in Loves parks just outside of Rockford.

Nothing is. Terribly far from one point to another here. Tickets for that are actually on sale now, and those go to iwbc.org. Look for the World Cup tab. All the information's there for the World Cup, where to stay, how to get tickets. The game schedule will be up as soon as we have it. All kinds of information about that.

And then the All American reunion is also going on at the same [00:41:00] time. Now they will be at World Cup Games, but if you've never been to an All American reunion, they have their own schedule of fun events. They are, visiting museums. They're doing different outings, they're doing dinners and, all kinds of great stuff they do.

So they will be in town and they will. Obviously be at some Baseball For All and World Cup events, but they're also gonna be doing their own things. Find out more about them. at AAGPBL.org. It's their website and they're very helpful for getting people set for coming to one of their reunions, which, if you've never been to one, go to one.

It's just you meet the players. You don't have to do everything that they have scheduled. But it's definitely worth it. Just meeting the players. The people are so nice and yeah, Rockford is going to treat you well if you come here this summer. So I do expect to see. See everybody I know and everybody listening in Illinois at some point.

And then, yeah, [00:42:00] WPBL starts August 1st. We wrap up on the 27th and then August 1st is action starts in Springfield. And there's a lot to do, right? And 

Mark Corbett: sounds like brother. 

Ryan Woodward: Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: What I'm gonna do is one, I'll point folks, you can find what we're talking about here in the transcripts, but I also have in the notes, show notes the places that.

Ryan's been talking about here, the sites you can go to find out more about whether tickets are, finding your way to the Heritage Trail, et cetera. So Ryan, I wanna thank you for joining us here today, man on BaseballBiz on Deck and sharing some great stories about women in baseball and how things are evolving and, I just can't say thank you enough.

Ryan Woodward: I can't thank you enough. I will come on once a week if you want me to, as long as you want me to. But no, I really appreciate it. And always appreciate connecting with other people who care about the same stuff and just enjoy baseball in all its forms. We have to stick together and it's up to us to make sure all these things [00:43:00] happen and continue.

So I really appreciate the work you do. 

Mark Corbett: Alright thank you again buddy. And I wanna thank you all too for joining us here today on BaseballBiz On Deck. And we will put all that out there, like I said on the site. So hope to get to see some of y'all in Rockford this year as well. We look forward to talking with y'all again real soon.

Links & Resources:

• IWBC (International Women's Baseball Center): iwbc.org
• Women's Baseball World Cup Tickets & Info: https://www.iwbc.org/worldcup/ 
• Baseball For All: baseballforall.com
• AAGPBL Players Association: aagpbl.org
• Women's Baseball Heritage Trail: Available through IWBC / Ryan Woodward
  https://womeninbaseballweek.org/index.php/heritagetrail/ 
• Women in Baseball Week (July 19–25): womeninbaseballweek.org
• Bridgewater State University Archives (AAGPBL collections) - https://archives.bridgew.edu/subjects/101  
• SABR (Society for American Baseball Research): sabr.org
• Happy Chandler Library, University of Kentucky (Effa Manley recording) https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7gth8bj15t

Key Dates:

• July 19–25: Women in Baseball Week / Baseball For All Nationals / AAGPBL Reunion – Rockford, IL
• July 22–27: Women's Baseball World Cup Group Stage – Rivets Stadium, Loves Park, IL
• August 1: WPBL season begins – Springfield, IL
• 2027: Women's Baseball World Cup Finals – Rockford, IL