September 20, 1935
In baseball news, the Pittsburgh Crawfords defeated the New York Cubans to win the Negro National League championship. Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell and Oscar Charleston collected extra base hits for the Crawfords. This 1935 squad was considered perhaps the greatest Negro League team ever:
For five years, 1932-36, Gus Greenlee's Crawfords were the "Yankees of the Negro Leagues" and each year's squad draws some votes as the greatest of all-time. However, the 1935 team, which featured five Hall-of-Famers in the lineup, is considered the best, with Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Cool Papa Bell, Judy Johnson and Satchel Paige. Although Paige jumped to a white semio-pro team in Bismarck, North Dakota during the season, the team was so strong that they continued to win without him. Lefthander Leroy Matlock assumed the role as ace of the staff and fashioned an outstanding record. Flanking Bell in the outfield were Sam Bankhead and Jimmie Crutchfield, giving the Crawfords one of the fastest outfields ever to play baseball. The Crawfords easily won the first half title with a .785 winning percentage and defeated the New York Cubans in a seven-game play-off for the Championship.
Greenlee was a gambling and numbers racketeer who owned the field where the team played in Pittsburgh - Greenlee Field - and the Crawford Grille which hosted entertainers like Lena Horne and Bill Robinson as well as Crawford ballplayers.
For five years, 1932-36, Gus Greenlee's Crawfords were the "Yankees of the Negro Leagues" and each year's squad draws some votes as the greatest of all-time. However, the 1935 team, which featured five Hall-of-Famers in the lineup, is considered the best, with Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Cool Papa Bell, Judy Johnson and Satchel Paige. Although Paige jumped to a white semio-pro team in Bismarck, North Dakota during the season, the team was so strong that they continued to win without him. Lefthander Leroy Matlock assumed the role as ace of the staff and fashioned an outstanding record. Flanking Bell in the outfield were Sam Bankhead and Jimmie Crutchfield, giving the Crawfords one of the fastest outfields ever to play baseball. The Crawfords easily won the first half title with a .785 winning percentage and defeated the New York Cubans in a seven-game play-off for the Championship.
Greenlee was a gambling and numbers racketeer who owned the field where the team played in Pittsburgh - Greenlee Field - and the Crawford Grille which hosted entertainers like Lena Horne and Bill Robinson as well as Crawford ballplayers.
posted by Whistling Dixie at 5:05 AM
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