Quote:
Originally Posted by BobC
The supposed honoring of Louis Sockalexis, the first ever native American MLB player in history, is likely more myth than pure fact. Though his name was mentioned by the still surviving till today, Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper as a source for the new "Indians" name starting in 1915, the truth is Sockalexis was a drunken alcoholic. He ended up appearing for the then Cleveland Spiders in only 94 games over a three-season period from 1897-1899, after which the Spiders permanently disbanded. If anything, because of his well-known issues with alcoholism and poor MLB level of performance, choosing him as the primary source of the name for the Indians doesn't really make sense. Especially when his life and actions appear to support some of the more negative connotations supposedly associated with native Americans back in the day.
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This may be the worst take on the life of Louis Sockalexis I have ever read. Seriously!?!