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 Jimmy
Rattlesnake, the ‘Smilin’ Rattler’ is a legend. He was one
of Canada’s greatest aboriginal athletes and baseball was
his game. Born on the Hobbema Reserve in 1909, he was an
outstanding pitcher who was scouted by a New York team in
the 1930’s and invited to Spring Training. The team was
high on him and Jimmy did play a few games, but he didn’t
like the big city of New York and slipped away one day and
returned to his reserve. For the next 20 years he was one
of the premier pitchers in Western Canada, playing in all
the big tournaments that existed at that time. Although he
did participate in other sports too; soccer, curling, and
horseshoes; his first love was always baseball.
In his day,
to be scouted or to go any place for a tryout was just about beyond comprehension
In his day it was difficult for a Canadian to go to the
National League in the USA. To be scouted or to go any
place for a tryout was just about beyond comprehension.
Every few years there might be the odd scout through our
area, so for Jimmy Rattlesnake to go to New York for a
tryout and make the team was quite an accomplishment. It is
said that Jimmy was one of the first Canadian baseball
players to turn professional in the USA and certainly he was
the first
Aboriginal
baseball player from Canada to do so.
Batters all felt ‘the Rattler’ was
dangerous,
he made mortals out of heroes
 Jimmy
Rattlesnake had tremendous natural ability and the perfect
physique for a pitcher. He was over six feet tall and lanky,
his shoulders were kind of stooped like he’d spent a lot of
time on the mound and
he was a good runner. A crafty and cunning pitcher, many
people used to compare him to Satchel Paige. Jimmy
fascinated baseball people, they wondered where he learned
to throw like he did. Batters all felt ‘the Rattler’
was dangerous, he made mortals out of heroes. Jimmy threw
what was call a ‘sawdust ball’, it made hitters uneasy as
the ball looked like it was never going to get to the plate
and then just as a hitter was swinging, the ball would do
something crazy, tail or drop and the batter would miss it
by a country mile. He’d show hitters his fastball, but
all his strikes would be curves. Jimmy was an idol to many
aspiring pitchers and many tried to emulate his throwing
techniques.
A
“southpaw”, he was great at picking off players trying to
steal bases, it was like he had eyes all over and he was
fast. Most fans and spectators recall his “pick-off move” to
first base which was like no other pitcher
during his era. He also had a reputation for being
cool under pressure; with two out, bases loaded, he’s most
often come through looking good. However, the
biggest trouble was trying to catch for him, catchers used
to feel like they were sticking their hand in a “sack full
of rattlers”. Many of his friends and team mates in
Hobbema who played or practiced with Jimmy and didn’t use
catchers mitts had bent or broken fingers because of his
pitches. Even some of them who did use catchers mitts
suffered the same fate.
He was great at picking off players
trying to steal
bases, it was like he had eyes all over and he was fast
Jimmy Rattlesnake roamed all over Alberta and Saskatchewan
playing baseball , he’d show up anywhere and everybody
seemed to get a thrill out of it, just knowing he could
appear unexpectedly. He played in all the small Alberta
towns, especially in the money tournaments....Wetaskiwin,
Lacombe, Neilburg, Alix, Clive, Tees, Mirror; you name it,
he was probably there. Everybody knew his name and people
got so they’d know instinctively when he came to a
particular area and they’d be on the lookout for him.
Sometimes, a team would try to keep him a secret until the
line-ups were called, sort of like a secret weapon in
reserve.
From written records we know for sure that Jimmy Rattlesnake
played for the following teams:
-
The Stockyard Bulls in Edmonton (early 1930’s)- he was
picked up in Hobbema and driven to the games by a man
from Ponoka named Dobson.
-
The Edmonton Royals (early 1930’s)
-
The Wetaskiwin Braves (1935) - Alberta Senior Amateur
Baseball Champions
-
Wetaskiwin Old Stars (1943)
-
Victoria Machinery Depot Shipbuilders (1943) - During
the war Jimmy played for this team that had real success
against the army, navy and air force teams that had some
of the best athletes in Canada playing for them. Laurel
Harney a renowned baseball player, coach and manager
took him out to Victoria. Jimmy was successful playing
for the team but didn’t like working in the shipyard and
living so far away from home so he left. The team
brought him back for playoffs that year and he won two
big games for them in relief.
There are
no written records but it is
believed that he also played in Seattle.
Jimmy’s
many years of tournament baseball were acknowledged by
Baseball Alberta’s “Life Member Award”. Also, Baseball
Canada has an award called the “Jimmy Rattlesnake Award”
presented annually in his honor to
the Canadian Baseball Player that represents both talent and
sportsmanship. An
athletic award in Jimmy’s name is presented annually at
Erminskin School in Hobbema.
Humble and unassuming, Jimmy was not only a superb baseball
player but a fine person and outstanding citizen. Jimmy
contributed to his community through his quiet role modeling
and his venturing out of the community so that he could
compete at the highest available levels of competition. It
is with great pleasure and admiration for his ability and
accomplishments that we induct Jimmy Rattlesnake into the Wetaskiwin and County Sports Hall of Fame.
Information
about an inductee is collected from published sources,
sports archives, scrapbooks,
anecdotal information from family, friends and fans, and the
athlete.
However,
sometimes the best stories and personal insights are gleaned
at the induction dinner from the introductory comments or
acceptance
speech of the inductee or their
representative.
Where possible we have included this type of information for
your enjoyment.
Read the
opening comments made by Sandra Wright when speaking about
Jimmy Rattlesnake.
Read
the
acceptance speech made by the daughter of Jimmy Rattlesnake.
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