Negro League All-Star Team Picked
Turn on the time machine and
set it for August 1943 at Chicago's
Comiskey Park, and get ready for a
c rowd like no other in baseball dur
ing that era. It's the East- West All
Star Classic, and the greats of Negro
Leagues baseball are playing before
51,523 of every racial background.
That's a bigger crowd than
Major League Baseball drew for
most of its all-star games, and for 17
years the classic was a much-antici
pated sports event that brought fans
of all races together in a holiday
spirit for the one thing they loved
most ? great baseball. -
The Negro Leagues Baseball
Museum has recently concluded the
first of its annual players' polls to
determine their opinion of the sig
nificance of players, teams and
events in the NLB history. Because
the East-West All-Star Classic was
the highlight of the NLB season,
the NLBM's inaugural poll asked
former NLh players and sports wnt
ers to select their all-time all-star
teams. Over 200 former players and
"sports writers were asked to step
back in time and select their
favorites.
The survey has a personal touch
because a lot of the players said they
only voted for those they actually
played with or against, so it pro
vides insight basedori experience.
Here are the all-time all-star
players for two teams.
First Team
Pitchers: Lcroy "Satchel" Page
of the Kansas City Monarchs, Pitts
burgh Crawfords and Birmingham
Black Barons, renowned for his
blazing fastball and elected to the
Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.
Leon Day, considered just a
step behind Paige, and Hilton Smith
considered by some the equal of
Paige.
Catcher: Josh Gibson, Home
stead Grays and Pittsburg Craw
fords, considered by many to be the
most awesome hitter ever to play
baseball. Hall of Fame inductee in
1972. ?
First Base: Buck Leonard,
Homestead Grays, who was Gehrig
to Gibson s Ruth (or better yet,
Hank Aaron). Leonard was consid
ered the greatest first baseman in
black baseball. Hall of Fame, 1972.
Second Base: Lorenzo "Piper"
Davis, player and later manager for
the Birmingham Black Brons.
Th I rd Base : Ray Dandridge,
Newark Eagles, the to;' third base
man in black baseball for most of
his 16- year career. He was the most
recent Negro Leagues inductee into
the HairoTFame in mf.
Shortstop: Willie "The Devil"
Wells, Newark Eagles and Sl Louis
Stars player and manager, who tied
Josh Gibson as 1942 Negro Nation
al League baiting champ well after
? first reigning as champ in 1930.
Outfield: James "Cool, Papa"
bell, Pittsburgh Lrawtords and
Homestead Grays, legendary as the
best base stealer in the Negro
Leagues. Elected to Hall oFFame in
1974.
Oscar Charleston, Indianapolis
ABCs and Pittsburgh Crawfords, a
player-manager who for 20 years
was without peer as a hitter and
fielder. Many who krrw the Negro
Leagues would say he was the
greatest player they saw. Hall of
Fame, 1976.
"Turkey" Stearnes, Chicago
American Giants, a Negro Leagues
batting champ in 1935.
Manager: John "Buck" O'Neil,
Kansas City Monarchs, 1946 Negro
American League batting cham{>,_
who sent three dozen former Negro
League stars into Major League
Baseball and was the first black
coach (Chicago Cubs).
Sficnnd Team
Pitchers: Ray Brown, Home
stead Grays, considered the ace of
the renowned Washington, D.C.
team.
"Smokey" Joe Williams,
Homestead Grays and Brooklyn
Royal Giants, voted the greatest
black pitcher of all time in a poll of
black baseball figures in 1952, is
said to have had a fastball that
seemed to come off a mountain top.
Wilber "Bullet Joe" Rogan,
Kan as City Monarchs, with a curve
ball and a palm ball that matched his
fastball to keep the batters guessing..
Catcher: "Biz" Mackey, Balti
more Elite Giants and Newark
Eagles player- manager, considered
the best defensive catcher in the
Negro Leagues. He was a mentor of
Roy Campanella.
First Base: Mule Suttles,
Chicago American Giants and St.
Louis Stars, known for a tremen
dous home-run kick. He was 1029
batting champion.
Second Base: Newt Allen,
Kansas City Monarchs, whose
career stretched form 1918 to 1950,
Third Base: William Julius
"Judy" Johnson, Hilldale Club
(Philadelphia), Elected to th~e"HaIT
of Fame in 1975.
Shortstop: Artie Wilson, Bimv
ingham Black Barons, Negro Amer
ican League batting champ in 1948.
Outfield: Willard Brown,
Kansas City Monarchs, a power hit
ter who held thcT Negro American
League batting title from 1937-39.
Sam Jethrow, Cleveland Buck
eyes, Negro American League bat
ting champion in 1944-45.
Martin Dihigo, New York
Cubans, a great Havana-born star
who like Oscar Charleston some
times played all nine positions dur
&ame to demonstrate his
remarkable versatility. In 1977 he
was elected to the Hall of Fame.
Manager: "Candy Jim" Taylor,
Detroit Stars.
Will one of these stars be the
next inductee at the Baseball Hall of
Fame?
BUDWEISER
SUMMER SHOOT OUT
Seed
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BASKETBALL
STANDINGS
Team Name
Suns
Blazers
Won
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8
LfiSl
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10
Round Bailers 6
Too-Much 5
DRT 4
Lentz Mob 3
Players 3
Lee A/B 3
>eed " 2
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seed * 1 0
6/22
?ta?5 ,
2ZHHO? ? ?
mi * 9
li/iiUS I
Lee C/D
Spurs
,*"3 "7 6/24
i?4?5 -7-4 5
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ttta'2
SJ2THT
6/24
8 IS
Sit 6/26 ?
I 2 00 noon
Chtmpionjhip
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