Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-07-27
Runyon Tells
About Negro
Sports Stars
Remembers Some Who
Were Of Top Timber
BY DAMON RUNYON

JUDGE lands statement
% that Negroes are not barred
from playing in the big leagues
and that a manager can sign a
player of that race any time he
likes, reminds me that John j.
McGraw once remarked years
ago that if ever he found a Ne
gro he thought would make his
team he would not hesitate to
grab him.
AS a matter of fact. McGraw
did experiment briefly with a
player who was undoubtedly of
Negro blood, though in Difference
TO the unwritten law against
Negroes that prevailed then in
the big leagues and has since
prevailed. no matter what the
high mucky-muckS say now, Nc
Graw put the fellow away as a
Latin, despite a slightly Uncle
Remus accent.
This was a long time back
when McGraw was managing
the Baltimore Club in the Ma
tional League. The player was
an infielder and was with the
club some time and his racial
origin was no particular secret
10 the other members of the
club.
It happened -ttfrt frc WIS not
up TO big league standard in
playing ability and McGraw
finally let him go Presumably
he never afterward found a Ne
gro he thought worth trial.
I THINK there can be no doubt
j that there have been Il num-
Der of players in the big leagues
in other years who would not
have stuck there long had close
scrutiny of ceStry been
deemed a requirement for adj
mission to the baseball elect
A great pitcher OF another
generation was believed by his
fellows TO be Of Negro blood
but no point was ever made of
the matter
When il came 20 baseball l
reckon my old home town OF
Pueblo, Colo. was about the
most democratic municipality IN
the land 1t was democratic IN
every other way. too, as Char
lie Carlisle OF the FIRST National
Bank there, recalls TO me in a
recent letter.
John Thatcher, then one Of
the owners OF the bank which IS
still in the Thatcher family,
used 10 sit on the doorstep of
his hardware store holding court
with the COW hands from out
on the ranges While more ariSto-
cratic acquaintance waited in
the background.
But our. baseball club was
the greatest symbol "a our
democracy. Two home town
Negroes were stellar members.
They were the Dean boys. All
and. Jack. The former was a
catcher and the latter PLAYED
shortStop They were corklng
ballplaycrS. too Now tna
reflect on their proweSS. think
they could have made the big
leagues without much diff
Guilty.
A ND do not get the idea they
"A stood out because of the
calibcr of their company, either
The second baseman on our
team, which was called the
Pueblo Ponies and was "A mem
her Of a state league, was
Jimmy Williams. who after
wards was one 81 the greatest
stars in the big league He was
with the New York Yankees
when the American League in
Vaded the big town
Then there was a left-handed
pitcher on our team named
Bert Jones. As Lefty Jones.
nc became a top-notcher with
the ST. Louis Browns or maybe
il was the Cardinals Anyway
he was in ST Louis "A long time
We sent other big lcaguerS out
of Pueblo, Willie Hopg Of the
Yankees and Bob McGraw and
several others. but they came
after the era OF the Dean boys
l believe the Deans lasted
long enough TO play a spell for
Pueblo in one of the many diff
ferent versions of the Western
League that sprung up in that
territory through the years
] have seen a lot OF Negro
baseball clubs in my time and
some Of them were pretty good
One Of the Negro regiments OF
the old regular army used TO
have a crack team, but il was
not all Negro, as the catcher
was a white captain. West
Pointer. whose name escapes
my memory, and folks some
times wondered if il made for
military discipline TO hear a
base line coach bawl when the
captain was trying 20 outdoor a
hit Run you son of a gun. run.
Copyright. 1872. hy King Features
Distributed by International News Service