IV.

New Negro Leagues

Foster’s death in 1930 and the economic disruption of the Great Depression threatened the stability of the NNL in the 1930s. Without Foster’s leadership the league grew weaker, and some teams disbanded for economic reasons. In 1933 a new Negro National League formed under the leadership of Gus Greenlee, owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords. By 1937 the new NNL was a six-team league based on the East Coast. At the same time, a new six-team Negro American League, which included the powerful Kansas City Monarchs, was formed in the Midwest. The champions of these two leagues played in a black World Series from 1937 until 1948. Greenlee also started a Negro Leagues all-star game in 1933. Known as the East-West Classic, the annual event was held in Chicago and quickly gained popularity as fans voted for their favorite players in polls taken by local black newspapers.

The Negro League style of play was exciting to watch and attracted thousands of fans. While major league teams relied on power and the home run, Negro League teams employed speed and such strategies as the hit-and-run, the bunt-and-run, and the steal. Pitchers in the Negro Leagues were famous for the many ways they could fool the batter. In addition to normal breaking pitches such as curve balls and sliders, their armory included spitballs and balls scuffed with emery boards, both of which made pitches suddenly change direction over the plate. They also threw hesitation pitches that disrupted hitters’ timing.

Despite the popularity of Negro League teams, the economic survival of many franchises depended on barnstorming. Although Northern cities had more money, the black population lived mainly in the South. Even during the regular season, teams based in the North traveled through the Southern states, where they drew large crowds. While touring, the team lived on the bus; it served as hotel, dining room, and locker room. The teams’ small traveling rosters required that many stars play more than one position. Pitcher “Double Duty” Radcliffe, for example, would often pitch the first game of a double header and catch the second; he also served as his team’s bus driver. Some players found themselves taking three or four positions during a series of games. Instead of resting during the off season, Negro League players traveled to Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic to play in winter leagues, winning fans in those countries as well. During the 1930s and 1940s the leagues produced many stars and future members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Roy Campanella, Judy Johnson, Buck O’Neill, Leon Day, Ray Dandridge, and Oscar Charleston.