The Phoenix index., 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 frailtes of Negro baseball have
been pointed out vagares have been too numerous
present in their entirety However, they have noed down
more or less to the general shortcomings listed below:
"a Selfish dishonest and nsincere owners 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' mora III
respect of baseball contract no more 'han
a piece of paper. ;.
Take man like Leroy lSatchel) Falge, lie sloulu pe
the idol race the pride of coored kids everywhere
His name should be household word in every Negro co
munity. 4. - h
about oe D Maggie as does about Oscar Charleston or
Turkey Stearns; 10 much about Bob Feer as ne
does Sache Paige or Hilton Smith, 10 times much about
Tou Gehrp AS he ever about Buck Leonard or Red
and the average knows the standing OF
every club in the white major leagues but hasn't tne
idea as just which of the Negro clubs IS in frst
Published standings gameo-game box scores ana oici
SCORING are more or mythical far Negro baseball
is concerned L 1, A.,
immortal Grover Cleveland Alexander of the five
greatest pitchers of all time regardless to race creed or
color and declared by D Maggie to be the best ptcner
he batted against should be the IDOL Oh Negro MUS
But most coored boys don't know very much about
Those that do happen TO KNOW OF Tdlge e
sneca admirers of him despite their zeal over HE
pitching skill ,r ro
This amazing truth is due to the fact that unlike joe
Jouis Satche Paige lofty example Tor Negro
bovhood Not that his habits bad or his character ho
essentially good becvause Paige is surprisingly clean ve
Int chiefly because of his trampsh tendency of playing win
so manv ball cubs-his utter lack of respect Tor pasep
contract :. - ,; >o,r,r
Already this year. pointed out in an Garner couM ;f
few Sundays ago. sache Paige has played with lour ul
ferent cmbs-and in both the Negro major leagues!
To date in 1941 Paige has twirled for the New YORK
BLACK Yankees the Kansas City Monarchs the Havana ~
hans and for his own socaed Satchel Paige AStar Inc
Yans and Cubans belong to the Negro Natonal Aeag'
hut Kansas CITY is in the Negro American League
Rut what is more remarkable than Pages pltcmlg 10,
fo different clubs in that just three monhS oo
81 bs writing is the fact that this strange thing mas oee
dona with amrova officials of both leagues-of 50
onld seem because instead of handling him severely ior
his tramnish practices which automatically amount 10 "
alicbitv went to the other extreme removing ,he va
AGAINST his participation in the annual fast-"eSt O
Comiskey Park Chicago, Sunday July II.
Negro baseball needs Overhaullng Decause a. 81: '
roson time the Negro National League and Negro A"ei
@ eaoue are Vicious Circle They stand or ttie more
tbor nersona gan and even in this selfish motive ney are
NOT ,ooetber There con.nuOus pickering between Tic
reshectiye officials of the two loops.
IF some definite steps not taken prety Sooi ~ ~
N professional baseball honest and sincere oaSl'
- S +h fear here the sport doomed to OBLIVION III ne very
oor future A totterng empire usually becomes 700 ~
;ld,r - stand Negro baseball is staggering apout elo
+asnuelv on it's last legs like Leon Enrol MosC ol uS ~
for the worst.