All Posts

For nearly two decades, summer in Fort Wayne meant a trip to The Castle. Long before the TinCaps took the field, the Fort Wayne Wizards introduced a generation of fans to Minor League Baseball at Memorial Stadium. From the team's debut in 1993 through the end of the 2008 season, the Wizards became more than just a baseball club—they became part of the city's identity. A New Beginning The Wizards arrived in 1993 alongside the opening of Memorial Stadium, a modern ballpark that

By George Honold Originally published in the Journal Gazette on March 13, 1980 Chicago has the Bears, and in a manner of speaking, so does Fort Wayne. The new Fort Wayne softball team in the new men’s North American Softball League was officially christened the Huggie Bears by general manager Don Vickers during a media press conference held Wednesday at the Harley Hotel. If you’re laughing, so did everyone else at first. The Huggie Bear is a candy sucker which is made and man

In the 1940s, long before national TV deals and modern professional leagues dominated the sports landscape, one of the most powerful teams in America wasn’t a baseball club or a basketball franchise. It was a fastpitch softball team in Fort Wayne. They were the Zollner Pistons—and for a remarkable stretch of time, they stood at the very top of the sport. Built by Fred Zollner The story begins with Fred Zollner, a Fort Wayne industrialist whose company, Zollner Corporation, ma

By Chad Gramling - Originally published in the NEIBA Line Drives June 2008 Newsletter During the recent Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball...

Ford Frick Sign in Wawaka, Indiana By Chad Gramling - Originally published in the NEIBA Line Drives September 2011 Newsletter I recently...

By Don Graham - Originally published in the NEIBA Line Drives December 2006 Newsletter Of all the famous baseball players who managed teams in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, not one can equal oor surpass in stature Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx who managed the Fort Wayne Daisies in 1952. Such famous major league players as Bill Wambsganss, Dave Bancroft, John Rawlings, Max Carey, Marty McManus and others have served as managers in the twelve year history of

This article has been written exactly as it appeared in "The Griswold-Phelps Handbook and Guide to Fort Wayne, Indiana (1913-1914). -...

We’re days away from our first inargural Vintage Baseball Showcase in Fort Wayne. As the excitement continues to grow, all we can do is...

The anticipation for the inaugural Vintage Baseball Showcase is growing by the day. Believe it or not, we’re only a few weeks away from...

The Fort Wayne Baseball Federation is celebrating its 100-year anniversary. In case you are in the dark, it is a recreational, wood bat,...

By Carl Erskine - Originally published in the NEIBA Line Drives September 2007 Newsletter I had just retired from the Dodgers after...

MLB Hall of Famer, Chuck Klein got his professional baseball career started as a member of the Fort Wayne Chiefs.

By Tim Kindler - Originally published in the NEIBA Line Drives March 2001 Newsletter One of Fort Wayne baseball history’s most...

Fort Wayne’s place in baseball history will forever be remembered because of a historical opening day game that took place here in May of 18

It is officially baseball season for local colleges in Fort Wayne, and has been for a few weeks. Since the season starts earlier for...

Today, actual baseball is being played. Major League Baseball Spring Training is officially underway, and Fort Wayne’s own Josh VanMeter is

Our chat with Amy Dickerson of the Ohio Village Diamonds Women's Vintage Base Ball Club of Columbus, Ohio. Who are the Ohio Village...

Our chat with Chloe Walker, Student Worker for Ole Miss Baseball in Oxford, Mississippi. What's your name, role, and years spent with the...

Our chat with Cassie Hopkins, Vice President and Tournament Director of the National Beep Baseball Association based in Glenview,...

Our chat with Curtis Granderson, President and Founder of the CBEA in Chicago, Illinois. Former UIC Flame and MLB All Star outfielder,...