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Watch: Untold Truth of Negro League Baseball


By Mike Silva ~ January 17th, 2011. Filed under: Negro Leagues.

With today being the celebration of Martin Luther King, and Black History Month in front of us, I found this interesting video about the history of Negro League baseball.

A couple of things that I did not know:

1) Fleet Walker was the first African American to play baseball on an all white team when he was a member of the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association in 1884. Walker hit .263 that season and caught 41 ballgames.

2) There never was anything written about excluding African Americans from the game, it was a “gentleman’s agreement.” As I have come to learn, baseball is good at keeping people outside its gates without formal written consent.

3) The Kansas City Monarch’s owner financed the first professional baseball game played at night in 1930.

You could also check out Paul Sullivan’s 25 man roster of Negro League ballplayers that never got a shot at playing in the big leagues. An interesting trip down memory lane.

If you are a baseball history buff, this video might be of interest to you. Enjoy the holiday.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com
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