WSRE’s ” History of Baseball in Pensacola ” …
This is an ad that I clipped from the WSRE site advertising the airing of the next “Baseball in Pensacola”. I saw the first airing on November 8 and it was Part 1 of the history. Part 2 is interviews with baseball players from Pensacola that went on to play in the majors and I missed that one. So, I am not sure what the Friday November 23 show will be, but it will be a repeat of one of the two episodes or it might be both. You will just have to tune in and see, but if you are a fan of baseball or a history buff of Pensacola, you will enjoy what you see. Some of my father’s photos of the Pensacola Dons was used, as were some of his views of Pensacola from the 40′, 50’s and 60’s are scattered through the first episode. I know that they will show it again and if you missed it now, I am sure that it will be re-broadcast in the future. Plus, I am sure that copies of it will be for sale … just go to WSRE’s site here. Thanks again for WSRE for thinking of me / my father. Please check back later and thanks for looking … Frank
Frank Hardy Made My Photographs Two 
Regarding the picture of Neb (or Ned). I think that was a player who was setting a home run record on the league at that time. He was my hero (and of the other boys in my Brownsville neighborhood). My best friend and I (preteens) went to a game and saw him play and hit a couple of homeruns. We got a program and waited patiently at the exit for my hero. After all the other players had gone, my hero comes strolling out with a blonde (floozey looking) on one arm and a quart bottle of beer in the other and feeling no pain! We were crest fallen (both being good church going boys) and just turned and walked away. My vision of heroes as Superman types was forever gone.
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Harold Key
December 7, 2012 at 11:35 am
Harold … I know exactly what you are talking about. I never knew this Wilson player, but his name and photo keeps turning up, so he must have played here in this area for ten years or so. He could have been one of these players that was frustrated for never making it up to the big leagues and was just bitter about it. In turn, he takes it out on these little kids that idolize him. It is funny how your mind works and you can remember little incidents like this 50 or 60 years later. I have done the same thing myself. Thanks for your comment and please check back later .. Frank
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Frank Hardy
December 8, 2012 at 9:46 am
Neb’s name was Nesbit, I believe. As a teen, I looked up to him too. I later worked with his ex-wife at a store in Pensacola. She did not talk about him. Bill
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Bill Kreitlein
December 13, 2012 at 9:49 am
Thanks for the comment Bill … Like I said earlier, I do not know anything about Neb Wilson. I have only seen his photo in several of the years that my father made the Dons publicity photos and he was in the video that WSRE put together. He must have played ball in this area for ten or so years. You know that it had to be hard for these players to toil in the minors for so long and never get called up to the big leagues. I guess that that is all these guys knew to do was play ball. You kind of wonder whatever happened to players like him … Thanks again for the comments … Frank
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Frank Hardy
December 13, 2012 at 11:20 am
A website lists Neb’s complete baseball history. He played for 18 seasons from 1940 to 1960. Never rose above Double A classification. Career batting average of .326 which is very good. A native of North Carolina. He died in 2008 at age 85.
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Bill Kreitlein
December 14, 2012 at 9:27 am