Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1941-08-02
SLANTS ON SPORTS
BY LUCIUS JONES
Average Negro Boy Knows More About Bob
Feller Than Satchel Paige; Sepia Ball
Staggering Grotesquely on Its Last Legs

TIME AND AGAIN. the fraes of Negro baseball have
been pointed vagares have been too
TO present in their entirety However, they have boiled down
more less to the general shortcomings listed below
% Selfish dishonest, and insincere and higher
ups;
(2) Absence of records, lack of pubcyt, failure to
give the fans their moneys worth; and
(3) Trampish tendencies, jumping of clubs, moral In
decency and respect baseball contract than
piece of paper
Take a man like Leroy (SatcheD Paige, he should be
the idol his race the pride of coored kids everywhere
His should be household word in every Negro COM
munity.
But the average Negro boy knows 10 times much
Maggie he does about Oscar Charleston or
Turkey Stearns; 10 times much about Bob Feer as ne
Satche Paige Hilton Smith, 10 times much about
Lou Gehrig he knew about Buck Leonard or Red
Moore and the colOred fan knows the STANDING OF
every club the white leagues but hasn't the tantest
idea as to just which the Negro clubs is in first place
Published standings gameoeame box scores and Official
scoring less mythical far as Negro baseball
is concerned
AS we were saying though Satchel Paige rated by the
immortal Grover Cleveland Alexander one of the five
greatest pitchers of all time regardless to race creed or
color and declared by Joe D Maggie to be the best pitcher
he ever batted against should be the idol of Negro KIDS
everywhere.
But most coIored boys don't know very much about
Satche Paige Those that do happen to know OF rage are
speca admirers of despite their zeal over ms
pitching Skill 49,
This amazing truth is due the fact that unlike Joe
Louis Satche Paige has set no lofty example Negro
boyhood Not that his habits bad his character not
essentially good becvause Paige is surprisingly clean liver
but chiefly of his traph tendency OF playing with
so many bali cubhs utter lack of respect for baseball
contract. .
Already this year, pointed out in an earlier column
Sundays Satche Paige has played with four diff
ferent cubs-and in both of the Negro major leagues
To date in 1941 Paige has twirled for the New York
Black Yankees the Kansas City Monarchs the Havana Gu
BANS and for his socaed Satche Paige AnStars The
Yanks Cubans belong to the Negro National League
but Kansas City is in the Negro American League
But what more remarkable than Pages pitching for
different clubs in that just three months old
at this writing the fact that this strange thing has been
done with approval of officials of both eaguesor
would SEEM because instead of handling him severely for
his rampish practices which automatically amount to IN
eligibility to the other extreme, removing the bar
against his participation in the annual EastWest Classic at
Comskey Park Chicago Sunday, July 27
Negro baseball needs overhauling, because at the
present time the Negro National League and Negro Amer
League Vicious Circle They stand little
than personal gain and in this selfish motive they
together There is cOn.nuOus pickering between the
respective officials of the two loops.
If definite steps not taken pretty put
Negro professional baseball honest sincere basis
it the fear here the sport doomed oblivion very
future lettering empire usually becomes too
wedly to stand Negro baseball is staggering about gro
esquey its last legs like Leon Enrol Most of fear
for the worst