| Edith Houghton was born on February 12, 1912. She grew up in North Philadelphia with the view of a baseball field from her bedroom window and was instantly drawn to the game.
She became the mascot for the Philadelphia police baseball team at age eight and practiced hitting, fielding and throwing before games. People were astonished to see such big talent from such a little girl. She was nicknamed "The Kid."
Baseball was booming in Philadelphia. There were two major league teams, the Phillies and the Athletics, as well as factory, semipro and amateur leagues. For girls under 20, there was an all-girl team called the Philadelphia Bobbies, who got their name because every player bobbed her hair.
Houghton heard that the Bobbies were practicing at Fairmount Park and went to check it out. Though the Bobbies were a young team, Houghton, at age 9, was by far the youngest. Nevertheless, she joined the team without delay.
As shortstop, Houghton was the Bobbies' main attraction. Her uniform was so big she had to poke extra holes in her belt and tighten her cap with a safety pin. The Bobbies played twilight games against mostly male semi-pro teams, and fans and sports writers alike praised Houghton’s exceptional fieldwork and batting abilities. In 1925, the Bobbies manager Mary O'Gara arranged for the team to tour Japan. Houghton, then only 13, asked permission from her parents and the James G. Blaine Elementary School, where she was student. Both approved and Houghton and the Bobbies flew to Yokohama in October. At first, the games drew crowds and further acclaim for Houghton from the Japanese press. But interest in the Bobbies soon fizzled, and upon returning to the states, Houghton left the team to pursue other opportunities.
In her high school years, Houghton played for many teams, including the New York Bloomer Girls. From 1925 to 1931, she traveled three times a week between Philadelphia and New York just to play ball. And she was paid 35 dollars a week — no small sum — to do what she loved. Another team that Houghton played for, the Hollywood Girls, barnstormed across the country, giving Houghton a chance to further explore America all before the age of 20. During World War II, Houghton served in the WAVES (Women Appointed for Volunteer Emergency Service) for the Navy, working in supplies and accounts. But it wasn't all work and no play. She joined the women's auxiliary baseball team to stay close to the sport.
When the Phillies got a new manager, Bob Carpenter, in 1946, she decided she’d like to work for her home team. She inquired about a job as a scout. Houghton brought her scrapbook to the interview and left it with Carpenter. A week later, he called her back and offered her the job. Houghton became the first woman to scout for the majors. For six years she scouted the sand lots and high schools of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware with two players going on to play Class B ball. |
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