Snapshot of Norfolk's Navy Team

This week archivists in Norfolk shared some amazing images I'd never seen. Eddie Robinson, (pictured in middle) turned 99 on Dec. 15. He's MLB's oldest-living player and often attends Texas Rangers games. Eddie played against the Cloudbusters in 1943, when he was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. On May 24, 1943, the Norfolk Naval Training Station 9 raised $2 million dollars for War Bonds when they beat the Senators at Griffith Park. Bing Crosby sang "White Christmas" during the game's 7th inning stretch. Babe Ruth made a surprise appearance, rallying fans to buy war bonds to supply shells, ships, and warplanes. He said, “I went to Japan in 1934 on a round-the-world tour and must have been met by 1½ million Japanese, with their own flag in one hand and an American flag in the other. We’re doing as much as we can, but that’s not enough. Those fellows over there are lying in trenches with mud and muck up to their necks, and we’ve got to pull them out." Photo Credit: Norfolk Public Library, Sargeant Memorial Collection.