Jean Dale: Cape Girardeau baseball sensation (with an asterisk)

From match-fixing to sign-stealing, professional baseball has had its share of scandals.

Recent events reminded me of the story of Emmett Eugene Dale, a former major-league pitcher who became embroiled in a bribery scandal, but then found redemption in Cape Girardeau playing for the Capahas in the early 1920s.

Dale, who interchangeably went by Jean or Gene, earned a place on the St. Louis Cardinals roster in 1911 as a starting pitcher, but didn't record any wins.

He landed with the Cincinnati Reds in 1915. Thanks to a wicked curveball, the right-hander put together his best season with 18 wins and 2.46 ERA. His performance collapsed the following season and he was relegated to the minor leagues.

In 1919, he played for the Salt Lake City Bees, and this is where he got into trouble. Babe Borton, an opposing player, admitted that he had bribed Dale and other Salt Lake players to lose during a critical late-season series.

A grand jury investigation found that Dale had cashed a $500 check from Borton. Dale denied that this was a bribe, stating that the check was the repayment of a loan.

The participants in the scandal avoided criminal charges, but minor-league officials were unconvinced by Dale's explanation. On Jan. 12, 1921, he was banned for life from organized baseball.

The ban didn't apply to the semi-pro Capahas. He soon joined the team and won his first appearance on May 15, prompting the Southeast Missourian to heap praise on the new hurler. "Dale pitches with such ease that it is disconcerting to the opposing batsmen. He uses no 'windup,' merely taking the ball from the catcher and returning it."

No mention was made of his tainted past. As the season progressed, he continued his fine pitching and his popularity surged, especially after he threw a one-hitter against Murphysboro, Illinois, on July 31.

Aug. 21 was declared "Jean Dale Day" at the ballpark. In a ceremony in front of a crowd of 1,500, he was presented with $200 in gold, the end result of a fundraising drive by local fans.

City clerk A.P. Behrens said, "Your loyalty to the management of the Cape Girardeau Baseball Association, your clean playing and gentlemanly conduct as a ball player, is highly appreciated by all, and I am sure that your fellow players have profited by your example."

He agreed to return for the 1922 season. When he first arrived by train, the newspaper noted that school teachers were on the lookout for students playing "hookey" to greet him.

After winning the home opener 1-0, he appeared set for another sterling season. By June, however, the Capahas were facing financial difficulties. As the highest paid player on the team, he was "the first to be given the gate."

It's unclear if he played any more baseball. He moved back to his hometown of St. Louis and settled into a blue-collar life until his death in 1958.