Blackburne made an unusual contribution to baseball when he discovered and marketed
the special mud from the Delaware River used by umpires to rub the gloss off new
baseballs. His feminine nickname came from a leather-lunged minor league fan who
compared him to another player, Cora Donovan, but Blackburne claimed it was because
he had a "lean" physique. More successful as a minor league manager and coach, his
term as White Sox skipper (1928-29) was most notable for his savage fistfight with
one of his own players, Art (The Great) Shires. Blackburne's one outing as a pitcher
came in his only appearance of 1929.
(JK)
Lena Blackburne
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