Joan Berger [Knebl] is a former female infielder

Infielder

An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...

 and outfielder

Outfielder

Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...

 who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...

. Listed at 5' 4", 132 lb., Berger batted and threw right handed. She was born in Passaic, New Jersey

Passaic, New Jersey

Passaic is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 69,781, maintaining its status as the 15th largest municipality in New Jersey with an increase of 1,920 residents from the 2000 Census population of 67,861...

.

An All-Star at second base, Joan Berger played in the last four seasons of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Her accomplishments also included winning the Rookie of the Year Award and playing in the All-American touring team piloted by Bill Allington

Bill Allington

William Baird Allington was an American Minor league baseball player and manager. Listed at 5' 9" , 160 lb., Allington batted and threw right-handed. He was born in St. Clair County, Michigan....

.

Early life

Reflecting on her early influences, Berger explained that her father Slim Berger was a semiprofessional baseball player who helped her learn to play the game. My father was a great sportsman, he used to take me to all his games and I went in the field during his practices. Her father later formed the Garfield Flashettes, which became the first girl's softball team based in Garfield, New Jersey

Garfield, New Jersey

Garfield is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 30,487.When the area that is now Garfield was first developed in 1873, it was known as East Passaic. In 1881, the community's name was changed to Garfield in honor of...

. Berger joined her father's team when she was in eighth grade, and tried out for the AAGPBL as a sophomore in high school, but she was too young to join the league. She attended to a new tryout the next year, but her father advised her to wait until the next year. Finally, Berger joined the league in 1951 after graduating from high school. She was allocated to the Rockford Peaches

Rockford Peaches

The Rockford Peaches were a team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing out of Rockford, Illinois for the entire existence of the league from 1943 to 1954....

, a team managed by the aforementioned Bill Allington.

AAGPBL

Berger entered the league as a right fielder

Right fielder

A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...

, hitting a .251 average in only 40 games. At this point, she mainteined her rookie status for the following season. In 1952 she switched to second base, won Rookie of the Year honors, and was the only rookie to make the All-Star Team

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-Star Team

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball circuit which existed for twelve seasons from through ....

. The next season she played shortstop

Shortstop

Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...

 and second, splitting her playing time between third base

Third Base

is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...

 and second in 1954, when she hit a career-high .280 during what turned out to be the league's final season. Rockford made the playoffs from 1951 to 1953 but failed to win the championship.

Allington All-Stars

Following her AAGPBL career, Berger joined several other players on Bill Allington's All-American team, a barnstorming remnant of the league. The Allington All-Stars played 100 games between 1954 and 1958, each booked in a different town, against male teams, while traveling over 10,000 miles in the manager's station wagon

Station wagon

A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...

 and a Ford Country Sedan

Ford Country Sedan

The Ford Country Sedan was a full-size station wagon built by the Ford Motor Company from 1952 until 1974.It was based on the Ford full-size car line available in each year. The Country Sedan was the mid-trim station wagon in the Ford range. Unlike the Country Squire, the Country Sedan featured...

. Besides Berger, the Allington All-Stars included players as Gloria Cordes

Gloria Cordes

Gloria Cordes [Elliott] is a former starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...

, Jeanie Descombes

Jeanie Descombes

Jeneane Descombes Lesko is a former pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 135 lb., she batted and threw left-handed...

, Gertrude Dunn

Gertrude Dunn

Gertrude Dunn was an American baseball player with the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the league made famous by the 1992 movie A League Of Their Own. She played shortstop on two teams, the Battle Creek Belles and the South Bend Blue Sox, and was named "Rookie of the Year" in . ...

, Betty Foss

Betty Foss

Betty Foss [Fossey] was a infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 10", 180 lb., she was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. She started her career as Betty Weaver but changed her last name to Foss after marrying...

, Jean Geissinger

Jean Geissinger

Jean Louise Geissinger-Harding [″Dutch″] is a former infielder and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for the Fort Wayne Daisies and Grand Rapids Chicks...

, Katie Horstman

Katie Horstman

Catherine Horstman [″Horsey″] is a former female utility who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...

, Maxine Kline

Maxine Kline

Maxine Kline [Randall] is a former female starting pitcher who played from through with the Fort Wayne Daisies of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...

, Dolores Lee

Dolores Lee

Dolores Margaret Lee is a former female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 130 lb., she batted and threw right handed....

, Magdalen Redman

Magdalen Redman

Magdalen Redman [״Mamie״] is a former catcher and utility infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...

, Ruth Richard

Ruth Richard

Ruth Richard [Richie] is a former female catcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 134 lb., she batted left-handed and threw right-handed....

, Dorothy Schroeder

Dorothy Schroeder

Dorothy Schroeder [″Dottie″] was a shortstop who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 7", 150 lb., Schroeder batted and threw right-handed...

, Jean Smith

Jean Smith (baseball)

Jean Marie Smith was an outfielder and relief pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 128...

 and Joanne Weaver

Joanne Weaver

Joanne Weaver [″Joltin' Jo″] was a right fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...

, among others.

Private life

Berger married Andrew Knebl in 1959 and settled down to raise a family. She delivered three boys, Andrew Jr., Kevin and Robert, and has five granddaughters. She worked for Ferrero USA

Ferrero SpA

Ferrero SpA is an Italian manufacturer of chocolate and other confectionery products, founded by confectioner Pietro Ferrero in 1946 and based in Alba, Piedmont, Italy. The company achieved success headed by Pietro's son Michele Ferrero, then Michele's son Pietro , who oversaw global business...

 for eight years and retired in 1994.

Joan Berger is part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York

Cooperstown, New York

Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...

, opened in , which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player. She currently lives in Lodi, New Jersey

Lodi, New Jersey

Lodi is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 24,136. The borough of Lodi is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law.Lodi owes its name to the Italian city of Lodi...

.

Statistics

Batting

GP Games played Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...	AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...	R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...	H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....	2B Double (baseball) In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....	3B Triple (baseball) In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....	HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...	RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...	SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...	BB Base on balls A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...	SO Strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....	BA Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...	OBP	SLG
345	1192	173	298	27	12	4	98	78	119	75	.250	.318	.303

Fielding

PO	A Assist (baseball) In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...	E Error (baseball) In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...	TC Total chances In baseball statistics, total chances , also called chances offered, represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is calculated as follows: Total Chances = assists + putouts + errors. Chances accepted refers to the total of putouts and assists only. Fielding...	DP Double play In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....	FA Fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
374	542	96	1012	60	.905

Sources