4 Stories about the Negro Leagues You Can Tell at Parties

I just finished Only the Ball Was White by Robert Peterson, which is kind of the foundational book about the Negro Leagues. Terrific fun. And I now impart on you 4 really cool stories that I learned.

1. The foot-first slide

Frank Grant, a negro second basemen from the late 1800s, is credited with inventing the feet-first slide.

Well, he didn’t invent it himself. White players invented it so they could kick and gouge his legs during the game.

He’s also credited with being the first player to wear shin protectors, and sparking players to wear spiked cleats.

2. The hardships

Negro Leagues players were in a constant state of travelling and barnstorming. And while the games were pretty wonderful, the travel around the games was pretty grueling.

First off, a car full of black men was almost guarateed to get pulled over. So these guys would have to get out and be all kinds of submissive to white police officers shaking them down for no reason other than skin color.

They would often play in “white” ballparks when the team wasn’t there. And while they were allowed to use the field, they were NOT allowed to use the locker rooms, which meant changing in the car or hotel.

Lodging was often disgusting or downright unavailable. Not many hotels allowed black people to stay. So many times the players slept in the bleachers of the ball park..

Food was the same thing. Often they couldn’t find a restaurant that would serve them, so they’d eat hot dogs at the ballpark or even bring their own food. One account talked about bringing jars filled with beans and sardines along with crackers to spread it on.

3. Josh Gibson

Josh Gibson is sometimes called “The Black Babe Ruth.” He was a catcher in the Negro Leagues and was a devastating hitter. He had power that absolutely matches up to the greatest in the game. It’s so so fun (and sad) to imagine what would have been if he’d have played in the majors.

To give his power some context…Josh Gibson was playing in a game in Monesson, Pennsylvania and hit a BOOMING home run. It was so huge, the mayor of town ordered the game to be stopped so they could measure Josh’s home run. He hit the ball 512 feet.

That is longer than any ball hit in the last 20 years. The mighty Aaron Judge’s longest home run is 496 feet.

So Gibson was a MONSTER.

4. Satchel Paige

Satchel was the biggest star of the Nergo Leagues, and for good reason. He was a pitcher and a ludicrously good one.

His name, Satchel, came from when he was a kid. He had a job carrying people’s bags at the railway station. To maximize money, he built a harness that allowed him to hang bags all over himself and carry way more than other workers. He looked like a “satchel tree” — so the name came from that.

Paige was so confident in his ability to strike out batters, that in key moments during a game he would order his outfielders TO LEAVE THE FIELD. No defenders at all — totally open field. All the batter had to do was hit it. Which almost always, they did not.

Amazing stuff for sure.