Jimmy Adair

James Aubrey Adair (January 25, 1907 – December 9, 1982) was an American baseball infielder, manager and coach. Although he played only briefly in Major League Baseball, a shortstop for the 1931 Chicago Cubs, Adair had a long career as a minor league player and manager, and as a major league coach and scout.

Jimmy Adair in "The Star and the Rockets"
In 1954, Jimmy Adair was the manager of the Artesia NuMexers. Prior to a double-header between the NuMexers and the Roswell Rockets, Adair approach Rocket Joe Bauman. Bauman was on the verge of breaking the homerun record for a single season in professional baseball. A few days prior, the Big Spring Broncs had refused to pitch to Bauman, stalling his progress. Adair assured Bauman that the NuMexers would pitch to him, although they wouldn't just let him have the homerun either.

Bauman thanked Adair, although he privately wondered if Adair would have done the same thing if the NuMexers hadn't had the pennant all sewn up.

Literary Comment
Adair is not specifically named in the story, but there is no reason to think that the character described by Harry Turtledove is not Adair.