Baseball's First Indian--#17 finished

This is about Louis Sockalexis a Penobscot Indian from Maine that played for Cleveland in the late 1890s.  He seemed to be an emerging star when he first arrived, could hit, hit for some power, great speed and amazing throwing arm.  But about halfway through the season started drinking himself out of the game.  Played a few games the next year and about 7 his final year--this on the worst team ever in baseball the 1899 that went 20-134.  The owner had bought the St Louis Browns and sent all the decent players there and also played tons of road games so would get gate receipts for games since no one would show up in Cleveland to watch the team after he gutted it.  The Cleveland team really didn't have an official name then but was called the Spiders back then.  Looks like Cleveland took year off & then came back as AL team Blues then later the Naps after a player coach and then after he left eventually some Cleveland writers chose the Indians.  They were sort of known as the Indians back when Sockalexis was there before and it stuck this time.  The author certainly dug deep to find out what he could about Sockalexis, and it had to be hard research trying to locate any mentions.  Basically Sockalexis was the first Indian to play professional baseball minus a couple other mentions that are likely not true.  And while he drank himself out of the majors he did play a couple more years in lower levels before sounds like he returned to the reservation in Maine but eventually dying young likely from alcoholism.  An interesting story even though the book was pretty boring at times to get through.

I have posted it in PBS & it is the only copy so hope at some point it will get requested & moved.