80 years ago, Nebraskans put on a show in front of Adolf Hitler at Berlin Olympics

Leslie Mann

http://www.omaha.com/sports/blogs/years-ago-nebraskans-put-on-a-show-in-front-of/article_7bc6f2ce-5da7-11e6-9e7a-cf7e62ab894f.html

By Steven Elonich / World-Herald staff writer Updated 2 hrs ago

One of the most widely-attended baseball games in history didn’t include major league players, proper lighting or an audience that understood the game. It wasn’t played on U.S. soil, and the outcome didn’t crown a champion. In fact, it didn’t even really have opponents.

What it did have was a widely-recognized Nebraskan coaching both squads, two Huskers on the field and Adolf Hitler in attendance.

On Aug. 12, 1936, Les Mann, a Lincoln native, coached a U.S. demonstration team featuring mostly college players at the Berlin Olympics. Japan, which was scheduled to be the U.S. team's opponent, backed out of the contest, leaving Mann in a bit of a pickle.

Mann, along with the United States Amateur Baseball Association, had previously worked to demonstrate the sport at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, but had his request denied. Now, with a chance to finally showcase the game, he would show the sport to the world with a split-squad game. The American teams were dubbed the World Champions and the U.S. Olympics teams, with the Champions eventually coming out on top 6-5 in walk-off fashion.

FULL story at link.