‘Baseball Immortal’: The Odyssey of Trailblazing Slugger John ‘Snowball’ Merida

At the turn of the twentieth century, among the patchy meadows, dusty sandlots, and ramshackle municipal parks situated among the unassuming cornfields of the Hoosier State, Spiceland, Indiana's John 'Snowball' Merida was an indomitable force of integration in baseball. Over four decades before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier, Merida bucked societal norms, spending nearly a decade as the only Black player on exclusively white teams and leagues. Merida ultimately found himself suiting up for the Indianapolis ABCs, a premier all-Black team. Despite playing in what would become known as baseball's 'Deadball Era', Merida dazzled crowds all over the Midwest with the antithesis of his sport at the time - the home run. Residing in an oft-forgotten corner of baseball history, Merida's legacy not only as a brilliant ballplayer but an innovator of the national pastime is one that is ripe for telling.