Josh Gibson
Dec. 21.1911 -  Jan. 20. 1947

   I love baseball, have all my life. I've watched it and participated in it all my life. (Even now, at the age of
37, I still play in a Senior League. Real hardball. At Deerfoot Park, a triple-A sized field. 330 down the
lines, 400 to centre, the power allies a tempting 365. Weekend warriors risking life, limb and livelihood for
the chance to feel like a kid again.)

 When I was a kid growing up in Saskatoon during the 70's, my favourite team was the Boston Red Sox.
My favourite player was Jim Rice. It never crossed my mind to NOT cheer for him because of his colour. I
was about 13 when I became aware that at one time black players weren't allowed to play in the Major
Leagues. I read Jackie Robinson's autobiography and then wrote a report on his courage and fortitude for
my English class. After that I tore down to my favourite hangout outside of a ball field or basketball court -
the Public Library.

   I had always gone down there and poured through the big Reference books that you weren't allowed to
sign out. Especially if I had to do an essay on Napoleon or Admiral Nelson. You had to take notes in the
reading area and return the books promptly after use. They frowned on the use of the photocopier to copy
pages, but I did it anyway. For fun I used to read the huge tomes on the history of Major League baseball
and 'The World Series'. I had absorbed the tradition and history of the game, yet had hardly read anything
on the Negro Leagues. Or found an explanation as to why there was a colour line in the first place.

   I was in luck that day. They had just got a copy of "When Only The Ball Was White." And it wasn't a
Reference book! I signed it out and read it over and over for weeks. It was eye-opening. Never again would I
have that innocent outlook on the sport.

   Something had stunk like hell in baseball  for a long time. While White America celebrated the likes of
Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Christy Mathewson they tacitly ignored the abilities and achievements of black players.

   I learned that back in 1883, during the reformation after the Civil War, two black players, Fleetwood
Walker and his brother Welday, joined the Toledo Blue Stockings. This was a problem for the Southern
players. There was a strong undercurrent of 'backlash' against the reformation. Yankee carpetbaggers and
'nigger lovers' were hated by these very bitter ex-Confederates. Led by Cap Anson, the Southern players
threatened to boycott the League (the National Baseball Association, it was called at the time, I think.) if
black players were allowed to compete against whites. The typical reasons were that fans wouldn't come
to the games, the white players would lose jobs. That black players may be athletic, but that they were
lazy and prone to 'mental' errors. (wink, wink). They even used religion to say that God meant blacks to be
servile and were not the equals of white men. ( You know, the story of God turning Noah's son Black for
some Transgression. Condemns him thus (paraphrasing): You and all your descendants shall be hewers of
wood and drawers of water, to remain in servitude to your betters.)

   The League caved in, afraid of alienating their prime source of talent. Nearly all the best players came
from the sunny South where the youngsters could hone their skills year round. And the unofficial
gentleman's agreement of barring "coloured" ball players was born. Not all whites were happy with this.
John McGraw, the colourful and brilliant Manager of the New York Giants often tried to slip 'coloured'
players into his line up, claiming they were Cuban. It sometimes worked. His reasoning was that if a player
could cut it, that it shouldn't matter what his skin colour was. His enemies called him a cheater and a 'win
at all costs' kind of guy. McGraw was before his time.

   Branch Rickey, who would later break the colour line by signing Jackie Robinson, related a personal
story. He was the coach and seminary teacher for Wesleyan (Ohio) College. He had a black player on his
team. On one road trip, this player was not allowed to eat in the dining room with his teamates and they
tried to keep him out of the hotel. Mr. Rickey's defiant personality won the day, and he was allowed to
stay. But only in Mr. Rickey's room where he could be 'under supervision'. After getting back to his room,
he saw the poor guy pouring water over his hands and scrubbing away. "I'm sorry, Mr. Rickey. No matter
how hard I scrub, this damn skin stays black." Branch Rickey's eyes filled with tears everytime he related
that story.

   On to the subject of Josh Gibson, without any doubt the greatest slugger of his time. At 6 foot 2 and 220
lbs, he was an imposing figure during an era when the players were much smaller in physical stature than
today. The Negro Leagues statistics are sketchy at best, but it's been estimated he hit over 800 career
Home Runs. They say he hit 84 in one particular year. He was a rocking-chair Catcher with a great arm.
On the bases he had awe-inspiring speed and instincts. He was a hit with both fans and competitors. He
had a comic sense of humour and a carefree, accepting personality. His loud, thundering voice constantly
directed traffic for his fielders. Friends say he was always laughing and smiling in those early days. Before
the bitterness overtook him later in life.

  In his career that stretched from 1927 to 1946, he played for the top two Negro League teams. The
Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Homestead Grays. In the Coloured Community he was celebrated and
idolized. White America heard the odd rumbling, but primarily viewed the Negro Leagues as Second Class
if not Beneath Contempt.

   In the many exhibition games played between White major leaguers and the Negro Leaguers,
contemporary accounts make it quite clear that the black players more than held their own.

  They did keep stats on those ones, Josh hit .412 playing against white pitchers. Guys like Carl Hubbell,
Dizzy Dean and Walter Johnson. Dizzy were known to say, "If we (the St. Louis Cardinals) had Satchel
and Josh, we'd have the Pennant wrapped up by July, and we could take the summer off fishin'
and huntin'.   Then we'd come back in October and whip the Yankees without breakin' a sweat."

   Josh often teamed up with battery mate Satchel Paige to go barnstorming the American and Canadian
farm Belt spreading his myth and legend far and wide. In 1940 and 1941, Josh and Satch played for the
Veracruz team in the Mexican League and they won two championships. Josh hit .467 in 1940, .480 with
33 HR and 124 RBI in only 94 games in 1941. Those Mexican players weren't chumps either, they could
play. They had also suffered the discrimination that faced the American blacks. If they weren't 'white'
enough, tough luck.

   In his last year in 1946, Josh hit .361 with the Homestead Grays, despite suffering from manic behaviour
and alcohol addiction. Some say he may  have had a bi-polar disorder or some kind of manic-depressive
chemical imbalance. Some say it was the drinking that drove his inner demons.

   There was no secret of Josh's desire to play in the Major Leagues. Satchel and Josh ruminated often
about their chances of making it. Some say when Jackie was picked by Mr. Rickey to be the One, Josh
was crushed. There are stories that Mr. Rickey explained his reasons to Josh himself. They say that Mr.
Rickey was haunted to the end of his days by the spectre of the huge, hulking figure breaking down and
lamenting his bad fortune to be born too late.

   On January 20, 1947, Josh Gibson met his maker. He had been fighting headaches all day. He went to a
movie, hoping that the dark theatre would ease his pain. After it was over, Josh was found by the other patrons
unconscious in his seat. A doctor was called, Josh was moved to his mother's house and given a sedative.
His sister Annie recalls that Josh woke up in the middle of the night and had all his trophies brought to his room.
Later, he awoke again and sat up. He mumbled a few words, lay down and died. His life's dream never realized.

   Of all the great black players who never got a fair opportunity to excel in the Major Leagues, Josh Gibson
looms as the most tragic. He was called the black "Babe Ruth", and the story goes that Babe was honored
to be compared to him. When Satchel Paige finally made it to the Major Leagues as a 40-something rookie he
lamented, "This would be a lot more satisfying if Josh was here to share it with me."

  In the film, "Field of Dreams", the ghosts who come back to play in Kevin Costner's cornfield don't invite Ty Cobb
along. "Nobody could stand that bastard anyway," one character opines. Ty Cobb, although a great ballplayer, was a
notorious right wing, gun toting, racist and bigoted son of a bitch. In a perfect world, Ty Cobb would have been forced
to match his skills against ALL the best players of his day.He was one that consciously avoided it.

   One day, an exhibition game was to be held matching up All Star teams. To promote ticket sales in the black
community, they signed "Smoky" Joe Williams to pitch for the team Ty Cobb was to play against.  When Ty found out
he walked out on his commitment to play even in the face of a lawsuit promised by the promoter. "I ain't playin'
against no Nigra, it ain't proper. Us Southern folk are against Race Mixing." Not to mention the fact that
"racial" superiority is hard to proclaim after getting outsmarted and outplayed by a member of an 'inferior' race.

   If there is such a thing as a divine justice,a 'true' field of dreams, Ty Cobb is sitting on the bench for eternity.
Second on the depth chart behind a better, coloured ballplayer. And Josh is flashing his big smile and letting loose
with his rolling, booming laughter. "See? I always knew if I got the chance, I'd put ol' Ty in his place."

Josh Gibson's legend survived his death.
His story will always remain a testament to the courage and fortitude of the Afro-American Experience.
This is a quote that seems to sum up his philosophy:

"Death ain't nothing, I done seen him, done wrassled with him.
  You can't tell me nothing about death.
  Death ain't nothing but a fastball on the outside corner"
 

  For more info go to www.negroleaguebaseball.com