Honoring the Forgotten Stars of the Black Ball Era

(segregated baseball)

Do you remember the movie “Field of Dreams”?

• “If you will build it, they will come.” With these words, Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) is inspired by a voice he can’t ignore to pursue a dream he can barely believe.

• “The Best Season-The First Ninety Games” honoring Black Ball through baseball game simulation is my dream come true.

The Best Season – What does that mean?

• When Satchel Paige faces Stan “The Man” Musial, he faces him based on the stats of his “Best Season”, 1948 (.376 B. Avg; .440 OBP; .702 Slg. Pct.; 1.142 OPS; 135 runs scored; 131 RBI; 46 doubles; 18 triples; and 39 home runs.

• Hall of Famer, Stan Musial just passed away in the last year.

How did this book come about?

• Let’s go back in time to 1941.

• Joe DiMaggio

• Ted Williams

• Hilton Smith

1949 Fenway Park

1952

• Constantly playing ball.

• Collecting Baseball Cards

• Little League Baseball

• First Baseball Board Game

The Ball Players

1955

• Shy and insecure 14 year old

• Baseball Magazine Ad

• APBA Baseball Board Game

• Christmas

Managing the Players/Teams

• Escape

• Control

• Broadcasting

• Loving the Statistical Side of Baseball

1960s – 1970s

• Northeastern University

• United States Air Force

• Marriage, Children, Finding God

• American Optical Manufacturing Co,

Baseball Game Upgrade

• Strat-O-Matic Baseball Board Game (1972)

• G W Bush in Strat-O-Matic Baseball League during college years.

Mid-1980s

• 1987 – Introduction to the most realistic baseball board game ever created – Pursue the Pennant!

• 1989 – invested in the company.

• 1990 – became company President

1993 creation leads to 2012 book being published

• The 400+ Baseball Hall of Fame/All Star Card Set.

• Time period - 1880s – 1980s

• Includes twenty-one players from Negro Leagues (first baseball game company to include Negro League Players).

Research to Book Publishing

• 2010 - the actual game simulation begins.

• 2011 – encouragement from NLBM/ESPN

• 2011/2012 – baseball historians and former Negro League players support project.

• July 2012 – Dog Ear Publishing (self-publishing company) prints first copies.

Quote from Ted Williams HOF Induction Speech (1966)

• “I’m a lucky guy to have been able to wear a baseball uniform.  I’m only sorry that many of the great Negro League players didn’t have a chance.  I hope some day there will be plaques for Satchel Paige and others who have done so much for baseball.”  Satchel Paige was inducted to The National Baseball HOF five years later, 1971.  There are now thirty-nine players from the Negro Leagues in the HOF.  The source for Ted Williams quote is Chapter 10, Into The Shadows of Cuban Star written by Adrian Burgos Jr. published by Hill and Wang.  How one Alex Pompez, Negro League Owner changed the face of baseball.  Book copyrighted in 2011.

Who are these forgotten men?

• Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, Turkey Stearnes, Cristobal Torriente, Monte Irvin, Pop Lloyd, Willie Wells, Judy Johnson, Ray Dandridge, Frankie Warfield, Newt Allen, Mule Suttles, Buck Leonard, Biz Mackey, Josh Gibson, Martin Dihigo, Bullet Joe Rogan, Leon Day, Bill Foster, Hilton Smith and Satchel Paige.

Satchel Paige quote

• “Bell was so fast that he could shut the light off in the hotel room and be in bed before the light was out!” – quote about James “Cool Papa” Bell.

Cool Papa Bell - outfielder

Dizzy Dean quote on Oscar Charleston

• “Charleston could hit the ball a mile – he didn’t have a weakness at the plate”

Oscar Charleston (in the on deck circle)

Oscar Charleston

Turkey Stearnes - Outfielder

Monte Irvin

Quote by Honus Wagner

• “I am honored to have John “Pop” Lloyd called the Black Wagner. It is a privelege to have been compared to him.”

Quote by Effa Manley (owner/Newark Eagles)

–Many old-timers considered Willie “Devil or El Diablo” Wells, the finest black shortstop ever born – Mrs. Effa Manley, his owner on the Newark Eagles, would amend that to read, “the finest shortstop, black or white.”–Wells could hit with power - 27 home runs in 88 games (1929). He was a great fielding shortstop. He was the pro-typical Cal Ripken (50+ years before Ripken).

Walter “Buck” Leonard – 1B

Josh Gibson - Catcher

Josh Gibson

Leroy “Satchel” Paige

Leroy “Satchel” Paige - Pitcher

Win Shares

• Author - Bill James, baseball historian• Win Share - definition• “MLB Integration, 1947 – 1986” written by

Mark Armour uses “Win Shares” to demonstrate how much better the NL was over the AL on the field in 50s-60s because of having 65-75% of the black ball players.

• The black players of 1910-1946 (pre-reintegration), how good were they?

Armour quote from his article

• “There were players like Willie Mays and Frank Robinson playing in the 1930s….they should be honored just as their successors were.”

• “The Best Season – The First Ninety Games” is the first in a two book series to honor the great players from the Black Ball Era (segregated baseball, 1887-1947).