MLB Dirt: How Baseball May Have Made John Dillinger Public Enemy Number 1

Which reminds me…why didn’t Bob Feller ever patent his Homer Van Meter?

Dillinger stewed over the board’s decision; convinced that his parole was denied because the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, the largest prison in the state, wanted him to play shortstop for their baseball team. He had heard that they had inquired about him transferring to their facility and playing with their team, which he believed was a sign of how much they wanted him. Baseball was so entrenched as the national pastime, that competition flourished in even the most unlikely of places, making Dillinger’s theory not totally implausible.

Dillinger’s belief that he was coveted by the Michigan City baseball team grew stronger when he was officially transferred there in 1930. He rebelled by declining to play, and became depressed after realizing he was in a much more restrictive facility than before. In a 1930 letter to home, he wrote, “Well, baseball season is nearly here but I don’t care to try for the team here although I love to play, if I hadn’t played on the team at the reformatory, I don’t think I would have been sent up here; and I’m sure I would have made a parole there this winter, so you can see why I am not so enthusiastic about making this team.” Instead he bided his time associating with hardened criminals and learning even more tools of their trade.

Dillinger finally obtained his release in 1933. Almost immediately he came to national attention because he began robbing banks after playing a prominent role in helping 10 prisoners escape from Michigan City, including his old baseball teammate, Harrp Pierpont. After the FBI targeted Dillinger as the top priority he became one of the most famous people in America almost overnight. Despite the increased scrutiny, he still kept up with his beloved Cubs.