Part 3 – Time Line of Negro League History

• The 1880s and the Unwritten Policy of Major League Baseball – One of the major problems in professional baseball in the 1880s is segregation.; The 1887 recession contributed to segregationist leanings of many white ballplayers.  They did not want to lose their job to black ballplayers.  The two main antagonists are Cap Anson (white first baseman/Manager of the National League Chicago White Stockings) and Fleetwood Walker (African-American) a catcher for some teams.  Anson is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  He contributed to the success of the Chicago White Stockings and the National League. However, he was a racist.  In a game against the Toledo Blue Hens, Anson refused to play if Fleetwood Walker (African-American) the catcher, is in the game.  The manager of the Blue Hens convinced Anson to play that day.  He also told Anson that Walker would not play in future games against Anson and his Chicago Club.  In 1887, baseball owners established an unwritten league policy “No more black, ballplayers!”  Baseball was segregated for sixty years before Jackie Robinson re-integrated Major League Baseball.
• The 1900s – 1920s Andrew “Rube” Foster – In the early 1900s, Andrew Foster changed baseball, forever.  For the next twenty-five years, he made sure that his white counterparts in baseball (players, managers, and owners) knew how good the black ballplayers were, how baseball savvy he was not only as a player but as a creative baseball manager.  Finally, in 1920 he organized the Negro National League (eight teams owned by eight black baseball owners). Note: I use the term black, rather than African-American because many of the black ballplayers were from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Mexico.  These ballplayers were black Latino players.  In the first decade of the Twentieth Century, Andrew Foster was one of the top five pitchers in baseball (my opinion).  Foster influenced three of the four best Major League pitchers.  The best Major League pitcher of the Decade, Cy Young, did not cross paths was Foster.  The # 2 and # 3 pitchers of the decade (Mathewson and McGinnity of the New York Giants) were taught by Foster how to throw a fade away (screwball) pitch during Spring Training in 1903.  Their careers blossomed beginning in 1903.  The Giants were the best team in baseball in 1904 and 1905 thanks to the great improvement in Mathewson/McGinnity as pitchers, thanks to Foster.  The #4 Major League pitcher of the decade, Rube Waddell, Philadelphia Athletics, lost an exhibition game to Foster, 3-2!  All four of these Major League Pitchers are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame (as is Andrew “Rube” Foster).  As a baseball manager, “Rube” Foster ranks with the greatest managers in history.  His contemporaries, as managers Connie Mack (Athletics) and John McGraw (Giants), both knew how good Foster was as a player and manager.  Foster was a teacher.  All of his players could bunt and bunt well. Note: a bunt is a ball that may be hit softly 10-15 feet to advance runners or surprise the defense to beat out a hit.  Foster revolutionized the use of the bunt to be very aggressive.  Most teams use the bunt to advance runners one base.  Foster used what he called, the bunt and run to move runners two bases!  From 1910 to 1922 his Chicago teams (Leland Giants-1910 and Chicago American Giants were the best Negro League, teams).  In 1910 the Leland Giants won 123 games while losing 6.  Often, they were better than the Major League teams in Chicago (Cubs and White Sox).  Next Year is the 100^th Anniversary of the Negro National League formed by Rube Foster (eight teams with eight African-American owners) in 1920.  For the next three decades, there was organized Negro League Baseball.  By 1926, Foster began to crack under all the strain.  He died in 1930.
• The 1920s – 1947 – The Negro Leagues (pre-integration) – In this section, I will focus on four keys to the success of the Negro Leagues.  These four key areas are great players, great teams, East-West All-Star Game, and Barnstorming Baseball.
• Great players in the Negro Leagues – Bill James one of the great baseball historians created his Top 100 Players’ List (included Negro League players).  Oscar Charleston (rank #4) – He was a power-hitting outfielder that played from 1920 to 1942.  Josh Gibson (rank #9) – He was the greatest catcher in baseball history.  He hit over 950 home runs (more than any player).  He played from 1930-1946.  Satchel Paige (rank #17) – He was considered to be the greatest pitcher in the Negro Leagues.  At the age of 42 in July 1948, he was signed to a contract with the Cleveland Indians in the American League.  He wins six games, loses one.  The Indians win the World Series.  The Indians have not won a World Series since (70 years)!  When he was 59 years old (1965), he pitched three innings against the Boston Red Sox and gave up no runs!  He pitched in the Negro Leagues from 1926 to 1948.  He pitched in the Major Leagues 1948-1953 (missing one year, 1950).  Turkey Stearnes (#25) was another power-hitting outfielder.  He played from 1921-1940.  Pop Lloyd (#27) was considered the second best shortstop in baseball history.  Honus Wagner who was a white shortstop is considered the best shortstop of all time.  He was ranked as the second best player behind Babe Ruth.  Lloyd was called the Black Wagner.  The response from Wagner, “It is an honor to be compared to Lloyd.  They were contemporaries.  Lloyd played from 1906 to 1932.  The following Negro League players are also in the Top 100 Player Ranking – Mule Suttles (# 43) was an outfielder and first baseman; Joe Williams (#52) was a pitcher; Buck Leonard (#65), was the first baseman; Cristobal Torriente (67) was an outfielder; Cool Papa Bell (#76) was an outfielder; Willie Wells (#86) was a shortstop; finally Martin Dihigo (#96) played all positions.  In my books, he is a pitcher.  Smokey Joe Williams is the only Negro League player in the Top 100 player ranking that is not in my book.  In 1993, when the card set was created, we overlooked the great Smokey Joe Williams!
• Great Negro League Teams – I will list a few of my favorites – Newark Eagles, Pittsburgh Crawfords, Homestead Grays, Kansas City Monarchs and the Chicago American Giants.
• East-West All-Star Game – In 1933, Major League Baseball and the Negro Leagues both initiated mid-summer baseball All-Star Games.  The Major Leagues would have the best players of the American League play against the best players of the National League.  Major League Baseball would schedule them in different Major League cities each year.  The Negro League’s East-West All-Star Game would be played in Chicago at Comiskey Park, every year.  The best players from Eastern Negro League teams would play the best Negro League players from the Western Negro League teams.   Reasons, why the Negro League’s East-West All-Star Game was always in the Chicago area,) access to a Major League Park and b) transportation.  Fans could come from long distances via buses and trains because Chicago was a transportation hub.  Frequently, the Negro League All-Star game had better attendance than the Major League All-Star Game.  The Negro League All-Star Game was the greatest baseball game attraction for black fans (African-Americans and Black Latinos).  Why?  Unlike Major League Baseball, where the World Series would be played every fall, Negro League post-season playoffs might not happen if one of the two team owners decided he/she did not want to risk losing at the end of the year.  Another reason, Major League Baseball treated the game more like an exhibition game.  The East-West Negro League All-Star Game, the players on both squads, wanted to win.  It was a chance to show off their skills.  Their passion and competitiveness made for exciting baseball!
• Barnstorming Baseball – Most professional baseball players did not make much money playing baseball.  It remained that way until free agency came in the mid-1970s.  Having a job during the offseason was a must unless you could play baseball year round.  Many players would go to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela or Mexico to play winter ball.  Then there was barnstorming!  In the 1930s, Dizzy Dean (All-Star pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals) would put together a white team made up primarily of Major League and Minor League players.  Satchel Paige would put together a black team.  They would go around the country (primarily in warmer climates) playing games in many small towns.  With some advance promotion crowds would come out to see these exciting players (black vs. white).  The black teams definitely could be competitive.  This[SG1]  continued in the 1940s.  Bob Feller, the great pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, led the Major League team.  Satchel Paige continued to lead the Negro League team.

1948 – 1960s – Negro Leagues rapid decline (post-integration) – Once Jackie Robinson re-integrated baseball in 1947, attendance of Negro League baseball began a rapid decline.  African-American fans began to follow Major League baseball in the newspapers to follow how Jackie Robinson was doing.  The Cleveland Indians signed Larry Doby during the 1947 season.  African-Americans would attend Major League games with black ballplayers on team rosters. Note: – Why do I say that Jackie Robinson re-integrated baseball?  In the 1880s, before Major League Baseball changed its policy (unwritten – no more blacks), there were a handful of black ballplayers playing professional baseball.

 [SG1]Unclear antecedent