If you were lucky enough to be at Waterfront Park in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 26, 1931, you might have been treated to a most unusual spectacle: Babe Ruth putting on a big, fake beard before going out to play a game of baseball. The Babe’s opponent that day was also in the category of most unusual: a barnstorming outfit from the “House of David,” or more properly, the “Israelite House of David.” The House of David was famous for their stunts, like riding donkeys in the outfield, and yes, their prodigious side-whiskers. They were also known for their genius for promotion; they were perhaps the only white outfit in those days that regularly played against the great Negro League teams of their era. They knew the power of celebrity. Satchel Paige pitched for them, and so did Jackie Mitchell, the famous woman who once struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game. So did Babe Didrikson Zaharias, the most famous female athlete of her day, and so did some hall-of-famers, including Chief Bender and Grover Cleveland Alexander. In fact, Alexander was the manager of a House of David team for a time.