By Cliff White 

Staff Writer

Baseball has always had a spot in the hearts of mathematicians. From 1918 to “61” to Sabermetrics, numbers are vital to understanding and appreciating the sport. So maybe there is some arithmetic basis to the love which Bill Wise has for the history of baseball.

Then again, the best-regarded moments in baseball are the stories behind the numbers or that transcend the numbers – stories like that of Mainer Louis Sockalexis, told by Wise in his book, “Louis Sockalexis: Native American Baseball Pioneer.” Wise says it wasn’t his career statistics or setting of records which drew him to write about Sockalexis (he only played parts of three seasons in the majors). It was the story behind Sockalexis – the first Native American to play in the big league – and its transcendent meaning that set him to laying it down in words.

“It’s such an uplifting story,” Wise says. “Sockalexis was so courageous in how he dealt with the opposition he was faced with.”

The 49-year-old Wise, a Gorham native, has taught math at Greely Middle School in Cumberland for 28 years. A long-time writer, Wise has had many articles published in children’s magazines such as “Scholastic” and “Highlights.” His first book, “Whodunit Math Puzzles” was published by Sterling in 2001.

Wise soon began to look around for ideas for his next book.

“I was looking to do a biography as a children’s book,” Wise says. “I read something about Sockalexis, and I remembered I had heard about him as a kid, back in junior high school. I think not only the fact that he was the first Native American major league baseball player, but also the fact that he came from Maine, was what really got me interested.”

Sockalexis, born in 1871 on the Penobscot Indian reservation near Old Town, was a standout athlete in three sports while in high school. He was recruited by the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., hitting for a .444 average in his two seasons there. A scout from the major leagues saw him play and signed him to play outfield for the Cleveland Spiders, an old National League team.

His legend was born in his first major league game, Wise says. The star pitcher of the New York Giants, Amos Ruse, pledged to strike the “damned Indian” out. In front of a Polo Grounds crowd packed full of fans screaming, taunting and war-whooping, Sockalexis stepped in against Ruse and made history.

“He steps up and on the first pitch he hits this incredible home run, crushing it to center field and out of the park,” Wise says. “At that time, the Polo Grounds was the league’s premier stadium. The best players played there. And nobody had ever seen a ball hit that far.”

At first, the crowd didn’t know how to react, Wise says.

“There was this turmoil in the stands,” Wise says. “Then everyone started cheering for him, showing their appreciation, even though he was a player on the opposing team. The jeers had turned to cheers. Think of Yankee Stadium cheering for Manny Ramirez, or Fenway cheering for Derek Jeter. Now that’s quite a compliment, especially when you consider that back then fans were even more one-sided than they are today.”

Through his rookie season, Sockalexis became widely respected and admired throughout the major leagues, batting for a .338 average. Sadly, his fall from grace was just as rapid as his rise to fame. Sockalexis broke his ankle badly while drunkenly jumping from the second-story window of a brothel, and never recovered his top form. He played only parts of two more seasons before being demoted to the minor leagues. Eventually, Sockalexis moved back to Maine and took a job coaching youth league teams, Wise says. He died young – at 41, of tuberculosis and heart trouble.

It is the glory of Sockalexis which is captured in the book, not the misfortune, Wise says. 

“The book is aimed for children,” Wise says. “It’s intended to give hope about the possibility of overcoming obstacles and achieving your dreams. It’s really supposed to give kids the feeling that they can achieve anything they put their mind to.”

In his quest to have the Sockalexis book published, Wise too faced opposition. He finished it in 2005, but while pitching it to publishers he received “a significant number” of rejections. 

“One thing I’ve learned is, if you’re going to write books at any level, you have to grow some pretty thick skin,” Wise says.

Wise finally garnered some interest from Lee and Low Books, but his work wasn’t done there. He spent six months going through edit after edit, working with the publisher in revising the book until the publisher said she was satisfied.

“Despite spending so much time on the project, I never got tired of it,” Wise says. “It was fun from start to finish.”

Wise laughs when asked why he wrote the book.

“It certainly wasn’t for the money,” Wise says, saying the money made from having a book published is “not as much as people would think.”

“It was a labor of love,” Wise says. “There were a few books on Sockalexis, but nothing geared toward kids. It was a story that interested me, and I hope that it also captures the attention and imagination of the kids who read it.”

The illustrations which accompany the book, painted by Bill Farnsworth, add a lot to the book, Wise says.

“I had no say in who did the illustrations – the publisher has full say in choosing the illustrator,” Wise says. “I was very fortunate they picked this outstanding illustrator.”

Interestingly, Wise and Farnsworth have never met in person.

“We corresponded through email,” Wise says. “But it worked. He did an incredible job – the pictures just pop off the page, and his drawings really capture moments and scenes that can’t be completely captured in words. I love the way it all comes together.

Next up for Wise? A swing back to his first love, mathematics.

“I’m working on a couple of books about my favorite mathematicians of all time,” Wise says, acknowledging, “I don’t think it will have quite the appeal of baseball.”

“But like I said, it’s a labor of love,” Wise says. “Teaching and writing – I’m doing what I love.”