When the Red Stockings disbanded in 1871, Cincinnati found itself without a pro baseball team. It was up to a former Princeton ballplayer and a crowd-funded team across the river in Kentucky to bring pro baseball back. […]
Author: Gary Joseph Cieradkowski
Tommy Lasorda: The Fight of ’56 and the Birth of a Hall of Fame Manager
This is a piece I wrote about ten years ago. I included an abbreviated version in my book, The League of Outsider Baseball, and always liked by illustration of the young Tommy. So, without further yapping, here’s my story of Tommy Lasorda’s early career as a southpaw who dreamed of playing for his beloved Dodgers. […]
Johnny Wright: He was never just the “other guy”
Today, Wright’s time in Montreal is seen as a brief footnote to Jackie Robinson’s story – but I’m going to flip it the other way around and argue that those six weeks with Montreal was just a brief footnote in Johnny Wright’s story… […]
Cyclone Joe Williams: Paul Bunyan of the Diamond
While Satchel Paige is usually referenced as the finest pitcher Blackball produced, many fans and sportswriters alike who witnessed both Paige and the man known as Cyclone Joe Williams pick the latter as the best. […]
John Henry Lloyd: Wherever the money was, that’s where I was
From the start of his career in 1906, Lloyd was Blackball’s most sought after attraction and he switched teams often, stating “Wherever the money was, that’s where I was.” […]
Jud Wilson: Boojum!
Called “Boojum” because of the sound his line drives would make hitting the outfield wall, many consider Jud Wilson to be the most dangerous hitter in Black baseball history. […]
Wild Bill Wright: A Most Complete Ballplayer
Wild Bill Wright’s contemporaries called him the Negro League’s “most complete ball player.” Built like an NFL linebacker, the 6’-6” outfielder had blinding speed on the base paths, fielded with grace and was a line-drive hitting machine. […]
Cool Papa Bell: Speeding through three decades
Cool Papa Bell earned his nickname as a teenage pitcher in St. Louis where his unflappable demeanor on the mound caused his teammates to say he was “one cool papa!” […]
Recent Work: SABR Baseball Research Journal Cover
During this past summer, I was contacted by Scott Bush, Chief Executive Officer of the Society for American Baseball Research, who asked if I would be interested in doing a redesign of the other SABR publication, Baseball Research Journal. Needless to say, I said YES… […]
Chino Smith: Like a Meteor
Like a meteor, Charlie Smith burned hot and bright for a tragically short time. Known as “Chino” in Cuba and “Smitty” or just “Charlie” in the States, the right fielder hit Negro League pitching at a .400 clip from 1927 to 1931. […]