COSMIC BASEBALL ASSOCIATION Season 2001 Bigtopia Barnumstormers

Team Roster

Player		Position

	George Augur Mr. Augur was known as the "Cardiff Giant" and he stood nearly eight feet tall and tipped the scales at 360 pounds. Barnum added him to his show while touring Europe in 1844. Augur accompanied Barnum when he returned to the United States in 1903. On November 30, 1922, George Augur died of acute indigestion in New York City.	Catcher

	Jonathan R. Bass A popular sideshow attraction was the "Ossified Man". He was said to have turned to stone before he died.	Pitcher

	Eli Bowen A legless man, he stood two feet and weighed 140 pounds. Bowen was both a husband and father of four. His good friend was Charles Tripp, the armless man. Together they would appear in various sideshows. Often they would amaze patrons by riding a bicycle built for two.	Leftfield

	Jane Campbell The "Connecticut Countess", Ms. Campbell weighed 628 pounds.	Outfield

	Alfredo Codona Half-man, half-woman, Mr./Ms. Codona was androgynous before it became stylish.	Pitcher

	James W. Coffey Known as the "Skeleton Dude" he was average in height, but weighed in at only 70 pounds.	Thirdbase

	Grock Grock was a friendly freak beloved by the other members of the various sideshows he traveled with and by the fans who paid to watch him juggle and cuddle.	Pitcher

	Etta Lake The "Rubber Faced Girl", Ms. Lake could be found touring in a variety of side shows at the turn of the century.	Pitcher

	Francesco Lentini Mr. Lentini had an extra leg. His oddity was a popular feature in the side shows and he toured with Barnum, Walter Main's circus, and with Buffalo Bill's show. Lentini was married and had three children, two boys and a girl.	Centerfield

	Jean-Jacques Libbera Born in Rome in 1884 the Libberas toured with Barnum in 1907. Jacques was a parasitic body living within Jean's body. Jacques had arms, legs, hands and feet. X-rays indicated a rudimentary head was embedded inside Jean's body. Jean was married and fathered four normal offspring.	Firstbase

	Ma Phoon Hirsute individuals have always been a staple of the side show. Ma Phoon, like her son Moung (a former B'Stormer), was enveloped from head to toe in thick hair.	Shortstop

	Vantile Mack Billed by Barnum as the "Giant Baby", Vantile weighed 257 pounds at seven years of age.	Pitcher

	Ivannow Orloff The "Translucent Man". It was possible to observe the circulation of Count Orloff's blood in his veins and arteries.	Infield/Catcher

	Theodore Peteroff Known variously as "Jo Jo the Dog-Faced Boy" and the "Human Sky Terrier". His appearance explains these monikers.	Infield

	Charles Stratton In 1842, Barnum featured a perfectly formed midget, whom he billed as "General Tom Thumb". The son of a carpenter from Connecticut, "Tom Thumb" quickly became a sensation and earned a lot of money for himself and Barnum. On a European tour, "Tom" met Queen Victoria (three times) and otherwise enchanted European high society with his theatrics. In 1863 he married Lavina Warren, also a midget. A couple of years after the marriage, Barnum, ever the persistent huckster, arranged a publicity stunt claiming that Charles and Lavina had had a child. Pictures and news accounts were made announcing the event. But alas, it was just another Barnum hoax. There was no child. But Stratton became a wealthy man. He owned a stable, a yacht and a mansion when he died at age 45 in 1883.	Pitcher

	Charles B. Tripp An armless man, who became a passable painter by painting with his feet. Tripp was friends with Eli Bowen, a legless man. Together they would ride a bicycle built for two. Charles would peddle and Eli would steer. The two men were exhibited side by side for a number of years in a variety of side shows.	Rightfield

	Billy Wells Mr. Wells had a triple thick skull, earning him the name "block head". He would stand, unfazed, while brick blocks on his head were pounded with a sledgehammer.	Secondbase

	Thomas Wilkinson Mr. Wilkinson sported a five foot beard.	Pitcher

	Lucia Zarate One of the world's smallest of the small. Fully grown she weighed five pounds and stood twenty inches small.	Pitcher

Team Staff & Management
	*Grady Stiles Jr.* Also known as the "Lobster Boy" because, like his father before him, a birth abnormality gave his hands a claw-like appearance. He lived a complicated life. Stiles was eventually murdered by a teenage boy hired to kill him by his wife.	Manager

	Jenny Lind Swedish-born soprano signed by Barnum to give American concerts. Barnum paid her $1,000 for each of a 150 performances. At the conclusion of her American tour in 1852, gross concert receipts were nearly $700,000.	Coach

	Lou Jacobs A "white face" clown and originator of the midget automobile act.	General Manager

	Phineas T. Barnum Shortly before he died in 1891 Barnum wrote: I am prouder of my title 'the children's friend' than if I were to be called 'the king of the world'. That he thought he might be called 'king of the world' gives us some insight into this uniquely American figure. Known as the "father of the American circus" and described, after his death, by the Boston Herald as "the greatest showman of all time", Phineas Taylor Barnum was one-of-a-kind. At various times in his life he was a grocer, journalist, marketing wizard, city mayor, college benefactor, huckster, temperance lecturer, and circus owner. He was also married twice and the father of three daughters. His name adorns the popular animal crackers baked by the National Biscuit Company (NABISCO). Throughout his hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut Barnum-related names abound on streets, parks and buildings.	Owner

Home Park	Bigtopia Dome	Seats 17,118

Italics indicates Rookie