At last, black legends get their Hall passest

Bijan C. Bayne

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Last month, a committee of baseball historians elected 17 Negro and pre-Negro Leagues candidates to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, including 12 players and five executives. The inductees were honored in Cooperstown, N.Y., during the Hall’s Induction Ceremonies on July 30, joining Bruce Sutter, this year’s lone selection by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The new honorees were selected by a voting committee comprised of 12 Negro baseball scholars chosen by the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors. They include seven Negro League players, five whose careers predated organized black baseball, as well as four executives, including Effa Manley, the first woman enshrined in Cooperstown.

The seven Negro Leaguers were Ray Brown, Willard Brown (no relation), Andy Cooper, Biz Mackey, Mule Suttles, Cristóbal Torriente and Jud “Boojum” Wilson. The four who preceded the Negro Leagues’ formation were local product Frank Grant, Pete Hill, José “The Black Diamond” Méndez and Louis Santop. Alessandro “Alex” Pompez, Cumberland “Cum” Posey, J.L. Wilkinson and Sol White joined Manley as executive inductees.

Much has been made of former first baseman and manager John “Buck” O’Neil being passed over by the committee. Yet students of the black game and its legacy view O’Neil, the surprise star of Ken Burns’ PBS documentary series “Baseball,” as a good player but not a superstar. While the uproar over his absence is understandable, O’Neil was never considered one of the premier first baseman of his day, especially at the plate.

Such is not the case with this year’s inductees. Willard Brown was a muscular slugger feared both in the States and the Puerto Rican League, where he set records that stand to this day. Big-league great Roy Campanella called Mackey “the master of defense of all catchers.” Suttles and Wilson were known for their tape measure home runs. Torriente was a Cuban slugger whom big league managers coveted, knowing his curly hair would give away his ethnicity.

Another Cuban, Méndez (called “El Diamante Negro” in his native tongue) pitched and managed for the Kansas City Monarchs in their heyday, and was one of the game’s greatest hurlers. Pompez, owner of the New York Cubans and numbers racketeer, later in his career helped steer Latino talent to major league teams. Wilkinson, a white businessman, operated the Monarchs and was one of the first baseball executives to host night games. In addition to founding the powerhouse Philadelphia Giants, White authored “Sol White’s Official Base Ball Guide,” considered the earliest definitive history of the Negro game.

Few figures were as colorful as Effa Manley. Her white mother married a black man and the young Effa identified with the minority culture, deciding to live life as a black woman. At a Negro League All-Star Game, she met Brooklyn Eagles’ owner Abe Manley, whom she later wed. It was she who ran the day-to-day operation of what became the Newark Eagles.

Speaking on behalf of the 17 inductees, Sharon Robinson, daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, said, “I would like to thank the Hall for opening its doors to a deserving woman.”

Ulysses Franklin “Frank” Grant, born in Pittsfield, Mass. in 1865, is often regarded as the greatest black baseball player of the 19th century. While statistics from that era are scarce, the feared leadoff hitter’s career batting average in games that could be cataloged was .337.

After pitching and playing the infield for the minor league Meriden (Conn.) Resolutes in 1886, Grant starred with the Buffalo Bisons of the Independent League, hitting well over .300, stealing 40 bases and leading the league in both home runs and extra base hits in 1887.

Though he was a hit with Buffalo’s fans, Grant faced hostility from teammates and opponents alike. As a second baseman, he was spiked so often that he began wearing wooden shin guards to protect himself. After minor league baseball barred blacks from its rosters, Grant played on a number of successful black teams, including the New York Big Gorhams, the Cuban X-Giants and the Philadelphia Giants.

While Grant had no children, several of his relatives traveled to Cooperstown to honor his memory. His niece, Marion Grant Royston of Williamstown, accepted his plaque.

“Frank Grant is a true treasure for Pittsfield and the game of baseball,” said Pittsfield Mayor James M. Ruberto. “As the world celebrates his wonderful contribution to the game Pittsfield is so proud of its native son.”

Williamstown officials are planning an official Recognition Day for Grant sometime in August. Details are still being discussed.

The panel of Negro League authors, researchers and speakers they will forward another set of names for induction next year. Hub fans hope one of them is longtime local pitcher “Cannonball” Will Jackman, who performed until he was nearly 50. Jackman, the popular ace of the Boston Royal Giants from the early 1920s through the late 1940s, won two out of three contests he threw against pitchers who had or would later acquire major league experience.

Bijan C. Bayne is author of “Sky Kings: Black Pioneers of Professional Basketball.” His summer home is on Martha’s Vineyard.