The Negro Leagues used lights to play at night way before the white leagues. They also had funner hangouts after the game. The teams were a source of pride for the black community, and on Sunday people put on their best clothes and went after church. It was a thing and a scene. Not a corporate revenue-flow situation.
A great pitcher, Rube Foster helped establish the Negro League, taught Christy Mathewson the fadeaway, set the standard for coaching that white teams imitated. He became mentally ill but was absolutely monumental to black ball.
The “black Babe Ruth” was lovable and could crush the pellet. If he had played in the white leagues, we would have an award named after him.
Big and bold, Buck Leonard batted cleanup behind Gibson and was deadly. They called him “the black Lou Gehrig” because he killed pitches.
The greatest nineteenth-century black player, Grant was classy and smooth around the bag. Played in the white minors for three years for Buffalo in 1886–88, but obviously never got called up.
Judy Johnson was a star in the first Negro League World Series and a superb fielder. He was eventually voted into the white Hall of Fame. As a manager, he mentored Josh Gibson.
The papers called Pop Lloyd “the black Honus Wagner.” Wagner said he was honored. No word on what Lloyd felt.
The Cuban Strongman could pitch, play second and third, and was the grooviest right fielder. Awesomely hit three home runs in a game against some barnstorming Yanks in Cuba. Babe Ruth was in right and demanded to pitch to Torriente after the second tater. Cristóbal promptly hit Ruth for a two-run double.
Charleston was maybe the best player in any league ever. He played center and could run, throw, hit for average, and cream the ball. They called him “the black Ty Cobb,” but he was a much better fielder than Ty Cobb. Sam Lacy, the longtime writer for the Baltimore Afro-American, said he was better than Willie Mays. Hot.
I am not leaving Cool Papa Bell off this team. Not only does he have the best nickname in history but he was also the fastest cat to play ball. He batted lead-off, stole, and was so quick that he once stole two bases on one pitch. He played for more than twenty years and, even though at forty-three he was in a batting race, he sat out the last two games so the white scouts could get a look at Monte Irvin.
Before Monte Irvin came to the white big leagues, he was the best left fielder for a decade in the Negro League. Missed three years serving in WWII—when he came back he hit .349, and the Newark Eagles won the pennant and beat Satchel Paige and the Monarchs in the Negro World Series. One of baseball’s great gentlemen.
The king.
“Cannonball” Dick Redding’s hands were so huge he could hide a baseball in his palm. He threw hard, really hard. They brought him in to pitch to young Lou Gehrig to see if he could hit big league pitching.
Smokey Joe Williams was half-black, half-Indian. He was in his forties when Satchel Paige saw him and declared, “That Joe could throw harder than anybody.” Pitched a no-hitter at fifty-two. That is bad to the bone. His earlier nickname was “Cyclone Joe.” You can figure out why.
“Bullet” Joe Rogan didn’t start pitching till age twenty-seven. He was a huge ace and also very fast. He led the league in steals at forty.
He had the fortune to be on the Monarchs with Paige and had the mixed fortune to be the man who came in and finished after Satchel threw the first three innings. A great pitcher, with or without Paige.