Al Hunter’s Story Archive

Foul Ball!

Last week I ran a story about Cleveland Indians phenom Bob Feller’s pitched foul ball that hit and injured his mother during a game against the White Sox at old Comiskey Park in Chicago. That got me thinking about other foul ball stories and legends I’d heard about. Growing up, … Read More

Bob Feller’s Happy Mother’s Day

So what did you get for Mother’s Day this year? I hope it was something fun, delicious, or useful, but just in case the answer was nothing, this article might make you feel a little better. Every year, as the boys of summer take the field, I try to dig … Read More

Gypsy Ghosts in Terry Hot

This column first appeared in May 2014. When you hear the term Gypsy, what comes to mind? A vagabond road wanderer? A classic motorcycle? Maybe a Cher song? Let me share with you a gypsy story from a century ago from just up the National Road in Terre Haute. On … Read More

Robert Rayford: America’s First AIDS Victim

This column first appeared in May 2014. On May 16,1969, the face of modern medicine changed forever when 15-year-old Robert Rayford, sometimes identified as “Robert R.” due to his age, died in a St. Louis, Missouri hospital. He was a slender, uncommunicative street kid whose condition left doctors distressed, perplexed … Read More

The Polo Grounds’ Indianapolis Connection, Part 2

On Sunday, September 29, 1957, a crowd of 11,606 came to the Polo Grounds to see Willie Mays play his last game for the New York Giants. Based on the illustrious baseball legacy of the New York Giants, you’d think that all 54,555 seats in the old Polo Grounds on … Read More