25-469: Stephen Thomas Bilko (November 13, 1928 – March 7, 1978) was an American professional baseball player known for his home run hitting as a minor leaguer during the 1950s. He was 20 years old when he broke into Major League Baseball on September 22, 1949, with the St. Louis Cardinals . Bilko threw and batted right-handed; he was listed as 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) tall, and 230 lb (100 kg), and
50-459: A .992 fielding percentage as a first baseman. During his stay with the 1954 Cubs, announcer Bert Wilson placed Bilko at the end of what he hoped would be a soon-to-be-famous double play combination of Ernie Banks , Gene Baker and Bilko. His fanciful name for that trio was "Bingo to Bango to Bilko". However, Bilko got into only 47 games with the Wrigleys (only 22 of them at first base) before he
75-510: A black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. Baseball Reliquary The Baseball Reliquary is a nonprofit educational organization "dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through
100-676: A specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in the other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with
125-694: The Allentown Cardinals in 1945 at the age of 16 during the final year of World War II . A first baseman , Bilko enjoyed his greatest fame with the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League from 1955–1957, when he won three consecutive PCL Most Valuable Player awards and home run titles. His greatest year came in 1956, when he won the PCL Triple Crown with a .360 batting average , 55 home runs and 164 runs batted in ; he also led
150-615: The American League 's Los Angeles Angels ( 1961 – 1962 ), but he never enjoyed the phenomenal success he had with the PCL Angels in the 1950s. He was the Cardinals' regular first baseman in 1953 and smashed 21 homers with 84 RBI in 154 games, but led National League hitters in strikeouts with 125. Still, it was his most productive big-league season. As an original member of the American League Angels, an expansion team , he became
175-721: The Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since the 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and
200-701: The Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues, the China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During
225-632: The Reliquary has held exhibitions on varied topics relating to the cultural impact of baseball, including: Since 1999, members of the Baseball Reliquary have elected individuals to their "Shrine of the Eternals." The Shrine is similar in concept to the annual elections held at the Baseball Hall of Fame , but differs philosophically in that statistical accomplishment is not a criterion for election. Rather,
250-613: The Reliquary receive a ballot of 50 candidates for the Shrine, and the top three vote-getters by percentage are installed. Balloting is conducted annually, except for a pause around the COVID-19 pandemic . As of 2019 balloting, there were more than 300 voting members. Inductees (through the class of 2020): In December 2023, the organization announced a nomination process and timeline for its class of 2024. Named in memory of legendary Brooklyn Dodgers baseball fan Hilda Chester (1897–1978),
275-439: The Shrine of the Eternals. The Baseball Reliquary is a nonprofit educational institution that is "dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history and to exploring the national pastime’s unparalleled creative possibilities." The Reliquary was founded in 1996 by Terry Cannon, a creative artist and assistant school librarian who describes himself as “meek and mild-mannered [on
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#1732890695746300-462: The Shrine “seek[s] out aspects of this history that have been overlooked or have not been explored in depth as well as players and others in baseball who have had unconventional careers.” The Reliquary and its Shrine have been described as “a haven for legends like Marvin Miller and Spaceman Lee , umpires like Emmett Ashford and Pam Postema … mostly renegades who did not meet the precise standards of
325-501: The Shrine’s annual ballot is composed of individuals—from the obscure to the well known—who have altered the baseball world in ways that supersede statistics. The definition of "individuals" is not restricted to humans; the 2017 induction class included the Peanuts character Charlie Brown . The Baseball Reliquary lists the criteria for election to the Shrine of the Eternals as: Members of
350-462: The United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ") is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of
375-623: The [National] Baseball Hall of Fame.” Some view the Shrine of the Eternals as a more welcome recognition of their contributions to baseball than even the Hall of Fame. In 2013, documentary filmmaker Jon Leonoudakis released a 69-minute film about the Reliquary titled Not Exactly Cooperstown . The film premiered at the 8th Annual Baseball Film Festival at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown on September 29, 2013. The film
400-547: The advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are the oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in
425-613: The context of baseball history and to exploring the national pastime’s unparalleled creative possibilities." The Reliquary was founded in 1996 in Monrovia, California , and since 2015 has been located at Whittier College in Whittier, California . The organization is funded in part by a grant from the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. Since 1999, the Reliquary has maintained an “alternate hall-of-fame ” called
450-440: The first player to appear for each of Los Angeles' MLB teams. Playing in his old minor-league haven, Los Angeles' Wrigley Field , Bilko responded with his second-best MLB campaign with 20 homers and 59 RBI in 1961. In 600 games over ten major-league seasons, Bilko posted a .249 batting average (432-for-1,738) with 220 runs , 76 home runs , 276 RBI , 234 bases on balls and a .444 slugging percentage . Defensively, he recorded
475-590: The late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with the major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at
500-637: The league in runs scored (163) and hits (215). His Triple Crown year came for a pennant-winning Angels' team that won 107 games, and was sandwiched in between seasons in which Bilko belted 37 (1955) and 56 (1957) long balls. He was posthumously inducted into the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame in 2003. In addition to the Cardinals ( 1949 – 1954 ), Bilko also appeared in the majors for the Chicago Cubs (1954), Cincinnati Redlegs ( 1958 ), Los Angeles Dodgers (1958), Detroit Tigers ( 1960 ) and
525-662: The outside] … a rabble-rouser and non-conformist [at heart].” In its early years, the Reliquary had no physical home; instead it collaborated with local institutions including public and university libraries as well as the Jackie Robinson Community Center in Pasadena, California . In January 2015, the Reliquary found a permanent home for its collections and events with the opening of the Institute for Baseball Studies at Whittier College in Whittier, California . Housed on
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#1732890695746550-682: The third floor of the College’s Mendenhall building, the Institute is open to students and the public for research and viewing of the Reliquary’s growing collection. Beginning in 1999, the Reliquary created a hall-of-fame style historical commemoration of baseball notables called the Shrine of the Eternals. Rather than focusing on statistical accomplishments as does the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York ,
575-759: Was also featured at the St. Louis International Film Festival in November 2014. In 2001, the Reliquary began recognizing “distinguished service by a baseball fan” with the Hilda Award, named for famed Brooklyn Dodgers fan Hilda Chester . In 2002, the Tony Salin Memorial Award was established “to honor individuals for their work in preserving baseball history.” Each of these honors is awarded annually. The Reliquary organizes and presents artistic and historical exhibitions relating to baseball each year. Throughout its history,
600-468: Was nicknamed "Stout Steve" during his career because of his ample girth. Nat Hiken , creator of The Phil Silvers Show , supposedly took the name of the character Sgt. Bilko from the ballplayer, whose long-ball heroics for one of Los Angeles ' two minor-league teams of the mid-1950s made him a local celebrity. Bilko was born in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania , in coal mining country, and made his debut with
625-652: Was sent at season's end to the PCL Angels, the Cubs' top minor league affiliate, where he would become a legend. Bilko was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary 's Shrine of the Eternals in 2015. His granddaughter, Barbara Bilko, was a goaltender in ice hockey for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2008–09 through 2010–2011. Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for
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