Negro League Baseball Blog

Negro League Organized In Texas In 1897

During the late 1800s numerous attempts were made to organize viable, professional black baseball leagues. However, economic realities, travel and lodging difficulties posed by segregation, and the logistics of travel worked together to thwart the establishment of any solid baseball circuit. Nonetheless, in 1896 an enterprising group of baseball men in Galveston, Texas believed that they had come up with scheme that could build a league on a sound footing. All that was needed to implement their plan for the new Lone Star Colored Baseball League Of Texas, they believed, was an experienced baseball man at the helm.

Former Buckeyes Moundsman Recalls Negro League Life In The 1940s

In a career interrupted by military service during World World II, Ross "Satch" Davis made a name for himself in big time Negro League baseball with the Baltimore Elite Giants and Negro American League champion Cleveland Buckeyes. Davis recalls his life in black baseball in an entertaining inferview with Doug Krikorian in the Long Beach Press Telegram. Read the whole story here...

Technorati Tags: Cleveland Buckeyes, Negro League, Negro League Baseball, Negro Leagues, Ross Davis

Pirates To Install Permanent Negro Leagues Tribute

On Monday (June 26th) the Pittsburgh Pirates will present a Negro League exhibit that will become a permanent fixture at PNC Park. The exhibit will be focused on the history and achievements of Negro League teams with specific emphasis on the two legendary teams from the Steel City area, the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays. Read the whole story in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Technorati Tags: Homestead Grays, Negro League, Negro Leagues, Pittsburgh Crawfords

Charlie Johnson, Former American Giants Star, Dies At 96

Charlie Johnson, 1930s outfielder for the Chicago American Giants and numerous barnstorming teams, passed away on June 10 in Chicago. Johnson had battled prostate cancer for some time prior to his death.

Technorati Tags: Chicago American Giants, Negro League, Negro League Baseball, Negro Leagues

Audio Profiles Of New Hall Of Fame Inductees

TBO.com is featuring an excellent set of career profiles of the newly elected members of the Hall of Fame selected by the special committee yesterday, Feb. 27th. Also included are profiles of all other candidates for induction who were not elected in yesterday's balloting.

The profiles are accompanied by audio narratives by Larry Hogan, a Negro Leagues historian who was a voting member of the committee.

"Shades of Glory : The Negro Leagues & the Story of African-American Baseball" (Lawrence D. Hogan)

Technorati Tags: Hall Of Fame, Negro League, Negro League Baseball, Negro Leagues

Hall Of Fame Profile: Willard Brown

A career that began with the Monroe (La.) Monarchs (Negro Southern League)  in 1934 took Willard "Home Run" Brown from the Southern "majors" of segregated baseball to a sterling career with the Kansas City Monarchs, a stint with the St. Louis Browns, and a few dazzling years in the integrated Texas League during the 1950s. Along the way Brown became the first black player to hit a homerun in the American League (with St. Louis in 1947) and a genuine legend in Puerto Rico. In the end, ten years after his death in 1996, Brown's career will come to a fitting conclusion with his induction into the National Baseball Hall Of Fame.

During the Hall of Fame's annual induction ceremony to be held on July 30th, Brown will join 16 other former Negro League players and executives to be enshrined in baseball's most sacred place. Baseball historians are almost universally agreed that Brown's career was of Hall of Fame caliber. But, as impressive as Brown was at the plate, leading the Negro American League (NAL) in homeruns seven times and winning three NAL batting titles, it is very possible that his statistical record fell considerably short of his potential. Paul Letlow, writing in the thenewsstar.com examines Brown's career and quirky personality.

Technorati Tags: Negro League, Negro Leagues, Hall Of Fame, Willard Brown

Seventeen Negro League Inductees Selected For Baseball Hall Of Fame

A select committee of baseball historians have elected 12 former Negro League and pre-Negro League stars and 5 Negro League executives to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Negro League luminaries will be inducted during ceremonies to be held at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY on July 30. For the complete story, see this announcement on the National Baseball Hall of Fame website.

Technorati Tags: Baseball Hall Of Fame, Negro League, Negro League Baseball, Negro Leagues

Negro League Legend Monte Irvin Returns To Cuba After 50 Years: DVD Released

The Bases Are Loaded, a newly released documentary film from Nagel Films, chronicles a trip by Hall of Famer Monte Irvin to Cuba where he reunites with former teammate, and Cuban baseball legend, Connie Marrerro. The Negro League-Cuban League baseball connection was a very important factor in the development of the game in both countries, and we can think of no better repository of the history than the recollections of Monte Irvin and Connie Marrero. With fan interest in Negro League baseball history reaching higher and higher levels during the past few years, it is good to see some attention being focused on Cuba--a home away from home for many Negro League stars in the pre-Castro years.

Buck Leonard Still A Hometown Hero

Buck Leonard passed away in November, 1997, but his life and contributions to his hometown remain fresh in the minds of Rocky Mount, NC residents. As the National Baseball Hall of Fame considers the nominations of 39 additional Negro League candidates for induction into baseball's shrine, the North Carolina community fondly remembers it's own Hall of Famer. Read more in this News & Observer article.

Technorati Tags: Buck Leonard, Negro League, Negro Leagues

Robert Peterson, Negro Leagues Historian, Has Passed Away

Robert W. Peterson, historian and author of the groundbreaking Negro Leagues baseball history Only The Ball Was White passed away Saturday in Salisbury Township, Pennsylvania. Peterson's book, which first appeared in 1970, stands as the first extensive study of Negro Leagues baseball since the demise of the Negro National and Negro American Leagues, and the book sparked a new interest in Negro League research that intensified during the 1990s. For more information about Peterson, his life and work, read this article at KansasCity.Com.

Technorati Tags: Negro League, Negro League Baseball, Negro Leagues, Robert W. Peterson

Wilkinson's Family Hopes Hall Will Honor Monarchs Owner

J. L. Wilkinson was not merely an entrepreneur with a passion for baseball. He was also a man with a vision for what black baseball could accomplish during the era of segregation. As the National Baseball's Hall of Fame's 12-member committee considers the names of 39 Negro League players and executives for possible induction into the Hall of Fame, Wilkinson's substantial contributions will be hard to overlook. Meanwhile, two grandchildren of the famed Kansas City Monarchs owner campaign for Wilkinson's induction. Read Sharon Rice's story in The Friday Flyer.

Technorati Tags: J. L. Wilkinson, Kansas City Monarchs, Negro League, Negro League Baseball

39 Negro League Stars Have New Chance At Hall Of Fame

A new one-time election set for next year offers 39 Negro Leaguers the chance for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The 39 candidates were nominated for induction as a result of an intensive study of Negro League baseball commissioned by the Hall of Fame and conducted by a research team of 50 historians and researchers headed by former baseball commissioner Fay Vincent.

Pennsylvania Town Rediscovering Championship Heritage

When baseball championships are discussed metropolitan giants like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles figure prominently in the conversaion. A small town like Darby, Pa. seems out of place on the map of baseball capitols, but Darby lays claim to a baseball world championship of it's own--the 1925 Negro World Series championship.

1925 World Champions To Be Honored

The Hilldale Giants, a Negro league baseball team from Delaware County that won the league's world series championship in 1925, may be honored with a historical marker. Get the full story here.

Byron "Mex" Johnson Passes Away At 94

Denver--Byron "Mex" Johnson, former Kansas City Monarchs shortstop, died September 24th from prostate cancer in Denver. In addition to his tenure with the Monarchs, Johnson performed with the Satchel Paige All-Stars exhibition team during the 1939 and 1940 seasons. Read more...

Technorati Tags: Kansas City Monarchs, Negro League, Negro League Baseball, Mex Johnson