This Day In Baseball History: May 19, 1976

This Day In Baseball History: May 19, 1976

                It was on this date in 1976 that Boston Red Sox first baseman Carl Yastrzemski played in his 2293 game, passing Red Sox legend and Hall-of-Famer Ted Williams for the most games played in the history of the franchise. During the game, Yaz collected four hits in four at-bats, scored four runs and had four RBIs in Boston’s 9-2 win against the Detroit Tigers in Tiger Stadium. Three of his hits were home runs.

                Yastrzemski would go on to play in 3308 career games (all with Boston) and finished with 3419 hits, a .285 batting average, 452 home runs, 646 doubles, 1844 RBIs and 168 stolen bases. He was an 18-time All-Star, won seven Gold Gloves as an outfielder, and won the American League’s MVP Award in 1967. He played in two World Series during Boston’s 86-year championship drought, and played well in  both, despite the Red Sox falling short of winning. In 1967 against the St. Louis Cardinals, he batted .400 with ten hits, three homers and five RBIs. In the 1975 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, he batted .310 with nine hits and four RBIs.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1989.

                

The Negro Leagues' Best Baseball Clubs: #1: Kansas City Monarchs

Top 15 Negro League Teams

#1: Kansas City Monarchs

 

League Affiliation: Negro National League

Negro American League

Established: 1920

Folded: 1965

Based in: Kansas City, Missouri

 

1942 Kansas City Monarchs
Buck O'Neil is the sixth from the left.

                Formed in 1920 as one of the founding members of the first Negro National League, the Kansas City Monarchs had the longest tenure of any Negro League team. They were also the most decorated with a combined 13 titles between the NNL and the Negro American League.

                The first three years of the NNL were dominated by the Chicago American Giants, but the Monarchs became the team to beat starting in 1923. They won three consecutive NNL titles and added a fourth in 1929 before the first NNL folded after the 1931 season.

                Following the demise of the league, the Monarchs became an independent team, barnstorming over the United States for five seasons before finding a new home in the NAL beginning in 1937. They picked up right where they left off in the NNL by winning the title their first season in the league. They won again in 1938, 1939 and 1940, making it four championships in a row.

                The Monarchs continued to play in the NAL until 1960 winning four more titles (1946, 1950, 1953 and 1955) but when the Negro Leagues ceased to exist after the 1960 season, they became a barnstorming team once again.

                The team finally disbanded after the 1965 baseball season.

                Notable players for the Kansas City Monarch included Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Ernie Banks, and of course Buck O’Neil. If you’ve never heard of Buck O’Neil, you need to do yourself a favour and read his biography, “I Was Right On Time” or take the time to watch Ken Burns’ documentary “Baseball.” O’Neil is interviewed frequently for the nine-part series and is without a doubt the best baseball story-teller of all time.

The Negro Leagues' Best Baseball Clubs: #2: Homestead Grays

Top 15 Negro League Teams

#2: Homestead Grays 

League Affiliation: Negro National League

Established: 1900

Folded: 1951

Based in: Pittsburgh, PA

 

1939 Homestead Grays

                The Homestead Grays were formed in Pittsburgh at the beginning of the twentieth century. They were first known as the Germantown Blue Ribbons and played mostly sandlot baseball for the first ten years of their existence. In 1911, they changed their name to the Murdock Grays, and changed that to the Homestead Grays in 1912.

                They remained an independent team until 1929 when they joined the American Negro League in 1929 but only played one season before becoming independent again. They became members of the East-West League for one year in 1932, then joined the second Negro National League in 1935 where they would remain until the league folded in 1948.

                They would win nine consecutive NNL Pennants from 1937 until 1945. They would win again in 1948 to make it a total of ten and were also victorious in the Negro World Series in 1943, 1944 and 1948, by beating the winners of the Negro American League.

                After the NNL folded after the 1948 season, the Grays once again became an independent team but struggled to find financial success and disbanded in May of 1951.

                Notable players included “Cool Papa” Bell, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Buck Leonard and “Smokey” Joe Williams.

The Negro Leagues' Best Baseball Clubs: #3: Chicago American Giants

Top 15 Negro League Teams

#3: Chicago American Giants

 

League Affiliation: Negro National League

Negro Southern League

Negro National League II

Negro American League

Established: 1910

Folded: 1952

Based in: Chicago, Illinois

 

1919 Chicago American Giants

                The Chicago American Giants were the brainchild of Rube Foster, who started the club in 1910. Foster was the captain of the Chicago Leland Giants and was able to wrest legal control of the name “Leland Giants” from club owner Frank Leland. In 1911, Foster changed the name to the American Giants and the team became the most dominant Black Baseball club for the next 20 years.

                Foster created the first Negro National League in 1920 and the team won the Pennants in 1920, 1921 and 1922. Four years later, Foster would have to relinquish control of both the NNL and the American Giants due to ailing health. Dave Malarcher took over the team and the Giants won two more pennants in 1926 and 1927.

                After the demise of the NNL in 1931, the American Giants joined the Negro Southern League in 1932 and won the championship in their only season in the league. They joined the new NNL in 1933 and promptly won the championship that year.

                They would join the Negro American League in 1937, but never had the same success they had enjoyed earlier. Still, the Giants managed to hang to until the end of the 1952 season before folding. The last three years of its existence, with the Majors now opening its doors to Black players, the American Giants signed white players in order to keep the club running.

The Negro Leagues' Best Baseball Clubs: #4: Pittsburgh Crawfords

Top 15 Negro League Teams

#4: Pittsburgh Crawfords

League Affiliation: Negro National League

Negro American League

Established: 1931

Folded: 1940

Based in: Pittsburgh, PA

1928 Pittsburgh Crawfords

            For the six seasons they played in the NNL, Pittsburgh was one of the most dominant teams in the league. Their first year, they finished in second place, a half game behind the Chicago American Giants. In 1934, the Crawfords had the best record overall in the NNL, but the season was divided into two halves, and Pittsburgh finished in second place in both halves, thereby missing the playoffs.                 The Pittsburgh Crawfords began as an interracial team of local youth who played in the sandlots in the Hill District region of Pittsburgh. As the region became more competitive, colour lines were drawn. After becoming a professional independent team in 1931, the Crawfords joined the Negro National League in 1933.

                In 1935, they finished in first place in the first half, with a record of 26-6, then won the best-of-seven playoff at season’s end over the New York Cuban Giants to win the championship. The following season, they struggled to a 16-15 record in the first half, but rebounded to win the second-half pennant with a 20-9 record. The best-of-seven championship series against the Washington Elite Giants lasted only one game (a 2-0 Pittsburgh victory) after the series was called off for unknown reasons. Pittsburgh was declared the season’s champion.

                The demise of the club was rather sad. Not only did the Crawfords lose four star players after the 1936 season, the ownership decided to hire only white people for jobs at the stadium. In protest, the black community of Pittsburgh boycotted the team, hurting the Craws in the pocket book and forcing them to move to Indianapolis for the 1940 season.

                After one year as the Indianapolis Crawfords, the team folded.

This Day In Baseball History: May 14, 1967

This Day In Baseball History: May 14, 1967

                It was on this date in 1967 that New York Yankees’ outfielder Mickey Mantle hit the 500^th home run of his Major League Career. On a Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, Mantle helped celebrate Mothers’ Day by reaching the milestone by drilling a pitch from Orioles’ pitcher Stu Miller into the right field bleachers in the seventh inning. Mantle was two for four in the game and scored two runs as the Yankees defeated Baltimore by a 6-5 score.

                But the 1967 season was rather unkind to the Yankees as they finished in ninth place (out of ten teams) in the American League with a 72-90 record. Mantle would finish the year with 22 home runs, only 55 RBIs and a rather paltry .245 batting average.

                He would play one more season before retiring at the end of the 1968 season. For his career, Mantle batted .298, hit 536 home runs and have 1509 RBIs. After his career, Mantle admitted that every time he came to the plate he was trying to hit a home run, but would also lament that he was unable to finish his playing days with a batting average over .300.

                He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974.

This Day In Baseball History: May 13, 1976

This Day In Baseball History: May 13, 1976

                It was on this date in 1976, that Kansas City Royals’ third baseman, George Brett, collected three hits in a 13-2 Royals’ win against the Chicago White Sox in Royals Stadium. It was the sixth consecutive game that Brett produced three hits. In the six games (two against Baltimore, three against Minnesota and one against the White Sox) Brett went a collective 18 for 26 (a .692 average) raising his season batting average from .277 to .396 in less than a week.

                For the 1976 season, Brett would finish with a league-leading 215 hits, and a league leading .333 batting average, as well a league-leading 14 triples, to go along with seven home runs and 67 RBIs. During his 21-year career, Brett led the league in hits three times, batting average three times and triples three times. He was a 13-time All-Star, was the AL’s MVP in 1980 and helped lead the Royals to the World Series championship in 1985.

                He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.

This Day In Baseball History: May 12, 1970

This Day In Baseball History: May 12, 1970

                It was on this date in 1970 that Chicago Cubs’ first baseman Ernie Banks hit his 500^th career home run in a game against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The second-inning line drive over the left field wall came off Braves’ starter Pat Jarvis. The ball bounced off the bleacher seats and back onto the playing field. Atlanta left-fielder, Rico Carty, retrieved the ball and gave it to Banks.

                The Cubs would eventually win the game in 11 innings by a score of 4-3. The home run was the only hit Banks had in the contest, but he would pick up a second RBI on a sacrifice fly.

                “Mr. Cub” would play 19 years in the Major Leagues, all with the Cubs, and would retired with a career .274 batting average, 512 home runs, 1636 RBIs and 2583 hits. He was a ten-time All-Star and won the National League’s MVP award in 1958 and 1959. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

                Unfortunately, Banks hold the dubious honour of playing in the most career games (2528) without ever appearing in the World Series.

Top Of The Third's final post (for now) will be May 30th

 
            On Tuesday, May 30 ^th, Top of The Third will have its 500^th and final post. However, fret not, this will not be the end. I have decided to take my blogging experience, over the past two years, to a new level. Since the first post in July of 2015, I have learned valuable lessons on blogging (what to do, what not to do, ect…) and will carry those over to my new blog which will launch on September 1^st, under a yet to be determined name.

                The reasons why Top of the Third will cease operations at the end of the month are numerous. The first being that I would like to expand into more sports than just baseball. I am also a fan of hockey, football (CFL, NCAA and NFL) and auto racing and would like to incorporate those sports into my writing.

                The second biggest reason is that I feel that I am limited in the display and production that I have been provided by Google’s blogspot tool, and will be creating the new blog under its own domain. There are other reasons as well which I won’t bother to bore you with.

                The summer months will be spent preparing for the new blog. All posts from this new site will have links posted in Top Of The Third's Facebook page for several months until the new Facebook page is ready.

                I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who took the time to read the posts, share and like the Facebook links and sent me some emails and post messages. It has been thrilling to see my work published on the internet and I look forward to continuing providing some reading entertainment in the future.

                While the first chapter of my blogging career will be closed, the book is quite long and will have many more future chapters.

               

                Thank-you,

                Lee Whitehead

                Writer/Editor of Top Of The Third

The Negro Leagues' Best Baseball Clubs: #5: Birmingham Black Barons

Top 15 Negro League Teams

#5: Birmingham Black Barons

League Affiliation: Negro Southern League

Negro National League

Negro American League

Established: 1920

Folded: 1960

Based in: Birmingham, Alabama

1946 Birmingham Black Barons

                 Formed in 1920, the Birmingham Black Barons began play in the Negro Southern League, which basically operated as a minor league. After three seasons, they made the transition to the Negro National League. The Black Barons were constantly flipping back and forth between the two leagues until the end of the 1938 season. They would switch five times during those years.

                After not playing during the 1939 season, they were sold to Tom Haynes, a funeral home director in 1940 and they joined the Negro American League. Early in the 40s, Haynes turned around and sold the team to Abraham Saperstein who also owned the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team.

                Under Saperstein’s ownership, the Black Barons won three pennants (1943, 1944 and 1948). They played in the Negro World Series in 1948, but lost to the Homestead Grays.

After Jackie Robinson joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1947, more Big League teams raided the rosters of teams in the Negro Leagues and the talent pool dwindled. But while most teams folded within several years of integration, the Birmingham franchise remained until the NAL folded in 1960.

Notable players for the Black Barons included Satchel Paige and Willie Mays.

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The Negro Leagues' Best Baseball Clubs: #6: St. Louis Stars

Top 15 Negro League Teams

#6: St. Louis Stars

League Affiliation: Negro National League

Established: 1906

Folded: 1931

Based in: St. Louis, Missouri

1928 St Louis Stars

                 The St. Louis Stars were formed in 1906 as an independent team (known as the St. Louis Giants) and they played as such until joining the first Negro National League in 1920. The team had success as an independent, winning the St. Louis city championship in both 1912 and 1913.

                In the first year of the NNL, St. Louis finished sixth with a record of 25 wins and 32 losses. They improved to 40-28 in 1921, good enough for second place. However, the team ceased operations and began anew as the St. Louis Stars for 1922. Almost all of the players from the Giants now played for the “new” St. Louis team.

                They didn’t play well for the next few years (a fourth place in 1922 was followed by sixth in 1923), but in 1924, the Stars started to display championship-calibre teams. In 1925, they won the second-half title but dropped the championship series to the Kansas City Monarchs. Three years later, in 1928, the Stars would win the NNL Championship by defeating the Chicago American Giants five games to four in the best-of-nine Series.

                They would win again in 1930 and be declared the champion in 1931, as they were in first place when the league folded half-way through the season. A new Negro National League was started in 1933, but the Stars ceased operations prior to the arrival of the new league.

                Notable players included: Coop Papa Bell, Willie Wells and Mule Suttles.

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The Negro Leagues' Best Baseball Clubs: #7: Newark Eagles

Top 15 Negro League Teams

#7: Newark Eagles

League Affiliation: Negro National League

Negro American League

Established: 1936

Folded: 1948

Based in: Newark, New Jersey

1946 Newark Eagles 

               The Newark Eagles came into existence in 1936 when the Newark Dodgers merged with the Brooklyn Eagles. Abe Manley and his wife Effa, were the owners and founders of the Brooklyn club and bought the Newark team and combined the team’s players and assets. Team management was left to Effa Manley, therefore making the Eagles to be the first professional sports team to be owned and operated by a woman.

                For seven years, from 1942 until 1948, the winners of the Negro National League played the winners of the Negro American League in the Negro World Series. In 1946, Newark represented the NNL and were huge underdogs to the NAL Champion Kansas City Monarchs.

                After dropping the first game of the Series by a score of 2-1, the Eagles tied it with a 7-4 triumph in Game 2. They got blown away 15-5 in the third game, but rebounded by taking Game 4, 8-1. Again the Eagles fell behind by losing Game 5 by a 5-1 score. However, they managed to take the final two games by scores of 9-7 and 3-2 to upset the Monarchs.

                After the NNL folded in 1948, the Eagles applied for membership in the NAL. They were welcomed into the league but Effa Manley sold the club and they were moved to Houston. They played two seasons in the NAL before folding after the 1950 season.

                Notable players for the Newark Eagles included: Larry Doby, Monte Irvin and Don Newcombe.

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This Day In Baseball History: May 7, 2010

This Day In Baseball History: May 7, 2010

                It was on this date in 2010 that Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Jamie Moyer, becomes the oldest player in MLB history to throw a complete game shutout when he blanks the Atlanta Braves by a score of 7-0 at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia. Moyer was 47 years and 170 days old, breaking the record that was held by Phil Niekro, who was 46 years and 188 days old when he shutout the Toronto Blue Jays in 1985 as a member of the New York Yankees.

                Over his 25 year big league career, Moyer played for the Cubs, Rangers, Cardinals, Orioles, Red Sox, Mariners, Phillies and Rockies. In 696 career games, Moyer compiled a 269-209 record, posted a 4.25 ERA and struck out 2441 batters in 4074 innings pitches. His lone All-Star Game appearance was in 2003 when he was a member of the Seattle Mariners.

                Moyer as a member of the Phillies when they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win the World Series in 2008. He started Game 3 and pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out five, but picked up a no-decision as the Phils won in walk-off style in the bottom of the ninth inning.

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This Day In Baseball History: May 6, 1915

This Day In Baseball History: May 6, 1915

                It was on this date in 1915 at the Polo Grounds in New York, in a game against the Yankees, that a rookie pitcher for the Boston Red Sox by the name of Babe Ruth, hit his first Major League home run. During the 1915 season, Ruth would collect 29 hits in 92 at bats (a .315 batting average) hit four home runs and have 20 RBIs. On the mound, he compiled a win/loss record of 18-8, had an ERA of 2.44 and struck out 112 batters in 217 2/3 innings.

                While Ruth would gain superstardom slugging home runs as a member of the Yankees, he was a very dominant pitcher for Boston before he was traded to New York. In 158 pitching appearances for the Sox, he won 89 games, lost 46, had an ERA of 2.19 (including an AL-leading 1.75 in 1916), and struck out 483 batters in 1190 1/3 innings.

                At the plate as a member of the Red Sox, he collected 342 hits (including 49 home runs), a .308 batting average 224 RBIs. The Babe helped lead Boston to World Series championships in 1915, 1916 and 1918. As a pitcher, in three World Series games, Ruth was 3-0, had a 0.87 ERA and struck out eight hitters.

                When considering the best player in baseball history, there shouldn’t even be an argument against Ruth. Before he became the dominating hitter he was while with the Yanks, he was a dominating pitcher with Boston. No other player has ever been that effective in both roles.

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Cinco de Mayo: Five Players Who Wore #5 (second annual edition)

Welcome to our second annual Cinco de Mayo (May 5^th) Celebration where we honour MLB players who wore number five. For those who need a quick refresher course, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867).

Last year we looked at George Brett, Rance Mulliniks, Brooks Robinson, Hank Greenberg and David Wright. This year’s bunch is just as talented.

Joe DiMaggio, New York Yankees, 1937-42, 1946-51

                An argument could be made for the “Yankee Clipper" as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. DiMaggio made his debut with the Yankees in 1936 sporting number nine, but switched to five the following season. We wore the number until 1942 when he was drafted into military service during the Second World War. He rejoined the Yankees after the war ended in 1945 and played from 1946 until 1951.

                He had a career .325 batting average in 1736 games, hit 361 home runs, and had 1537 RBIs. He was the American League’s MVP three times (1939, 1941 and 1947) while leading the Yankees to ten AL Pennants and nine World Series Championships. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1955.

Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds, 1967-83

                Bench played his entire career (17 seasons) with the Reds and wore number five for his whole career. Often described as the best catcher of his era, he played in 2158 games, had a .267 batting average while slugging 389 home runs and adding 1376 RBIs. He was the National League’s Rookie of the Year in 1968 and its MVP twice (1970 and 1972). He was a 14-time All-Star and won ten Gold Glove Awards.

                He was a key ingredient in the Big Red Machine, the nickname given to the Reds in the 1970s when they won six NL West titles, four Pennants and two World Series (1975 and 1976). Bench was the named the World Series MVP in 1976 after batting .533 with eight hits, including two home runs, and six RBIs as Cincinnati swept the Yankees.

Nomar Garciaparra, Boston Red Sox, 1996-2004

Chicago Cubs, 2004-2005

Los Angeles Dodgers, 2006-2008

Oakland Athletics, 2009

                Nomar Garciaparra played 14 years in the Majors with four different teams, but his best years were with the Red Sox. He won the American League’s Rookie of the Year Award in 1997 while leading the league in hits with 209. In his nine seasons with Boston, he batted .323 in 966 games while earning five All-Star Game selections.

Injuries hampered him through the later stages of his career and he was traded to the Cubs midway through the 2004 season. It’s unfortunate that he wasn’t a part of the team that finally broke the Red Sox World Series drought. He finished his career with a .313 career average in 1434 games.

Jeff Bagwell, Houston Astros, 1991-2005

                Bagwell played his entire 15-year career with the Astros and wore number five for the duration. He won the National League’s Rookie of the Year Award in 1991 and followed that up with the League’s MVP Award in the strike-shortened season of 1994. He was an All-Star four times, won three Silver Slugger Awards and one Gold Glove. For his career, he played 2150 games, collected 2314 hits (a .297 batting average), slugged 449 RBIs and had 1529 RBIs.

                He led the Astros to the postseason six times, including the 2005 World Series (Houston’s only appearance in the Fall Classic in its history) where they lost in a four-game sweep to the Chicago White Sox. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals, 2001-2011

Los Angeles Angels, 2012-Present

                Pujols was the best player in baseball during his time with the Cardinals. His first ten years with the club, he hit over .300 and had more than 100 RBIs in each of those seasons. His final year with the Cards, he had 99 RBIs and a .299 batting average. He won the NL’s Rookie of the Year award in 2001 and the MVP Award in 2005, 2008 and 2009. He made the All-Star Game nine times while in St. Louis and led the Cardinals to three World Series appearances, including victories over the Detroit Tigers in 2006 and the Texas Rangers in 2011.

                After signing with the Angels prior to the 2012 seasons, Pujols has put up some decent seasons but nothing that compares to his time in St. Louis. His average has steadily declined over the past six years but he still boasts a career .308 average (as of April 30 of this year).

                In 77 career postseason games, he has slugged 19 home runs and has 54 RBIs.

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The Negro Leagues' Best Baseball Clubs: #8: Philadelphia Stars

Top 15 Negro League Teams

#8: Philadelphia Stars

League Affiliation: Negro National League

Negro American League

Established: 1933

Folded: 1952

Based in: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

1940 Philadelphia Stars

                The Philadelphia Stars were founded as an independent team in 1933 by former Negro League player Ed Bolden. In their lone year as an independent, the Stars played only two games against other Black teams. The rest of their games were against white semi-pro teams.

                They joined the Negro National League in 1934, and won the second half of the regular season with an 11-4 record. They qualified for the NNL Championship series against the Chicago American Giants.

                The two teams were tied at three games a piece when the seventh game ended in a 4-4 tie, necessitating an eighth game to determine the champion. The Stars won the game 2-0 to claim the championship. But the American Giants launched a protest, arguing that Stars’ third baseman Jud Wilson should have been ejected from Game 6 for hitting an umpire but wasn’t. They then protested that two of the games were played at night and it affected their play. The Stars counter-protested by claiming the Giants were using ineligible players. However, all protests were rejected and the Stars were the champions.

                The Stars never won another championship with fourth place being their best finish. When the NNL folded after the 1948 season, the Stars joined the Negro American League but didn’t have much success. The team played in the NAL for three years and disbanded after 1952.

                Notable Stars’ players included: Turkey Stearnes, Satchel Paige and Biz Mackey.

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The Negro Leagues' Best Baseball Clubs: #9: Indianapolis Clowns

Top 15 Negro League Teams

#9: Indianapolis Clowns

League Affiliation: Negro American League

Established: 1930s?

Folded: 1962

Based in: Indianapolis, Indiana

 

1941 Indianapolis Clowns

                While the exact date of the club’s formation is not known, it is believed that the team began in either 1935 or 1936 in Miami as the Giants. They soon became an independent barnstorming club and changed their name to the Ethiopian Clowns. Due to their antics on the baseball diamond, the clowns were referred to as the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball.

                In 1943, they moved to Cincinnati, kept the name Clowns, and joined the Negro American League. In 1944 and 1945, they operated between Cincinnati and Indianapolis and officially moved to Indy in 1946. The won the NAL Championship in 1950.

                As the Negro Leagues began to decline in the late 1940s and early 1950s due to the integration of Major League Baseball, the Clowns became an independent team once again. But as all the other Black ballclubs folded or disbanded, the Clowns continued to operate. By 1966, they were the last Negro League team playing and although barnstorming became a dying baseball operation, the Indianapolis Clowns continued to play exhibition games, again as a Glotbetrotter-type team, until the 1980s.

                They officially ceased operations in 1989.

                Some notable players included Hank Aaron, Buster Haywood and Choo-Choo Coleman.

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The Negro Leagues' Best Baseball Clubs: #10: Baltimore Elite Giants

Top 15 Negro League Teams

#10: Baltimore Elite Giants

League Affiliation: Negro National League

Negro Southern League

Negro National League II

Negro American League

Established: 1920

Folded: 1950

Based in: Baltimore, Maryland

                The Baltimore Elite Giants were formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1920 and named the Nashville Standard Giants. In 1921 they were re-named the Nashville Elite Giants and would play 19 years in Tennessee before moving to Baltimore in 1938. Up until 1929, they were an independent semi-professional team.

                They were granted entry into the Negro National League in 1930 and finished in seventh place with a record of 39-47. The following season, they moved to Cleveland and nicknamed the Cubs, but the relocation didn’t improve the team’s fortunes and they finished seventh again (25-28).

                After the NNL folded, the team moved back to Nashville, took back the Elite Giants moniker and joined the Negro Southern League for 1932. In 1933, the second Negro National League was formed and Memphis was one of the clubs granted membership. They tied for first in the second-half standings and played the Pittsburgh Crawfords in a best-of-three series. Nashville lost the series and tumbled to fourth in the standings in 1934.

                In 1935, they moved to Columbus and finished in fourth place with a 16-17 record. Then it was on to Washington, DC, for two seasons, where they finished fifth in 1936 (21-24) and third in 1937 (27-17). Finally, in 1938, they moved to Baltimore where they would play for the next 13 seasons.

                They won the NLL Championship in 1939, defeating the Homestead Greys in the championship series. In 1948, they made the championship again, but this time lost to the Greys.

                In 1949, the NLL ceased operations and the Baltimore franchise joined the Negro American League. In their first year in the NAL, the Elite Giants won the championship. In their thirteen seasons in Baltimore, they team finished in the top three in the standings in nine of those years.

                Notable players included future Major League players Roy Campanella, Junior Gilliam and Joe Black.

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The Negro Leagues' Best Baseball Clubs: #11: Detroit Stars

Top 15 Negro League Teams

#11: Detroit Stars

League Affiliation: Negro National League

Established: 1919

Folded: 1931

Based in: Detroit, Michigan

1921 Detroit Stars

                 The original version of the Detroit Stars was formed as an independent team in 1919, joined the Negro National League in 1920 and folded at the end of the 1931 season. There were three attempts to start the franchise again. The experiments of 1933 and 1937 failed, while the third attempt had a bit more success (1954-1961) but the Negro Leagues by that point were not much more than minor leagues.

                The Stars were founded by Tenny Blount, and they immediately became one of the best teams in Black Baseball. They were a charter member of the first Negro National League in 1920, and finished in second place with a 35-23 record. But they never achieved more success than that. Two more second place finishes occurred, but the Stars were never good enough to win the Pennant.

                The team disbanded when the NLL collapsed after the 1931 season. The first attempt to re-incarnate the Stars happened in 1933, joining the second Negro National League, but the experiment only lasted on year. In 1937, there was another effort to get the Stars going again, this time in the Negro American League. Again, the club lasted all of one year.

                Some notable players for the Detroit Stars included: Joe “Prince” Henry, Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, Norman “Turkey” Stearnes and Sam Crawford.

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This Day In Baseball History: April 30, 1961

This Day In Baseball History: April 30, 1961

                It was on this date in 1961 that San Francisco Giants’ outfielder Willie Mays slugged four home runs in one game, with all four dingers travelling more than 400 feet. The game was played at County Stadium in Milwaukee against the Braves.

                The first home run was a solo shot that came in the first inning off Braves’ starting pitcher Lew Burdette to give the Giants a 1-0 lead. He then came to bat in the top of the third with Milwaukee ahead 3-2, and pounded his second homer of the game (again off Burdette but this time with a runner on base) to give San Fran a 4-3 lead.

                After flying out in the fifth, the Say Hey kid drilled a three-run shot off Braves’ reliever Seth Morehead and the Giants now led 11-3. Another two-run belt in the eighth (off Don McMahon) made the score 14-4, which is how the game ended. Mays’s opportunity to hit a fifth never happened as he was in the on-deck circle in the top of the ninth when the third out was recorded.

                For the game, Mays was 4 for 5, the four home runs and eight RBIs. Giants’ shortstop, Jose Pagan, also went deep twice, as did Milwaukee outfielder Hank Aaron. Two San Francisco players (Felipe Alou and Orlando Cepeda) hit one home run each for a game total of ten.

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