Baseball; the Last Great American Pastime by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Baseball; the Last Great American Pastime

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“Cool Papa (Bell) could snap off the light, get into bed and

pull the covers up before the room was dark.”

Satchel Paige, pitcher

 

“Not only do I get more money playing here, but I live like a

king. I've found freedom and democracy here, something I never

found in the United States. Here in Mexico, I am a man.”

Willie Wells, shortstop

 

"Black and white in Cuba suffered that the blacks could not play

in the big leagues, because we had many Cuban stars who were

black. And we said, what a waste. It was the feeling, what a

waste. And when the black athletes came to play in Cuba they

were lionized. They were heroes, and they felt very comfortable

in Cuba."

Manuel Marquez-Sterling, Cuban politico

 

“By the seventh inning we were a run behind, and you could see

Trujillo lining up his army. It began to look like a firing

squad. In the last of the seventh we scored two runs. You never

saw old Satch throw harder than that. I shut them out that last

two innings and we won. I hustled back to our hotel and the next

morning we blowed out of there in a hurry. We never did see

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Trujillo again, and I ain't sorry.”

Satchel Paige, pitcher

 

"Satchel Paige always thought he was the greatest pitcher in the

world, and Josh Gibson thought he was the greatest hitter in the

world and we did too. And Satchel and Josh in this World Series

ballgame. Satchel's pitching, and we got a ballgame won — the

Kansas City Monarchs. With two out in the ninth inning, the

first-place hitter, he tripled off Satchel. We got two outs, so

that didn't bother us at all. So, Satchel called me, said, Hey,

Nancy, come here. I said, What do you want, Satchel? He said,

Let me tell you what I'm fixing to do. I said, What are you

fixing to do? He said, I'm going to walk Howard Easterling, I'm

going to walk Buck Leonard, I'm going to pitch to Josh Gibson. I

said, Man, don't be facetious. He said, That's what I'm going to

do. I said, Time! I called the ump, I called the manager, who

was Frank Duncan — great ballplayer himself — I said, Frank, you

got to listen to what Satchel said. And so Satchel told him what

was going to happen. And so, in walking Easterling and walking

Buck Leonard to fill the bases — now, when he was walking Buck,

Josh was in the circle, you know, and he's talking to Josh all

the time, said, Josh, do you remember the day when we were

playing on the same team and I told you that one day we were

gonna meet and see who was the best? He said, Yeah, I know what

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you're talking about. Satchel said, All right, said, Now is the

time to prove this thing. So when Josh comes up to the bat —

listen, let me tell you what this man did. He said, Time! He

called the trainer. Our trainer was Jew-Baby Floyd — and I don't

know why they called him Jew-Baby, 'cause he was black as me —

but anyway, when Jew-Baby comes out with his, you know, like the

smock that the doctor would wear, and he's got a concoction in a

glass. He's got a glass, he's got some water, and he puts this —

I guess Alka-Seltzer or something — he pours this in that water

and it fizzes and Satchel drinks it down. He lets out a belch —

I can hear it, but nobody else heard it. And so, he said, Now

I'm ready. So, the fans, now they know what's happening now,

everybody — we got to have 40,000 people — they're standing, and

here comes Satchel. Satchel said, You know, Josh, I'm going to

throw you some fastballs. I'm going to throw you a fastball

belt-high. Boom! Strike one. Josh didn't move the bat. He said,

Now, I'm going to throw you another fastball, but this is going

to be faster than the other fastball. Boom! Strike two. He said,

Now, Josh, I've got you two strikes and no balls. You know, in

this situation I'm supposed to knock you down, you know, brush

you back, he said, but, uh-uh, I'm not gonna throw any smoke at

your yoke, I'm gonna throw a pea at your knee. Boom! Strike

three. And when he struck him out — you know, Satchel must be 6'

5" — Satchel stretched out, looked like he was 7 feet tall, and

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he walked off the field and walked by me and said, You know

what, Nancy? Nobody hits Satchel. That was the end of that

story."

Buck O'Neil, first baseman

 

“This week the 100th anniversary of our; pardon us; national

pastime is being celebrated. During this century of diamond-

doings, however, Negro baseballers, in spite of their undoubted

ability to bat, run, pitch, snare gargantuan flies, cavort

around shortstop and the keystone sack and think baseball,

haven't reached first base insofar as getting into the big

leagues is concerned.”

Amsterdam News, newspaper

 

“Every known nationality, including Indians, Cubans, Filipinos,

Jews, Italians, Greeks; with the lone exception of the American

black man; have played in both the National and American

Leagues. The white sporting public wants to see a good ball

game. They do not raise the question of the nationality of a

player who can knock a home run or can pitch a good game. There

was no Hitler movement created in America when John McGraw of

the New York Giants put Andy Cohen, a Jew, on second base. It

was up to Cohen to make good or go. What is the matter with

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baseball? The answer is: plain prejudice, that's all.”

Chicago Defender, newspaper

 

Below is a listing and a few words about the greatest

players of the Negro Leagues. This is a tad in excess of this

book’s subsequent treatment of MLB stars of their eras, simply

because, despite a few earlier attempts, the “successful” Negro

Leagues covered three decades from 1920-1951, and other than a

handful, there is still so little known of its great stars.

Leroy “Satchel” Paige requires little introduction. He was

a great showman and possibly the best pitcher who ever lived.

Some say that he won 2,000 games. Much of this, as is all of

Negro League statistics, is questioned as many games have no

record and some were not played against professional level

competition. Suffice to say that in 1948, when Satch was listed

at being 41 years of age; a number many consider to be under-

stated, he was finally allowed to pitch in white MLB. He

proceeded to put up a 2.48 ERA; when 2.43 was the best in the

league. In 1952, at a baseball absurd age of listed 45, he was

17th in MVP voting.

Josh Gibson never got to white MLB. In early 1943, he fell

into a coma and it was determined that he had a brain tumor. He

refused surgery and lived the next four years with recurring

headaches. He died of a stroke in Pittsburgh in 1947 at age 35

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just three months before Jackie Robinson broke the color lines.

It is estimated that he hit 800 lifetime home runs, including 70

in one season, to complement an undisputed career .359 batting

average. In some circles he was called “The Black Babe Ruth.” In

others, Ruth was called “The White Josh Gibson.”

James “Cool Papa” Bell was called the fastest man to ever

play the game. Stories abound about his base stealing abilities,

and how pitchers tried their best to strike him out, as if he

hit the ball anywhere he would likely get to first base before

the ball did.. He batted .337 lifetime.

Oscar Charleston was an intense, focused, and a markedly

intelligent man. He was both a power and contact hitter and one

of the finest defensive center fielders of all-time. His

career batting average was .353. He regularly finished among

league leaders in both home runs and stolen bases. He was also

known for his combative nature, getting into many brawls,

including at least one memorable fight with a band of Cuban

soldiers, drawing some analogies to Ty Cobb.

John Henry “Pop” Lloyd was a shortstop and manager. He is

generally considered the greatest shortstop in Negro league

history, and Babe Ruth reportedly believed Lloyd to be the

greatest baseball player ever. He was a heavy hitter, but also

knew how to play "inside baseball." Known for his gentlemanly

conduct, Lloyd batted .343.

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Walter “Buck” Leonard batted .320 and spent the best part

of his career batting fourth behind Josh Gibson. At age 40 he

led the Negro leagues in batting average in 1948 with a mark of

.395. He usually either led the league in home runs or finished

second to teammate Gibson. Since Gibson was known as the

"Black Babe Ruth" and Leonard was a first baseman, Buck Leonard

was called the "Black Lou Gehrig." Together, the pair was known

as the "Thunder Twins" or "Dynamite Twins".

Andrew (Rube) Foster (1879–1930) was a pioneer of early

black baseball. Though his playing days were too early for any

records to be yet found, it is said that he was the best black

pitcher of the first decade of the 1900’s. He managed and

perhaps most notably, he organized the Negro National League,

the first long-lasting professional league for black players, in

existence from 1920 to 1931.

Willie (The Devil) Wells was a rarity; the flawless

shortstop. In 1926 he hit 27 home runs, a Negro League single-

season record. He played in Mexico in 1940 and 1941, where he

said that for the first time he experienced democracy,

acceptance, and freedom. Wells was a fast baserunner who hit for

both power and average. He was at his finest with his glove,

committing almost no errors and having the speed to run down

anything that came in his direction. It is also said that

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taught Jackie Robinson how to turn a double play. .319 lifetime

with 100 dingers.

Norman “Turkey” Stearnes batted over .400 three times and

led the Negro leagues in home runs seven times. He is credited

with 176 home runs in his Negro league career, the all-time

Negro league record. Since Negro league seasons were very short,

sometimes lasting fewer than 30 games, it is unclear how many

more home runs Stearnes might have hit in a 154 game MLB season;

though the number is obviously substantial. He ended at .344

with 176 homers in the official Negro Leagues.

Martin Dihigo Dihigo's career record in twelve seasons in

the Negro leagues was a .307 average and .511 slugging

percentage. As a pitcher, he went 26–19 with a 2.92 ERA, with

176 strikeouts and 80 walks in 354 innings. He played all nine

positions and Al Campanis called him the greatest to play the

game, Clemente second.

William (Judy) Johnson is still somewhat in the shadows. In

addition to his late placement in baseball’s Hall of Fame, there

seem to be few specifics available concerning his performance.

It is said that Johnson was a good fielder, and he was

considered one of the greatest third basemen of the Negro

Leagues. Curiously, BaseballReference.com lists him, but leaves

98% of the numbers blank. ?????????

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Leon Day is another case of lack of information. He is

noted for pitching a perfect season in 1937 of 13-0, and for

his fastball. Day was also a good hitter, batting .320 in 1937.

From 1935 through 1946 he appeared in a record seven East-

West All-Star Games, and set an all-star record by striking

out 14 batters. He died six days after his election to

Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Raleigh (Biz) Mackey pre-dated Josh Gibson by a bit. Mackey

came to be regarded as black baseball's premier catcher in the

late 1920’s and early 1930’s. His impeccable defense and rifle

throwing arm were complemented by a batting skill which ended up

at .322 for his career.

William (Willie) Foster was an enigma in retrospect, and

the probable subject of a book devoted entirely to him. For the

purposes of this one, suffice to say that in aggregate he ended

his career with an outstanding 2.40 ERA. Add to that the fact

that in 1926, he won 23 games in a row during the regular

season; then went on to star in the Negro League playoffs.

Needing to win both games of a doubleheader, Foster hurled

complete game shutouts in both games of a doubleheader

against Bullet Joe Rogan. In 1931 he threw his fastball past a

major league all-star team composed of such legendary men

as Babe Herman, and both of the Hall of Fame Waner brothers,

Lloyd and Paul.

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Monte Irvin transversed both leagues. After an established,

successful term in the Negro Leagues, he followed Jackie

Robinson to MLB and continued his stellar performance there.

Some of his Negro League stats, both in terms of batting average

and power, were off the charts. His MLB performance was hindered

by contractual disputes, yet still placed him among league

leaders, sometimes an MVP candidate.

Cristobal Torriente played in Cuba as well as the Negro

Leagues. Cuba considers him their greatest. Torriente played on

the great Chicago American Giants teams of 1918–1925. He led the

American Giants to Negro National League pennants from 1920 to

1922 while batting .411, .338, and .342. He won the batting

title in 1920 and again in 1923 with a .412 average. He retired

from the Negro leagues with a career .331 batting average.

“Cannonball” Dick Redding’s early appearance in the game

apparently precludes statistics, no matter the degree of doubt

about them. It is said that against all levels of competition he

threw seven no-hitters in one year and approximately thirty in

his career. Basically, he relied solely on his fastball. In 1914

he was 12-3 against official competition and 31-9 in

barnstorming. He has not yet been put in Baseball’s Hall of

Fame.

Louis Santop is another of those who played so early that

records are not fully available or believable. Some estimate

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that he was a .406 lifetime hitter. In 1911 he hit an

astonishing .470 and then, three years later, hit .455 for

the Lincoln Stars. The 6’4”, 240 pound giant was noted for his

outlandishness and his confidence while playing. He was reported

to have called home runs while in the batter's box. In a 1912

game, he was credited with a tape-measure 500 foot bomb; a

remarkable feat in the “Deadball” era.

Cumberland (Cum) Posey Jr. did not become a baseball great

in the usual manner. He was born into the Negro elite, and the

family lived in a palatial Italianate mansion. In that seemingly

inescapable cauldron of race discrimination, he began to excel

as a young athlete. In football, Cumberland Jr. was a star

player and manager for semi-pro sandlot teams in the Pittsburgh

area prior to 1910. He was also the best African American

basketball player of his time, playing from the early 1900’s

through the mid-1920’s. During the mid-1910’s, Posey formed,

operated, and played for the Loendi Big Five, which became the

most dominant basketball team of the Black Fives Era through the

mid-1920s, winning four straight Colored Basketball World

Championship titles. In baseball, Posey played with

the Homestead Grays in 1911, was manager by 1916, and became

owner in the early 1920’s. In a quarter-century running the

team, he built it into one of the powerhouse franchises of black

baseball, winning numerous pennants, including nine

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consecutively from 1937-45. Posey was the principal owner of the

Homestead Grays, spent 35 years (1911–1946) in baseball as a

player, manager, owner and club official. He built a strong

barnstorming circuit that made the Grays a perennially powerful

and profitable team, one of the best in the East. No records of

his early, on-field, baseball performances survive.

Effa Manley was an American sports executive, and the first

woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. She co-owned

the Newark Eagles baseball franchise in the Negro leagues with

her husband Abe Manley from 1935 to 1946 and was sole owner

through 1948 after his death. Throughout that time, she served

as the team's business manager and fulfilled many of her

husband's duties as treasurer of the Negro National League.

J. L. Wilkinson, a white man, was an American sports

executive who founded the barnstorming All Nations baseball club

in 1912, and the Negro league baseball team Kansas City

Monarchs in 1920.

Ernest (Jud) Wilson was a third baseman, first baseman,

and manager. One of the most powerful hitters, his batting

average of .351 ranks him among the top five players. During the

1920’s, Wilson also enjoyed success playing winter baseball in

the Cuban League. His career batting average there was the

highest in league history.

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John (Buck) O’Neill was a first baseman and manager,

batting .288; five times over .300. He later worked as a scout,

and became the first African American coach in Major League

Baseball. He also became a popular and renowned speaker and

interview subject, helping to renew widespread interest in the

Negro leagues, and played a major role in establishing the Negro

Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

Hilton Smith was pitcher who often alongside Satchel

Paige for the Kansas City Monarchs between 1932 and 1948. His

league record was 71-31, with an unbelievable 1.68 ERA.

Dick Lundy was a shortstop for numerous teams. In 1921

his batting average was reportedly .484. Lundy became the

player-manager of the Bacharach Giants from 1925 through 1928,

leading the team to two Eastern Colored League pennants. His

lifetime average was .305. He is not in the Hall of Fame.

William Augustus (Gus) Greenlee parlayed the purchase of

the Collins Inn in 1924 into becoming one of the most

influential black business owners in Pittsburgh, making his

reputation as a numbers runner and racketeer, as well as the

owner of the Crawford Grill nightclub and the Pittsburgh

Crawfords baseball team. Despite the rough figure suggested by

terms such as "racketeer," Greenlee was known as a

philanthropist who helped fellow blacks with scholarships for

schooling and with grants to buy homes. Such opportunities were

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otherwise impossible to come by through white-controlled

financial institutions.

Larry Doby in 1940 at 17 years of age began professionally

playing baseball with the Newark Eagles. After a WWII stint in

the Navy he returned to baseball in 1946, and along with

teammate Monte Irvin, helped the Eagles win the Negro League

World Series. In July 1947, Doby joined Jackie Robinson in

breaking the MLB racial ban. He became the first black player in

the American League. Doby was a seven-time All-Star and with

teammate Satchel Paige were the first black players to win

a World Series championship with the Indians in 1948. In MLB he

batted .283 with 253 home runs.

Ted (Double Duty) Radcliffe was one of the few pros to both

pitch and catch. Negro League records have minimal information

about him. One estimate is that he compiled a .303 batting

average, 4,000 hits and 400 homers in 36 years in the game.

Ben Taylor started as a pitcher in 1908, but migrated to

first base. In partnership with a brother, he managed and owned,

the Indianapolis ABCs. He starred in 1916’s championship series,

going 11 for 18 and stealing three bases in five games. He

batted over .300 in 15 of his first 16 seasons, and was

considered an excellent fielder. His contemporaries voted him

the second best first baseman to play in the Negro Leagues.

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Jose Mendez established most of his glory in Cuba, but

ended his career in the Negro Leagues. He pitched 43 consecutive

scoreless innings against barnstorming US MLB teams. Méndez

became the star of the first Negro League World Series in 1924,

winning two games including a shutout victory in the finale.

His career Cuban League record was 76–28, and he ranks first in

all-time career winning percentage with .731.

Sol White played from the late 1880’s to the early 1900’s;

the very beginnings of the Negro Leagues. It is reported that he

was a consistent .300 hitter, and an organizer-manager. He is

now most remembered for managing the Philadelphia Giants to four

straight black baseball championships from 1904 to 1907 and

having written the first book about black professional baseball;

“Sol White’s History of Colored Base Ball” in 1907, which was

sold primarily at ballparks.

John Beckwith was primarily a third baseman, described as

no more than a competent fielder; though shaky records put him

among the all-time Negro League leaders in batting average, home

runs, RBI and slugging percentage. He played from 1916-38 and is

not a member of the Hall of Fame.

Newt Allen played from 1922-48. He was one of the fastest

runners of his time, and his most remarkable season was 1929, in

which he batted .330 while stealing 23 bases. Also considered a

brilliant fielder, he is not in the Hall of Fame. His few known

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statistics include a .293 career batting average and 16 home

runs in 640 games.

Sam Jethroe, “The Jet,” concluded his Negro League career

in 1948, having played on many winning teams, and having a .296

lifetime average. After time in the minors he entered the big

leagues in 1950, and was voted “Rookie of the Year” at age 32.

In a four-season major league career, he was a .261 hitter with

460 hits, 49 home runs, 280 runs, 181 RBI and 98 stolen bases in

442 games. He is not in the Hall of Fame.

Quincy Trouppe was a switch-hitting power guy in the Negro

Leagues, catching from 1930-49, Cuba, Canada, and Mexico; making

the all-star team for 17 of his 24 campaigns; after having been

an amateur boxing champion. His extremely limited time in MLB,

which aggregated ten at bats made him one of the oldest rookies

at age 39. He seemed to be erratic at the plate; registering

many .300+ seasons as well as some on the .200’s, though it is

noted that many of the seasons were well short of 162 games. He

is not in the Hall of Fame.

Bruce Petway was a thin, 159 pound, catcher in the early

twentieth century, who was known for his arm. He is said to have

been one of the first to have thrown to second base without

coming out of the squat. Petway left a career in medicine to

pursue baseball, playing for a number of Negro League teams.

While playing in Cuba in 1910, he reportedly threw Ty Cobb out

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three times, in three attempts to steal. That year he also

batted .390. He is not in the Hall of Fame.

Elwood (Bingo) DeMoss is considered the finest fielding

second baseman of the 1910’s and 1920’s Negro Leagues. He was

the captain of the 1926 Negro League Champion Chicago American

Giants. At the plate, he is known as a great bunter. Though

there is some discrepancy with the reported statistics, he

batted .247, including a high of .314. As mentioned DeMoss was a

proficient bunter and hit-and-run man, making him an ideal

second-place hitter. Jelly Gardner, who batted ahead of DeMoss

said of his teammate, "If he thought you'd be out trying to

steal, he'd foul off the pitch if he couldn't hit it well.” He

is not a member of the Hall of Fame.

 

You might have correctly inferred that these players did

not play recently. If you did you were right. That’s because the

acceptance of blacks into the previously all white major leagues

was ironically one of the factors which ended the Negro Leagues.

In addition, you might have concluded that this chapter is

deficient. It sadly is. The writer pleads “lack of information”

in the age of information. What could be more absurd?