America at Bat Front and Back Cover

The front and back covers of America at Bat: The Color of Baseball feature prominent Negro League players. Each player had an impact in the Negro Leagues and the game of baseball overall.

Oscar Charleston (1896-1054)

Oscar Charleston was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and after a stint in the army serving in the Philippines, he returned to begin his baseball career in 1915. His first team was with the independent Indianapolis ABCs. He was a member of the ABCs when they joined the newly formed Negro National League in 1920. Charleston was a hard-hitting outfielder with a ton of speed and a lot of ability with the glove. He was described as fearless and he was known to put everything he had into his play. He played with a number of Negro League teams, including the Philadelphia Stars and the Hilldale Athletic Club, as well as managed Negro League teams during his storied career. In 1976 he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mahlon Duckett (1922-2015)

Mahlon Duckett was born in Philadelphia in 1922. He attended Overbrook High School and while he had tremendous baseball talent, he did not play in high school instead opting to run track. The Philadelphia Stars drafted a 17-year old Duckett in 1940. Due to his age he had to receive permission from his parents to play for the Stars. While they were reluctant at first they did allow him to join the Stars. He played second base for the team until 1949 and was named Negro National League Rookie of the Year in 1940.

In 1994 Duckett was one of several Negro League players honored by then Vice President Al Gore at the White House. Duckett was selected by his hometown Phillies when MLB had a Special Negro League draft in 2008.

Josh Gibson (1911-1947)

Josh Gibson was a power-hitting catcher born in Buena Vista, Georgia. Gibson is said to have earned a career batting average above .350 and was nicknamed the "Black Babe Ruth." It has been argued that Gibson was the best player, regardless of league, to have ever played the game. He began, and played much of his career, with the Homestead Grays but also spent time on the Pittsburgh Crawfords roster. Gibson was a huge fan draw as well and fans, white and African-American, would pack Major League ballparks just to see him play. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.

John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil (1911-2006)

Buck O'Neil was born in Carrabelle, Florida. In 1937, after three years of barnstorming for a semi-professional baseball team, O'Neil signed with the Negro American League Memphis Red Sox. After one season with the Red Sox, the Kansas City Monarchs purchased his contract and he remained with the club until 1955. While with the Monarchs he played first base and in 1948 became a player/manager for the team until 1952 when he focused on his role of team manager. Between 1943 and 1945, O'Neil's playing career was put on hold as he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

After his tenure with the Monarchs, O'Neil became a scout for the Chicago Cubs and in 1962 when the Cubs made him a coach, he became the first African-American to coach at the Major League level.

In 1990, Buck O'Neil co-founded the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri and was the honorary board chairman until his death in 2006. O'Neil posthumously received Major League Baseball's first ever Beacon of Life Award.

Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (1906-1982)

Satchel Paige is considered the greatest pitcher to ever play the game. Born in Mobile, Alabama, he began playing semi-professional baseball in 1923. His pitching prowess was quickly noticed and in 1926 he signed a contract with the Negro Southern League's Chattanooga White Sox. The next year the Negro National League's Black Barons purchased his contract. Paige would spend the next 20 years playing for various Negro League teams. His longest stint was with the Kansas City Monarchs who he played with in 1935 and then from 1937 through the 1947 season. In July of 1948, at the age of 42, he became the oldest rookie ever in Major League Baseball when he signed a contract with the Cleveland Indians. He went 6-1 that season and helped the Indians capture the World Series. In 1971 Paige was the first Negro League player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Joseph "Joe" Black (1924-2002)

Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, Joe Black was a right-handed pitcher who played in both the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball. His professional career began in 1943 when he signed with the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro National League and continued with them through 1950. He played one season in the minor leagues before being called up to the Brooklyn Dodgers where he posted a 15-4 record. That year he also became the first African-American pitcher to win a World Series game when he defeated the Yankees 4-2. The Dodgers would lose the Series in seven games. He played with the Dodgers until 1955 and finished his playing career in 1957.

Black was instrumental in pushing Major League Baseball to award pensions to 90 Negro League players who played a total of four years either in the Negro Leagues or a combination of four years in both the Negro Leagues and MLB. Black was designated chairman of the committee that helped to determine player pension eligibility.

James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell (1903-1991)

Born in Starksville, Mississippi in 1903, Bell moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1920 to attend high school. But his love of baseball and his pitching ability soon led him to play for the Compton Hill Cubs semi-professional team. He signed with the Negro National League's St. Louis Stars in 1922. He quickly showed his baseball maturity when he struck out hitting star Oscar Charleston leading his manager Bill Gatewood to call him "cool." "Papa" was added to the nickname to make it sound better soon thereafter.

Though Bell was cool under pressure on the mound, an injury led to his conversion to an outfielder. What he lacked in arm power after the injury, he was able to make up for with speed thus allowing him to play shallow and still track down a ball in the air. The same speed made him an asset on the base paths and he would routinely stretch singles into doubles or triples. Bell remained with the St. Louis Stars until 1931 and then spent the next two decades playing for a variety of Negro League teams, as well as for teams in the Dominican Republic and the Mexican League. He finished his career in 1950 and in 1974 became the fifth Negro League player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Raymond "Ray" Dandridge (1913-1994)

Ray Dandridge is considered to be one of the best infielders in the history of the game. His primary position was third base but his agility allowed him to play the middle infield positions with ease. He began his professional career with the Detroit Stars in 1933. That season he was loaned, for a short time, to the Nashville Elite Stars and returned to finish the season with Detroit. When the team folded at the end of the season, Dandridge joined the Newark Dodgers - renamed the Newark Eagles in 1936 - and played with them until 1939 and then again in 1942 and 1944. During his years away from the Eagles, he played in the Mexican League where he was well taken care of by his team's owner. This led him to turn down an offer from Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck to play for his organization. Had he said yes, he may have had the opportunity to break the color barrier in the modern baseball era.

Dandridge would never again have the opportunity to play in the majors, though he certainly had the talent to do so. He completed his playing career in the minor leagues.

Dandridge's talent did earn him induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987.

Leon Day (1916-1995)

Leon Day was a right-handed, side-armed fastball pitcher whose high velocity propelled him to be considered one of the best in the game. He made his professional debut with the Baltimore Black Sox in 1934 and then joined the Brooklyn Eagles for the 1935 season. He moved with the team to Newark and played with them through the 1936 season and returned to play for the team from 1941 until 1943 when he served his country during World War II. He returned to the mound in 1946 and didn't miss a beat, when in his first game back, he threw a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Stars.

One of his most notable accomplishments was a perfect 13-0 perfect season in 1937. But Day was not solely known for his pitching. He was a strong and speedy fielder who played both second base and the outfield when not on the mound. His play earned him a record seven East-West All-Star appearances between 1935 and 1946.

Day played a few seasons in the minor leagues after baseball was integrated and finished his career playing in Canada. In 1995, just a week before his death, he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Wilmer Fields (1922-2004)

Wilmer Fields was born in Manassas, Virginia and was a talented athlete who played quarterback for the University of Virginia in Petersburg. But baseball was his game and in 1940 debuted with the Homestead Grays, the only Negro League team he would play for in his long career. While primarily a pitcher, he was also a decent fielder and hitter, and played third base and outfield when not pitching. He helped the Grays win the last ever Negro League National Championship in 1948.

While Fields only played for the Negro League's Grays, his baseball career continued in Canada once the Negro National League folded and he went on to play ball, in particular winter ball, in a number of Latin American countries.

Fields was instrumental in founding the Negro League Baseball Players Association (NLBPA) and served as its president.

Monford "Monte" Irvin (1919-2016)

Monte Irvin grew up in Orange, New Jersey and while in high school excelled in four sports, including football and baseball. He played football at Lincoln University but left to join the Newark Eagles in 1938. He was a powerful hitter and a strong shortstop who was elected to the East-West All-Star game on four different occasions.

Irvin, who like many of his teammates, took time off of baseball to serve in World War II, was considered by Negro League owners to be the player who had the best skill and temperament to be the first African-American player in Major League's modern era.

While he was not the first, he did leave his impact on Major League Baseball. In 1949, the New York Giants purchased Irvin's contract from the Eagles. He played with the Giants through the 1955 season and was an All-Star in 1952 and a member of the 1954 World Series championship team.

While his playing career ended after playing the 1956 season with the Chicago Cubs, Irvin's time with baseball did not. He spent 17 years in MLB's commissioner's office as a public relations specialist. In 1973 he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Walter "Buck" Leonard (1907-1997)

Buck Leonard was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina and went to work after completing eighth grade because there was not an African-American high school in his community. He also needed to help support his family after his father's untimely death.

He loved baseball and, when not working, played semi-professional baseball. When the Depression hit and he lost his job, he decided to pursue a professional baseball career. He began with the Portsmouth Firefighters which led to a stint barnstorming with the Baltimore Stars. It was while on the Stars that he would be groomed to become a stellar first baseman. By 1934, the Homestead Grays had signed Leonard to their roster. He spent the next 17 years with the Grays and earned the nickname the "Black Lou Gehrig." During his tenure he won the batting title in 1948 and the Grays won nine pennants. After the team disbanded at the conclusion of the 1950 season, Leonard had offers from Major League teams. He declined believing that he was too old. In 1972 Leonard was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

John Henry "Pop" Lloyd (1884-1965)

Pop Lloyd is considered to be one of the greatest shortstops to ever play the game. He earned the nickname "The Shovel" because he could dig any ball out of the dirt.

Lloyd's professional career began in 1905 as a catcher for the Macon Acmes before he caught the attention of Cuban X Giants where he played for one season at second base. He was courted by and signed with the Philadelphia Giants in 1907. While playing with the Giants he was moved to shortstop and found his permanent place on the diamond.

By 1910 he was playing for the Leland Giants and helped the team win 123 games. But his tenure there would not last long. In all, Lloyd would play for 10 different Negro League teams, largely moving when a higher salary was offered.

He earned the nickname "Pop" as his career progressed because he mentored the younger players entering the league.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.

Max Manning (1918-2003)

Max Manning was born in Pleasantville, New Jersey and was a dominant right-handed pitcher for his high school. In 1937, a Detroit Tigers scout offered a contract, and then retracted when he learned that Manning was African-American, a tryout with the team.

Manning did not skip a beat and began playing semiprofessional baseball. In 1938 he was signed by the Newark Eagles and would play with the team until 1949. There he helped the Eagles win the 1946 Negro World Series.