CBC SPORTS ONLINE - The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum lost one of its own on Wednesday with the passing of Mary Baker, who died of respiratory failure. She was 84.
Baker, who was inducted into the Hall in 1998, was one of 64 Canadian women who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
An all-star catcher, Baker played for the South Bend Blue Sox from 1943-49 before managing the Kalamazoo Lassies for three seasons.
The AAGPBL was immortalized by the 1992 movie A League Of Their Own, which starred Geena Davis and Tom Hanks. Davis' fictitious character, Dottie Hinson, is said to most resemble Baker.
A native of Regina, Sask., Baker and her sister Gene McFaul were teammates with South Bend in 1947. McFaul died last year.
"Geena Davis was Mary Baker," said Darrell Baker, Mary Baker's son-in-law. "She was beautiful both on the outside and on the inside.
"She was a humble person who would do anything for anybody. She was a big fan of Canadian sports teams like the Blue Jays, Expos and the Saskatchewan Roughriders."
Baker is survived by her daughter Maureen, brothers Andy and Pat George, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Her husband, Maurice, died in 1962.
with files from Canadian Press
http://www.cbc.ca/pcgi-bin/templates/sportsView.cgi?/news/2003/12/19/Sports/marybaker031219
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