Al Capone was apparently a rising baseball star before he became one of the most powerful mobsters to ever live.
According to the New York Post, Montreal gangland historian Mario Gomes discovered that the legendary mafia kingpin played baseball for St. Michael’s in 1916, and then started Al Capone Stars in 1918 with his brother Ralph. The baseball team was described as “semi-pro” by the New York Post. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North
Capone stopped playing baseball after the 1918 season when he learned he was going to have a child.
What is it with infamous historical figures and baseball? Fidel Castro was also a baseball star before he became the dictator of Cuba.
Capone, while not a government leader like Castro, also became one of the most powerful men to ever live during his era.
The man ran organized crime in Chicago before being shipped off to Alcatraz on tax evasion charges.
To think, if a few things shook out differently, it sounds like Capone could have had a promising career on the diamond.
Instead, he became the face of organized crime in America. Life sure does come at you fast!
No matter what you think of Capone or the other criminal bosses, I think we can all agree the fact he was a baseball star is pretty damn neat.
Discovering new historical information about infamous figures will never get old.