Norma A. Berger [Taylor] (born December 22, 1932) is a former pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 who played 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:...

 during the season. Berger was nicknamed ״Bergie״. Listed at 5' 3", 140 lb., she batted and threw right handed.

Born in Maywood, Illinois

Maywood, Illinois

Maywood is a village in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It was founded on April 6, 1869 and organized October 22, 1881. The population was 26,987 at the 2000 census.-Overview:...

, Norma Berger followed in the footsteps of Margaret Berger

Margaret Berger (baseball)

Margaret Eloise Berger [″Sonny″] is a former pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 129 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Her younger sister, Norma Berger, also played in the league.The AAGPBL changed women's team sports...

, her older sister, who was one of the original members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in its inaugural season of 1943 and pitched two successful years for the South Bend Blue Sox

South Bend Blue Sox

The South Bend Blue Sox were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...

. The Berger sisters played baseball and basketball together during their childhood years, like the sisters depicted in the Penny Marshall

Penny Marshall

Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...

's 1992 film

1992 in film

The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...

 A League of Their Own

A League of Their Own

A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...

, though Margaret and Norma never compited against each other in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Berger spent the 1950 season with the Springfield Sallies

Springfield Sallies

The Springfield Sallies were a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the season. The team represented Springfield, Illinois, and played their games at Lanphier Ball Park....

, a touring player development team managed

Manager (baseball)

In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...

 by Mitch Skupien

Mitch Skupien

Mitch Skupien was a manager and executive in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.Very little is known about this man who worked hard for the AAGPBL during the final five years of its existence. Previously, Skupien had managed the Rayson Sporting Goods, a Chicago baseball team, and...

. She posted a 8-8 record in 18 pitching appearances. As a hitter, she collected a .118 average

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 :...

 (6-for-51), driving in

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...

 four runs while scoring

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...

 six times.

After the season came to and end, Berger attended college and married Robert Taylor in 1955. The couple fostered two children, Bonnie and Vickie. Her husband retired in 1994, but she continued to work as a bank supervisor.

In 1988, the Berger sisters received their long overdue recognition when the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 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...

 dedicated a permanent display to the entire league rather than any individual player.

Norma Berger Taylor currently lives in Villa Park, Illinois

Villa Park, Illinois

Villa Park is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County, Illinois. The population was 22,075 at the 2000 census. A special census in 2003 set the population at 22,517...

.

Sources