Skip Nipper’s Nashville Baseball Podcast

I want to introduce you to someone who is an historian, educator, vintage base ball player (yes, base ball is two words in vintage baseball), web developer, and contributor to the history of the 19th Century game.

His name is Chris Ryland, also known as “Books” to his Nashville Maroons teammates in Tennessee Vintage Baseball. His love of history and the vintage game have led him to interesting historical discoveries, too. Listen in!

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Invited to a Nashville tryout, Morristown’s Warren “War” Sanders made the team and remained with the club for two seasons.

Instrumental in Nashville’s first two Southern Association championships in 1901 and 1902 when the left-hander was 21-9 and 22-12, his contract was sold to the St. Louis Cardinals for the 1903 season.

He did not have the same success in his later career; his baseball story is in this episode!

#warsanders #skipnipp...

You will probably not have a clue who the my choice is as  “Father of Nashville 19th Century Baseball.” His name is Will Bryan, and he did not even start out as a baseball man. 

His exploits are remarkable albeit he was also a bit of a scoundrel. He is still on my list because he not only helped found the inaugural Southern League in 1885, he helped form the first professional Nashville baseball team for the new league.

I hope you wi...

The Nashville Sounds Minor League Baseball team was established in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1978, after Larry Schmittou and a group of investors purchased the rights to operate an expansion franchise of the Double-A Southern League. The Sounds played their home games at Herschel Greer Stadium fromryschmittou #herschelgreerstadium #nashvillebaseball

Want to stay in touch? Find me here:

X: mrsulphurdell
Instagram: @nashvi...

Negro Leagues baseball history, with emphasis on the last five years or so, which has generated interest among fans throughout the country, has a way to go.

The year 2020 celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Negro National League. COVID-19 postponed much of the attention to the recognition of baseball’s Negro League past.

There is still much catching up to do.

Want to stay in touch? Find me here:

X: mrsulph...

I have had folks ask me how I came up with the handle “Mr. Sulphur Dell.” You may be surprised that I did not give it to myself.

In this episode, I tell how it came about while filling you in on the importance of other baseball nicknames.

#mrsulphurdell #nashvillebaseball #baseballnicknames #sulphurdell

Want to stay in touch? Find me here:

X: mrsulphurdell
Instagram: @nashville_baseball
Facebook: Skip Nipper
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Raymond Johnson spent many years in the sports department at the Nashville Tennessean, the local morning newspaper.

He would often revisit the past in his "One Man's Opinion" sports columns. Although he loved all sports, from football to horse racing, and from basketball to softball, I particularly enjoy reading what he writes about baseball.

My admiration for Johnson does not end there, because he was also a visionary...

Nashville high school baseball goes way back, as far back as there have been school teams, helping to set the foundation of local sports.

One of the more exciting years I have read about was in 1956, when a few of the high school teams that no longer exist have strong programs, excellent athletes, and paved the way for the continued love of baseball in Nashville.

I often want to relive those days myself, and that post-season in 1956 ...

Nashville's unique baseball charm is evident in its rich history of amateur leagues, some dating back to the 19th Century. These leagues were not just about competition, but also about the whimsical "for the championship of the city" challenges that added a special flavor to the game.

Listen to one of the great years for amateur baseball was 1928, a year that saw the continuation of older leagues and the formation of ...

To attract fans to Nashville's opening day in 1947, the Nashville Tennessean published a report on the history of Sulphur Dell by J. D. Brown. I read this article in the podcast; it gives a detailed account of when the ballpark was transformed into its present configuration at the time.

Moreover, opening day marked a significant milestone in Buster Boguskie's career as a Vols player. His first home game was a hit with the ...

In 1938, a consolidation of farm clubs between Brooklyn and Nashville was agreed upon at an all-day conference in Cincinnati between Larry MacPhail, the new Dodgers boss, and Nashville owner, Fay Murray.

But for the outbreak of World War II and Murray’s death, the new relationship could have rivaled Branch Rickey’s farm system.

In this episode, I tell about MacPhail’s career decisions impacting Nashville baseball.

Want to stay in...

In the final season of the Nashville Vols in 1963, general manager Ed Doherty declared August 30 as "George Archie Night" at the ballpark—a fitting tribute to a local hero.

Archie was a coach for the Nashville Vols at the time, an unpaid position at home games, and that’s how he was dressed when he was honored that night: in his Vols uniform.

In this episode you will learn about this dedicated baseball man's career fro...

Stephen W. Dittmore has over 20 years of experience as a higher education administrator and professor. He received a PhD from the University of Louisville in 2007 and holds bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Drake University.

His recently published book is an excellent account of the life of one of Nashville’s favorite baseball sons, most often referred to in local circles as “Junior” Gilliam. In this podca...

My brother Jim ("Jimbo," to me, mostly shortened to just "Bo") and I learned everything there was to know about The Game from our Dad, Virgil Nipper: how to throw, indeed, and how to hit.

Jim sent me one of his unique perspectives not long ago as a letter on our lives at the ballpark. Bo remembers many things better than I do, and his letter helped me recall an earlier, more peaceful time. I hope it does the same...

In 2005, the Nashville Sounds won the Pacific Coast League championship, the first pennant for the ball club since 1982.

Teams are often pre-judged for success on where they are in the standings on Memorial Day.

In this episode, you will learn about that great season and how the first two months of the PCL season marked the future for the Sounds!

Want to stay in touch? Find me here:

X: mrsulphurdell
Instagram: @nashville_...

In what I have often termed, “the greatest coup in the history of the Southern Association”, on November 8, 1938, Nashville club owner Fay Murray shocked baseball fans, Southern Association moguls, and everyone in between by announcing he had convinced Larry Gilbert, the New Orleans Pelicans veteran manager, to become the Nashville Vols manager, replacing Chuck Dressen.

In this episode, I tell about the special bond between Murray a...

A baseball museum in Nashville could be a fantastic addition to the city's cultural landscape. Nashville already has strong ties to baseball, with a strong amateur baseball foundation, the Nashville Sounds, and the possibility of an MLB stadium in the future.

A museum could showcase the history of baseball in the city, highlight its Negro League teams, and feature historical events of all aspects of local baseball.

What do you t...

Will General is the marketing director for Music City Baseball, the initiative is to bring MLB to Nashville as the "Nashville Stars.”

He joined me to tell me how he is leading efforts to grow the Stars brand and how honoring the Negro Leagues’ legacy Is an essential ingredient to that end.

Another ingredient is a new design concept and brand partnership with New Era Cap, the leading headwear brand in the world.

I hope you will li...

Umpires have been criticized and disparaged for years, yet they continue to uphold the integrity of the game. The pay scale is pretty good, but defending one's decision in the old days could lead to fights among players, managers, and fans.

The umpire's job can often become a thankless one, too, as being judge and jury usually leads to having to take cover. But they stand their ground, showing resilience in the face of adv...