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SABR - NEGRO LEAGUES COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER

February 1998

(portions reprinted with permission of the Editor)
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Editor: Dick Clark, 1080 Hull, Ypsilanti, MI 48198-6472
    Telephone Number: (734) 487-5273; Fax: (734)487-0807
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CHAIRMAN'S REMARKS

    Happy New Year to everyone! With February being Black History Month please pay extra attention to your local area's events and newspaper articles with the idea of sharing with other newsletter readers.
    Special birthday wishes to Bill Cash on February 21st and Monte Irvin on the 25th. Both are 79. Fantastic!

NEGRO LEAGUERS AND THE HALL OF FAME

    March 3, 1998 the Veterans Committee will be meeting. We hope they will again choose a most worthy Negro Leaguer to the Hall of Fame to join with Sam Lacy on Induction Day. Get your info package out now.

THE NEGRO LEAGUES BOOK

    Thanks to Jay Sanford for filling in some Bud Fowler blanks.
    Jerry Malloy added rosters for the Boston Resolutes 1871, Chelsea Auroras 1871, Camden DeWitts 1871 and Philadelphia Pythians 1871. Also, Cuban X Giants of 1901. Finally the 1875 Chicago Pytheus roster.
    Our thanks to David Skinner for confirming the years and teams on John Ford Smith. John Ford was not with the Chicago American Giants or New York Black Yankees in the '40's. The Smith was John "Lefty" Smith.
    We have been able to obtain a photo copy of the East-West Classic of 1957 which help with 1957 rosters.
    Thanks to Jeff Eastland for the photo of Al Lorus
    We plan to have some updated register available in Harrisburg for purchase.

SPECIAL EVENTS

    The grand opening for the National Sports Gallery was January 16, 1998.. The Gallery actually opened in December (without all display cases being ready). I'm happy to say all the baseball displays were done. Jeff Eastland did a great job with the Negro Leagues display. Among the items are 1925 World Series Panorama, a 1932 Pittsburgh Crawfords photo,and a "Josh The Basher" photo (a real gem). Wilmer Fields donated some items. Steve Rotman contributed a 1913 Homestead Grays team photo. Jeff has some of his items in the other displays, as well. Frank Ceresi and Jeff have done a great job. Tom Boswell stated that the baseball displays "are every bit as good as comparable space at Cooperstown". It is a Must-See. A future seminar is possible.

    Dick Clark's Kansas City Monarch Jersey will be in Stamford, CT from February 3 to May 2,1998, as BEFORE YOU CAN SAY JACKIE ROBINSON: Baseball in Stamford & America in the Era of the Color Line 1885-1950 exhibit will be showing at the Stamford Historical Society, 1508 High Ridge Rd. Stamford, CT 06903-4107. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10-4PM. The Opening Reception was Sunday February 1st from 4-6pm.

HARRISBURG CONFERENCE

                I CAN'T WAIT!
I've made my reservation at the Ramada Downtown and sent in my registration fee to Ted Knorr for the first SABR Negro League Committee Research Conference. Everything is shaping up nicely. Baring any unforeseen circumstances the following are slated to be in Harrisburg, PA starting Friday August 7th: Scott Allen, Todd Bolton, Tim Booker, Bill Cash, Paul Debono, Jeff Eastland, Jan Finkel, Tom Garrett, Leslie Heaphy, Larry Hogan, Lou Hunsinger, Brent Kelley, Ted Knorr, Larry Lester, David Marasco, Michael Marsh, Sammy Miller, Rick Morris, Jim Overmyer, Jim Passannante, Claudia Perry, Robert Peterson, Bill Plott, Mark Pollak, Jim Riley, Kazuo Sayama (from Japan), Prior Smith, Brad Sullivan, and Gregg Truitt. I'm sure I have missed someone but the list is continually growing. Sammy Miller has prepared and mailed press releases to 13 schools with African-American history departments and research institutes. He is also preparing conference packages for the event. Ted Knorr and the Harrisburg Committee have been putting together a terrific agenda and have secured Bob Peterson as the keynote speaker. Caleb Jackson will open the conference on Friday and 8 presentations will take place. Dan Edwards will have his sculptures on view over the weekend. A flea market will be set up during this time. We expect to have 7 to 10 players in attendance. A reception will be held at the Art Institute Friday before the game. More presentations Saturday after the NLC meeting (which is worth the price of admission itself).. Jim Riley will have a slide show after lunch and then we will have a how-to panel on researching the Negro Leagues. A player panel is also on the agenda for Saturday with a banquet and awards presentations Saturday evening. We all know February is Black History Month but 1998 will be Black History Year for Harrisburg. As a part of that for 30 weeks prior to the event a weekly column will appear covering ALL aspects of the Negro Leagues. Articles are needed for this so please contact Ted Knorr for additional information. We are know accepting research abstracts for presenters. They are due by May 1st and presenters will be notified by June 1st. Send abstracts to Sammy Miller. June 1, 1998 is an important date as you must have your hotel reservation by then to get the special $84 double occupancy rate from The Ramada Inn. (717) 234-5021, reserve now and mention the SABR NLC event to them. We need 55 rooms to get free meeting rooms. Sign up today, registration is just $60 (SABR member, $70 non-member) Flea market tables are just $40. Please make checks out to Ted Knorr for registration and tables. Abstracts to Sammy Miller at 3916 Archer Ct., Florence, KY 41042, email poplloyd@juno.com   phone (606) 525-1619. Ted Knorr 47 Glen Oaks Lane, Lancaster,PA 17603 H:(717) 872-7151 W: (717) 787-7120 Email PAPABELL@aol.com . My address is at top of newsletter Email is TSTEARNES@aol.com
    To recap, events will include Opening Ceremony, Reception and Sculpture Exhibit, Senator's Game, 14 Research Presentations, NLC Meeting, Research Panel, Player Panel, Banquet, Keynote Speaker (Robert Peterson), Trivia Contest, Historic Marker Dedication, Flea Market, Exhibits, and all the camaraderie you can stand, AND MORE. This will be a grand time and I truly believe an event you will truly want to attend. SABR Convention in June and then even more in August. You can't beat it.

COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS

        We have a lot on the death of Buck Leonard:
    NEW YORK TIMES Obit 11/29/97, "Buck Leonard, 90, slugger of the Negro Leagues dies"
    PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER 11/28/97
    USA TODAY BASEBALL WEEKLY December 3-9, 1997, "Negro League great Leonard dies,"
    THE WASHINGTON POST 11/28/97, "Baseball Hall of Famer Buck Leonard dies at 90,"
    SCD 12/26/97 on Leonard
    Total Baseball Daily 11/29/97, "We loved the game and we liked to play it".
    PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 11/29/97, "Leonard remembered as a Star who rivaled his teammate Gibson"
    ROCKY MOUNT TELEGRAM 11/28/97
    THE TORONTO STAR 12/3/97, "Negro League's Leonard belongs with best"
    Donald Marr, President of The Hall of Fame, Buck O'Neil and Jim Riley were among speakers at the funeral. Wilmer Fields, Jimmy Dean, Josh Gibson Jr. and Geraldine Day were also in attendance. Much thanks to Tom Garrett for passing along the program.
    Lionel Wilson, first black mayor of Oakland, CA and former player in the WCBA died 1/23/98 in Oakland at 82.
    Robert Landers passed 1/7/98 in Kansas City at 67.
    Zach Clayton funeral program
    Mamie "Peanuts" Johnson attended the Baltimore-Washington Regional in Laurel, MD in November and spoke to the group.
    Look for Claudia Perry winning more money on Jeopardy airing Feb 3rd and 9th.
    Things continue to look good for having a permanent Pop Lloyd archival home in Atlantic City. We'll keep you posted
    Does anyone know if Earl Taborn is still with us?
    George Stovey was elected to the West Branch Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, with a lot of assistance from Lou Hunsinger who accepted for the family. Cermonies were held in November 16th. Way to go Lou!
    Opening January 18th and running to March 1st is SATCHEL: A Requiem for Racism, at the Castillo Theatre in New York City.
    Tom Garrett spoke on the Negro Leagues at the African-American Art Gallery in Portsmouth, VA. He incorporated information on Buck Leonard's life throughout the lecture.
    David Skinner has two articles in the ARIZONA BASEBALL JOURNAL, "Bisbee's Warren Ballpark May Be Nation's Oldest," and "Black Army Team Took on Stengel's All-Stars in Arizona," about the 25th Infantry Team. You can purchase the book for $10 postpaid from Al Gwinnell (Chapter Treasurer) at 1296 E. Horseshoe Ave., Gilbert, AZ 85296-1912
    Jim Riley will be very busy over the next few weeks. He will be in Austin, TX for a Willie Wells Celebration Feb 5&6...in Lake City, FL Feb. 7 for a slide show at Florida's Sports Hall of Fame...in St. Lucie Feb. 12th...in St. Petersburg Feb. 19th and...in Pinellas County March 7th.
    Ted Williams will induct Buck Leonard into his Hitter's Hall of Fame, February 17th with Monte Irvin accepting.
    On March 23, 1998 the Florida Sports Hall of Fame will induct John Henry "Pop" Lloyd with Jim Riley accepting.
    Bob Potts reports that Paterson's (NJ) Hinchliffe Stadium has been closed indefinitely. The stadium is falling apart and is a danger to the area. The city does not have the finances to fix it. The end looks near.
    Buck O'Neil was guest speaker January 18th at the Old Timers Banquet in Portland. OR as a guest of Artie Wilson. Proceeds went to Baseball scholarships for Oregon high school players. Rock Bauer put the event together.
    The St. Louis Public Library, during February, will have a program on Negro Leagues baseball and St. Louis influences, spearheaded by Scott Allen.
    Review of Chicago play BINGO LONG AND HIS TRAVELING ALL-STARS & MOTOR KINGS, from CHICAGO READER October 24, 1997.

ONLINE COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS

    Check out Claudia Perry's Jeopardy Tournament Diary starting in the NEWARK STAR-LEDGER February 2nd. http://www.nj.com
    Jennifer Ettinger's marvelous paintings of Smokey Joe, Judy, and Josh and more can be viewed at http://www.intergate.bc.ca/ettinger
    Article on African-American genealogy research.
    Check out Paul Debono's web site at www.indy.net/~pdebono to check on up-to-date information on the Oscar Charleston Park Dedication scheduled for May 1st. in Indianapolis.

NEGRO LEAGUE RELATED ARTICLES

    USA TODAY 12/18/97 on Jackie Robinson: "Year of highlights mark anniversary"; "Robinson's Legacy lives"; . "Permanent displays at AL, NL ballparks"; "Nine Major Leaguers still wear No. 42"
    KANSAS CITY STAR 12/5/97 "Filmmaker Burns given too much credit for Negro Leagues hoopla"
    THE DIAMOND ANGLE, Fall, 1997 has "Triumph at Christie's Auction" on the 9/20/97 auction which netted Steve Cummings a Sol White guide.
    JET 12/1/97, "Larry Doby in good spirits while recovering from surgery,"
    SUBURBAN NEWS Bergen County, NJ 12/10/97, "Larry Doby exhibit at the Paterson Museum"
    SCD 11/23/97, "Cuban card set contains a lot of history"; SCD 1/30/98, FBI scam on Fleet Walker card; SCD 12/19/97, "New Negro Leagues Baseball Museum opens in Kansas City"
    THE LAUREL (MD) LEADER 11/13/97, "Pioneer didn't play for just Peanuts," Mamie Johnson
    THE NEW YORK TIMES 12/28/97, "Three anniversaries for three heroes"
    LA WEEKLY, December 12-18 1997, "Fifty years later," Sammie Haynes.
    USA TODAY 12/11/97, "Rampersad's human, heroic-Jackie Robinson"
    THE NEW YORKER 9/15/97, "Designated hero" by Roger Angell
    "Museum honors baseball's Larry Doby
    HISPANIC July/August, 1997, "Squeeze Play: Cubans in the Major Leagues"
    BLACK ENTERPRISE May, 1997 "Home Run For Negro League?"

CURRENT AND FUTURE INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS

    Look for the first article ever published in the JOURNAL OF SPORT HISTORY that deals with the Negro Leagues. Larry Gerlach's piece "Baseball's Other Great Experiment: Eddie Klep and the Integration of the Negro Leagues" is scheduled for the Fall, 1998 issue.
    Lyle Wilson is researching the Butte, Montana Colored Giants and other teams that played in or visited Montana.
    Rock Bauer, 36751 South Hibbard Road, Molalla, OR 97038 is researching Oregon's African-American baseball teams and the Portland Roses. Lyle Wilson already passed along items.
    Eric Wiley is writing a paper on the transition of Negro Leaguers into Organized Baseball. Contact Eric at cwiley@whidbey.net
    Michael Marsh is researching the life of Wendell Smith.
    Ty Everson, a University of North Dakota student, finished an English paper on Jackie Robinson helped tremendously by information on the Net provided by our own Larry Lester.
    Scott Allen, is seeking info on the St. Louis Giants and Stars for his research on the history of Black Baseball in St. Louis. Please pass along what you can to Scott at 4 Valley View Dr. Collinsville, IL 62234-6805 Home phone (618) 288-7185 or W (314) 352-2900.
    Larry Lester made a presentation in Dallas at the African-American Museum.
    Dan O'Brien, 730 Howard Rd., Greenwood, IN 46142 (317) 885-7643, seeks documentation on "Rube" Foster gaining his nickname by beating "Rube" Waddell.
    The NLC seeks any info on Frank Bridges (Detroit Stars '30's); Goodrich Buckner, Reginald Hopwood (KC) Herbert Hill (Philly) and William Stanley Blackwell.

THE MARKETPLACE

    Recent auctions have found the following being sold; 1924 World Series panorama $7041; 1926 Indianapolis ABC's panorama $5759; Martin Dihigo signed document $1035; Gibson wire photo $2300; KC broadside w/Paige $1495; 12 lots of Bill Yancey collection over $24,000.
    A terrific just published work is Joe Wayman's 1997 GRANDSTAND BASEBALL ANNUAL which contains a ton of articles on the Negro Leagues Jackie Robinson, Nate Moreland, Satchel Paige, (by David Marasco) as well as David's "Josh Gibson and Yankee Stadium," (did Josh hit it out?) 210 pages just $9.95 postpaid from Joe PO Box 4203, Downey, CA 90241-1203.
    A real interesting look at Jackie Robinson's rookie year has been done by Tot Holmes. JACKIE 1947 $8.95, 125 pages, boxes, pictures. Call (308) 537-3335.
    VOICES FROM THE NEGRO LEAGUES: Conversations With 52 Baseball Standouts of the Period 1924-1960 by Brent Kelley is now available from McFarland, 341pp, photos, bibliography, index, $45.
    Mark Pollak has written PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LEAGUES AND TEAMS: An Encyclopedia, 1871-1996. 664 pages, tables, index by McFarland $65, 1-800 253-2187. Does cover Negro Leagues.
    Jackie Robinson "Stealing Home-A Musical Tribute AD**1p
    Negro League star autographs AD **1pg.
    Book review of JACKIE ROBINSON READER from THE HOT CORNER, Oct,1997
    Book review TIME 10/20/97
    Have a brochure for The Jackie Robinson Platinum Visa Card Series. **1pg AD, "He Changed The World Stamp Gift Pack
    Mike Kolleth AD asking for photocopies of autographs**1
    AD on Negro League Baseball Card set 119 cards, $13.95 (Black & White set from years ago).
    If you are looking for good prices on books write to Edward R. Hamilton, Bookseller, Falls Village, CT 06031-5000 Audio books include Kirby Puckett and Hank Aaron. Also GREAT TIME COMING(JR) Buck Leonard, Monte Irvin autobiographies done with Jim Riley and Jim's BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUES. Plus dozens of other baseball and other sports books and thousands of other books. All with just a $3 P&H charge per order.

FINAL REMARKS

    Our next newsletter will be April's. Please get all material to me before the last week of March.

Dick Clark & Larry Lester
NLC Co-Chairpeople

www.blackbaseball.com