KANSAS CITY — When I was in the fifth grade, I was obsessed with a children’s chapter book series by author Dan Gutman.
The series, titled "Baseball Card Adventures," features an elementary aged boy who can time travel by holding onto a baseball card and then going to that era.
He visited Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente, and many other iconic baseball players of the past. One book, "Satch & Me," saw the main character go back in time to see Satchel Paige, a name that 10-year-old me had never heard.
This was my first introduction into the legendary pitcher’s life, and my first introduction to the old Negro Leagues. Since reading that book, I have become fascinated with this portion of baseball and American history that often gets overlooked. These leagues featured the best teams and players of all time, but until last year, were never seen in the record books.
Last week, I got the chance to go to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and learn about the leagues, teams and players that helped shape baseball into what it is today.
Satchel Paige’s impact on KC
Residents of Kansas City love their sports teams. All around the city there are extravagant murals plastered on the sides of brick buildings paying homage to Chiefs, Royals, Sporting KC, and the KC Current, but one of the most depicted athletes was Satchel Paige, who played for the Kansas City Monarchs during multiple stints in the 1940s.
Going to Kansas City and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum gives a glimpse at just how big of a star Paige was. Not only was he one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game, but he was tall, handsome, had style, and carried a swagger about him comparable to the biggest celebrities of the time.
Dressing well was something the Monarchs prided themselves on, always wearing the finest suits when they travelled to away games. They had the same glitz, glamor, and prestige of the "Showtime" Lakers.
“To come to Kansas City on a Saturday night was just like trying to walk through Harlem when there’s a parade. It was really something to see. Everybody that was everybody was at 18th and Vine.” — Jesse Fisher
For Black Americans in Kansas City, the Negro Leagues were the majors. Every Black kid wanted to be like Paige.
“It was the ambition of every black boy to be a Monarch, just as it was for every white boy to be a Yankee.” —Monarchs shortstop, Jesse Williams
While stats from back in the day are often incomplete and hard to verify, it is believed that Paige once threw 22 strikeouts in a game, pitched 21 straight wins, threw 50 no-hitters, and tossed around 250 shutouts in over 2,000 games of baseball.
But at his core, Paige was a showman. He loved the spotlight and helped the National Negro League grow in popularity across the United States.
“I loved barnstorming. It gave us a chance to play everybody and go everywhere and let millions of people see what we could do. I just loved it. I’d have played every day of the year if I could.” — Satchel Paige.
All-Black baseball in America
The baseball boom, which grew rapidly in popularity in the 1800s, was not exclusive to one race or gender, but like many aspects of American society in the 19th century, the diamond was segregated. This led to Black men creating their own teams.
There were many amateur teams throughout the 1800s but the first nationally known professional team was the Cuban Giants in 1885, located in New Jersey. The name itself was a political statement, as they thought black foreigners were treated better than Black Americans.
Many all-Black leagues tried to form, but never succeeded in the late 1800s and early 1900s. That is until former star pitcher for the Chicago Union Giants, Andrew “Rube” Foster, created the National Negro League in 1920. For over 30 years, the NNL drew in crowds just as big — if not bigger — than the MLB’s biggest teams.
Oscar Charleston, a name not known to the general sports-loving public, was an athlete highlighted all throughout the museum. Bill James, a baseball historian and statistician who is widely credited with influencing "Moneyball," ranked Charleston as his fourth best player of all time. Fourth. That’s ahead of Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig, etc.
Josh Gibson, who came in at ninth all-time in James’ list, was another player who starred in the NNL’s golden age. He was believed to be the greatest slugger of all-time. Better than Babe. Along with his teammate, Buck Leonard, the two star sluggers — nicknamed “The Thunder Twins” — led the Homestead Grays to a 138-6 record in 1931. They also led the Grays to nine straight pennants from 1937-45.
These players in the early 1900s made being a baseball player a viable career.
“Rube Foster and the NNL had elevated baseball from the gutter to such a position of cleanliness and respect that even our modest college graduates can point with pride to the fact that he is a ballplayer, instead of as conditions were ten years ago, when ball players were looked upon as uncouth and ungentlemanly persons." — Tom Johnson, black umpire
Fans across cities all throughout the country flocked to their local stadiums to see the best black players take the diamond. This even included baseball’s version of the Harlem Globetrotters, the Clowns, which started in Florida and then called Indianapolis their home until the 1980s.
While the Clowns often barnstormed as a comic act, they also fielded a serious team that won three Negro American League championships.
One player on the Clowns had the nickname “Pork Chops,” because he only ate pork chops and french fries on the road. This player was Hank Aaron, who eventually broke Babe Ruth’s unbreakable career home run record as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
Takeaways from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
As great as the legendary stories of Paige and the Monarchs are, Negro League baseball is not without it’s dark spots. If it were, there would be no need for an all-Black league.
Countless records of teams not being able to stay in certain towns, play in certain venues, or eat at certain restaurants as they travelled are highlighted all throughout the museum.
“I’ll never forget the first time we went into West Virginia … and there was no hotel at all where we could stay.” — Bill Yancey, New York black Yankees
“There was no place between Chicago and St. Louis where we could stop and eat — unless we stopped in a place where they had a colored settlement. From St. Louis to Kansas City, same thing. So many times we would ride all night and not have anything to eat, because they wouldn’t feed you.” — Bill Yancey, New York Black Yankees
Throughout my visit in the somewhat small museum in Kansas City, I couldn’t stop thinking about a quote from Gerald Early in Ken Burns’ 1994 documentary, "Baseball."
“There are only three things that America will be remembered for 2,000 years from now when they study this civilization: The Constitution, Jazz music, and Baseball. These are the 3 most beautiful things this culture's ever created.” — Gerald Early, American Culture Critic
The Negro Leagues were a testament to the best and worst parts of American society.
Through all the segregation, prejudice, and oppression that was a mainstay in American culture, beautiful things prevailed. The Negro Leagues, with all its athleticism, showmanship, and grit was a beautiful thing.
All throughout American history beautiful things arise out of terrible situations. Your favorite American art, music, literature, cuisine, and sport have a complex history that make it what it is today.
If you are ever in Kansas City, visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. In it, you will find one of the most overlooked and emblematic stories of American history.