IMAGE PROVIDED Rap Dixon, whose professional baseball career began with a game for the Harrisburg Giants at Williamsport’s Bowman Field.

Baseball has been part of Williamsport’s history for awhile. One of the earliest baseball games in the area was on Sept. 16, 1865 when Williamsport beat Keystone, 31-24, in one of the first known games.

Ever since then, it’s become part of the area’s history. So it isn’t surprising to see Williamsport pop up from time to time when baseball exhibits or documentaries are made. And, on Friday at the Lycoming Arts/River Valley Film Festival, that’s precisely what will happen yet again.

On Friday, the documentary “Rap Dixon: Beyond Baseball” will be shown which discusses baseball, history, American sociology and racism. Dixon has ties to the area as he played in the first professional baseball game at Bowman Field in April of 1927. It was during that time he played for the Harrisburg Giants.

“While the movie will undoubtably have a wide social justice aspect, my focus is baseball and it is my hope that this documentary will serve to educate the public on the true history of baseball during the first half of the 20th century,” Ted Knorr of the Society for American Baseball Research said.

The documentary will be curated, hosted and tended to by Knorr prior to the screening. He joined SABR in 1979.

Knorr will discuss all aspects of Dixon’s life, including the uniform he may have worn at Bowman Field in 1927. The exhibit will also feature posters, baseball cards and more at his exhibit afterwards.

Dixon had a long career in baseball, playing from 1922-1937 with numerous teams throughout the Negro League, including Harrisburg (1922-27) and Pittsburgh Crawfords (1932, 1934, 1937). With Pittsburgh, he played alongside Hall of Famers Satchel Paige and Judy Johnson.

Knorr is a researcher on Dixon’s life and mentioned that he checks the boxes as a Hall of Famer.

“For me just as Dixon’s career exemplifies him as a true-five tool player, he also checks all the earmarks of a Hall of Famer,” Knorr said, noting his OPS is among the highest of those yet to be inducted and his runs saved by arm was among the top in the Negro League by outfielders.