08.24.2023

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Today’s Forecast

69º | Rainy | 87% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:28 a.m. | Sunset 5:42 p.m.

⚾️ Out of your league

Austin’s connection to Rogers Hornsby, one of baseball’s greatest hitters

Rogers Hornsby holds a baseball bat and looks off near the camera in a black and white photo.

Almost 100 years later, Rogers Hornsby remains one of baseball’s greatest hitters. | Photo is public domain and published on the cover of TIME Magazine (uncredited), accessed via Wikimedia Commons

Right off of FM 969 in East Austin lies an unassuming — but nonetheless notable — piece of Texas sports history.

Rogers Hornsby, a born Texan and one of baseball’s greatest hitters, is buried in the Hornsby Cemetery off of Blue Bluff Road.

Before we tell you more about Hornsby and his connection to Austin, we’d like to give a shout out to reader Scott H., who told us about this landmark. Now, let’s dig in.

History

Hornsby — who was born in Winters, Texas in April 1896 — briefly lived in Austin as a child before moving to Fort Worth.

His baseball career began with the minor league Denison Railroaders in 1915. The team sold his contract to the St. Louis Cardinals for $600, but within the decade he worked his way into becoming the highest-paid player in the league, earning a whopping $18,500 (the 1915 equivalent to ~$540,000) per year.

Legend has it Hornsby valued his eyesight so much, he only read newspaper headlines — not the articles — and refused to watch movies until 1952, at age 56.

Although undoubtedly a great baseball player and brain, Hornsby experienced a series of trades and firings from 1926 to 1937 that may have been connected to personality differences and a gambling habit.

Rogers Hornsby's grave in Austin — Rogers Hornsby is buried in Austin’s Hornsby Cemetery.
|
Photo by Joe Stafford, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

He died of a heart attack in 1963, and was buriedin his family’s Austin cemetery five days later, at a packed funeral filled with fans and family.

Legacy

In addition to being a National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Hornsby boasts a career batting average of .358, which is still the second-highest in history behind Ty Cobb.

There’s also a rare title in baseball called the Triple Crown. One can only get a Triple Crown if they have the season’s highest batting average, most home runs, and most runs batted in.

Hornsby won the Triple Crown — twice.

Events

Thursday, Aug. 24

PRISM 36 LGBTQ+ Film Festival | Now-Sunday, Aug. 27 | 6-11 p.m. | Galaxy Theatres Austin, 6700 Middle Fiskville Rd., Austin | $15-$125 | “Austin’s oldest film festival” returns with five nights of screenings centered on celebrating LGBTQ+ voices.
UT Women’s Soccer vs LSU | Thursday, Aug. 24 | 7 p.m. | Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field, 707 Clyde Littlefield Dr., Austin | Free | Cheer on the Longhorns as they face down the Louisiana team.

Friday, Aug. 25

Indo-Chinese Cooking with Amirah Islam | Friday, Aug. 25 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Central Market Austin - North Lamar, 4001 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin | $75 | Watch Amirah put together Bangladeshi dishes with Chinese flavors, like chili beef and darsaan.
The Summer Block Party | Friday, Aug. 25 | 7:30 p.m. | H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, 2100 Ave. of the Stars, Cedar Park | $69-$249 | Don’t miss Jodeci, and Joe + Tamar Braxton at this end of season bash.

Saturday, Aug. 26

Dog Days of Summer | Saturday, Aug. 26 | 9 a.m.-12 p.m. | Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Rd., Austin | Free | Bring your furry friends for a day of puppy pools and vendors, plus adoptions, training demos, and giveaways.
Texas Woodworking Festival | Saturday, Aug. 26-Sunday, Aug. 27 | 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Rd., Austin | $40-$325 | Learn about everything woodworking — from getting the most of your handplane to steam bending 101 — at this festival.

Sunday, Aug. 27

Vinyl Brunch: Vibes on Vinyl Through the Years | Sunday, Aug. 27 | 12-3 p.m. | Austin Public Library - Carver Branch, 1161 Angelina St., Austin | Free | Spend the afternoon listening to and learning about music with Austin-based DJ Mahealani — small bites and beverages will also be provided.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Development

The historic, $4.5 billion overhaul of I-35 near Downtown Austin will officially move forward, after TxDOT gave the project a final green light earlier this week. Among other changes, the project will bring a new pedestrian bridge to 15th Street and aesthetic enhancements to the highway. (Austin Monitor)

Weather

Finally. Austin’s record-breaking 45-day streak of 100º ended Tuesday, thanks to a short burst of rain. However, the scorching heat made a quick return yesterday, causing ERCOT to issue a weather watch until this Sunday, Aug. 27. (KVUE + KXAN)

Civic

Austin City Council extended its disaster declaration caused by dry conditions and a series of local wildfires. The move allows the city to access additional resources more quickly to help fight fires when they occur. (Austin American-Statesman)

Biz

Tesla announced plans to open a 1.4-million sqft industrial park in Kyle. The space — called 35 Logistics — is 20% larger than The Domain and may be used to support the Austin Gigafactory. (Austin Chronicle)

Tech

Austin-based Apptronik unveiled the world’s first commercial, humanoid robot. Meet Apollo, a 5ft, 8in-robot built for working with humans on general tasks. (KXAN)

Closing

Top Drawer Thrift will close its Burnet Road location after 30 years this Saturday, Aug. 26 due to rising rent prices. The vintage and thrift shop will reopen at 5312 Airport Blvd. next month. (KVUE)

Announced

Pflugerville will host the Texas Nationals USA BMX competition for the next five years, the motocross organization announced this week. The events are expected to bring in $13 million in economic impact for the area. (Austin Business Journal)

Edu

📝 Take notes

ATXtoday readers give advice to incoming college freshmen

A gif of a young boy dancing while working on the computer.

What’s your studying soundtrack? | Gif via giphy

If you haven’t noticed the moving vans and shortage on Target twinkle lights, we’re in the middle of welcoming ~20,000 new students to Austin universities. To help the new Austinites find their way in school, we asked you for your advice — here’s what you said.

“You need to find your own Work Study placement, and can do some jobs off campus. Check out local nonprofits, like @bookspringatx, who would be delighted to have you!” – Emily C.

“Relax when it comes to your social life. Read the syllabus and make it a habit to go to the library early so you can find the best study spots and be able to make friends with the library employees.” — Anonymous

“Don’t drink.” – Anonymous

“Keep your nose clean, and in the books! Welcome and enjoy Austin :)” — Pete N.

Thanks for the advice, y’all.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
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From the editor

I’m signing off, ATX... but only for a little while.

I’m headed to Bali for a few weeks to enjoy some hiking and some sights, so next time I pop into your newsletters, it will be September. And hopefully a bit cooler.

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