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Jackie Mitchell didn’t drive anymore. She would only accept an invitation if a chauffeur was part of the package. So, Bill Lee’s secretary, Retha Rae Fiege, repeatedly made the short trip across the state line, stopping in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., to pick up Mitchell before returning to Joe Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn.
A front-row seat was reserved for the 70-something-year-old. Beer and cigarettes were provided, too. She wouldn’t come without plus-ones for her vices.
Mitchell liked to sit near the bat rack. She enjoyed spouting opinions on in-game strategy and pitch selection while evaluating the talent on a Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts roster featuring an unknown Edgar Martinez and dozens who would remain anonymous.
“She was fun and a very jovial person, but very opinionated about her baseball,” said Lee, the former Lookouts general manager (1984-89). “She really was quite the pistol, yelling at the umpires. She loved her cigarettes, loved her beer and loved her baseball.
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