Professional baseball was integrated while most of America was still quite segregated – this was in the late 1800s.
Unfortunately, baseball would soon follow the racist ideals that permeated the country and it can be argued that the folly of the early of the 1900s still plagues Major League Baseball.
According to Negro League History Museum historians, former Oberlin College star Moses “Fleetwood” Walker was signed by Toledo in the Northwestern League in 1883. A catcher and outstanding hitter, Walker (not Jackie Robinson) became the first black man to play professional baseball when Toledo joined the American Association in 1884. The American Association is one of the forerunners of today’s Major League Baseball.
John W. “Bud” Fowler brought 10 years of baseball experience to the Stillwater, Minn. team in 1884 and played every position for his team. He played through 1900 with other minor league teams in organized baseball.
By 1886, Walker and Fowler were joined in white minor leagues by two other black stars, George Stovey and Frank Grant. Black and white players on the same team was becoming a norm, not an oddity in leagues in the north
So, what happened? The Gentleman’s Agreement.
“Without making a formal announcement, a gentlemen’s agreement had been made (amongst the most prestigious minor league teams) in 1890 which would bar black players from participation. Within only a few short years no team in organized baseball would accept black players. By the turn of the century the color barrier was firmly in place,” says the NLHM website.
More than a half-century would pass before Robinson could play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He did not break a color barrier because it had been broken by many black men decades before he ever donned a Dodgers uniform.
Therefore, I find the Jackie Robinson Day celebrations on April 15 quite disingenuous. MLB pats itself on the back for ending a racist policy it created and stood by for 55 years. No local, state or federal government could do what baseball chose to do to itself.
With no option to play with whites, black players formed traveling teams that faced each other and, sometimes, white squads. These teams morphed into various Negro Leagues in the early 1920s and some survived until the early 1960s.
First known as the St. Louis Giants, the franchise would become the St. Louis Stars in 1922 and it remained one of Negro League Baseball’s finest franchises for several years.
Three former St. Louis Stars are in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Centerfielder James “Cool Papa” Bell (inducted in 1974), shortstop Willie Wells (1997) and first baseman George “Mule” Suttles (2006) starred for the Stars. They are among hundreds of players that certainly were skilled enough to play in the Majors, but were denied an opportunity.
Cardinals Negro League Night
The St. Louis Cardinals honor these and other Negro League stars before tonight’s (Thursday, August 10) game against the Kansas City Royals.
Fans who purchase a theme ticket will receive a St. Louis Stars baseball cap. A traveling history exhibit and Q&A presentation with executives from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum will be presented before the game.
The theme night giveaways are different from other promotional dates. The St. Louis Stars cap is available only with the purchase of a special theme ticket. A separate voucher comes with the ticket and the voucher can be redeemed at the game. According to the Cardinals, fans will not be able to receive the item unless they have your voucher at the event. The Stars cap can be picked up at Riverview Corner, on Level 4 behind Section 430, from 4:45 to 7 p.m.
By the way, Negro League games – especially on Sundays – would sometimes feature picnics or barbecues with players from both teams. These gatherings were the first promotional giveaway events in professional baseball.
A true test
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported this week through various sources that CBC receiver and defensive back Kamryn Babb, one of the most sought-after prep players in the nation, suffered a knee injury that could end his senior season before it begins.
Babb had narrowed his choices from more than 30 schools to nine. They include Missouri, Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Mississippi and USC.
Recruiting service 247.com has Babb as Missouri’s top recruit, No. 6 at receiver and No. 38 in the nation. Rivals.com slots him at No. 3 in the state and 89th nationally.
Babb could have a favorite among his nine finalists, but it would be wise for him, his family and advisors to note the schools that immediately tell him his offer is not in jeopardy. The fact he might not be ready for action until 2019 should not stop an elite football program from giving him a shot.
Missouri should especially stand behind this native son, regardless of the injury or the impact it might have on his collegiate career.
Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook and appears on ABC’s The Allman Report and several sports radio shows, including Frank Cusumano’s “The Press Box” on KFNS. His Twitter handle is @aareid1.
