The guardian., 1941-07-26

mukeS, FRANKIE Sheriff Blake, Barne,
and Rifle Ray Brown, Chet Brewer
Schoolboy Johnny Taylor, Pop Ruiz
Terrible Ter1is McDuffie, Leon Day
Newt Allen, Shiveley, Marcelle, High
pockets Hudspeth, Jelly Gardner, MAJ
Winters, DeMoss, Johnny Donaldson
Double Duty Radcliffe, Ray cambridge
Clarence Matthews, Sammy Bankhead
Matty Matlock, Cy Perkins, Satche
Paige, Nose Sisco, Joel Lewis, and fal
more names than we can list here.
And did you see the 1888 "Dream
Team" selected by outspoken Jimmy
Powers of the n. Y. Daily News who
picked seven colored players to bolster
Bill TerTy's New York Giants. Here
is the 1888 Jimmy Powers Dream
Team for the New York Giants:
Josh Gibson, Homestead Grays-
Catcher
Hank Danning, Giants Catcher
Ray Brown, Homestead Grays-
Pitcher
Barney Brown, Black Yankees
Pitcher
Buck Leonard, Homestead Grays-
First Base
Pat Patterson, Phila. Stars = Second
Base
Dick Bartell, Giants Shortstop
Ray cambridge, Newark Eagles-Third
Base
Joe Moore, Giants-Left Field
Mel OFT, Giants-Right Field
Sam Bankhead, Pittsburgh Crawfords
Center Field
Remember, this team was selected by
a white expert and is not any biased
opinion of the writer who has never
met Jimmy Powers, but is eagerly look
ing forward to the day when he can
meet this real white man. Study the
above team and you will note the power
"down the middle" is made up of Glib
son, Patterson, and Bankhead, all color
ed, as are the pitchers, first baseman
and third baseman.
incidentally l believe Bartell, Dan
ming, Mel OFT, and Moore have all play
ed in contests with colored and would
have felt right at home on the Jimmy
Powers team named above. The
"Color" question would never have been
the major issue that some would have
us believe.
A few years ago [ looked over the
Boston Bee player roster of 33 players
and found only six from the south and
with no exact proof that even these six
would have any prejudice against col
ored. A similar study might be made
of all player rosters in both major
leagues.
l furthermore believe the "no-hope"
critics would come in for tremendous
surprise if they dared to run a big
league player poll
LEAGUE SOLUTION
But getting back to the already es-
tablished facts. A solution of the so
called minor league problem was plot
ted out years ago by this writer in
letter to w. Rollo Wilson, Commission
er of Colored Baseball in 1894 when
he published my communication as fol-
lows:
"On this subject of Colored in Or
ganized Baseball I have a letter from
Mr.. Kountze in which he presents his
solution of the problems of segregation,
race hatred, southern training, etc.
Briefly, it is that OBJ. (Organized
Baseball) make a Glass AA league
composed of colored players and sub
sidized by the league. In other words,
underwrite the present big league of
our group and put it on a firm financial
basis so that outside bookings, ETC., can
be abandoned and full schedule of
games played with league members.
And then the majors can draft from
this loop each year the men who their
scouts feel are ready for the big tent.
Readers, the thought is before you. l
believe it has its merits, and what do
you think of it?"
Well, there is the concrete base upon
which to work on if the majors are so
sincere about having special colored
minor league. They should either now
put up or shut up concerning this sub
ject.
Personally, offer the coIored league
plan only as last resort for l stead
fastly believe that colored boys can be
developed in the many minor leagues
in the north. 1 see no reason for the
majors to go to double-expnses sup
porting colored and white minor league
systems, but if that's what they want
they can have it.
Existing today are two Glass AA
Colored professional leagues-the Ma
tional in the East and the American in
the West.
The foundations are already in
place to start the color bar solution
overnight. There's only one question
in my mind:
What are we waiting for?