Despite the best efforts of 19th century racists, the Irish took over baseball in the late 1800s and never really let it go. And because of that, appropriately enough, the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame is a thing. And, wonderfully, it’s housed in a great Irish pub/baseball bar. Today it announced its 2012 honorees:
- Jimmy Breslin, author of one of the most famous baseball books ever written, Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game?, which chronicled the 1962 New York Mets inaugural season;
- Tom Kelly, two-time World Series champion manager with the Minnesota Twins;
- Gene Michael, scout and GM responsible for signing players including Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, among others;
- “Walpole Joe” Morgan, popular former player, scout and a manager of Boston Red Sox;
- Jeff Nelson, longtime reliever, four-time World Series champion with the Yankees;
- “Wee Willie” Keeler, a legend of the Dead Ball era when nearly a third of major league players were of Irish descent.
Induction ceremonies will take place a week from today at that great bar: Foley’s NY Pub & Restaurant in New York.