brooklyndodgermemories

The first successful attempt to establish a major Negro baseball league came in 1920, with the founding of the Negro National League. The circuit operated through 1931, with clubs located in the Midwest and the South. The Eastern Colored League was formed in 1923, and survived into the spring of 1928. Eastern teams played as the American Negro League in 1929.

The East-West League folded in the season it was founded, 1932; that year, the Negro Southern League was the only major circuit to complete its schedule. The NSL was a minor league before and after the 1932 season. From 1933 through 1936, the second Negro National League ran unchallenged as a black major league. It included teams from the East and Midwest, and from Nashville in 1933-34. By 1936, the NNL was operating exclusively in the East. In 1937 midwestern and southern franchises formed the Negro American League. The NAL and the NNL co-existed through 1948; in 1949, the NAL absorbed the NNL, and survived as the last major black circuit through 1960.

Negro leagues generally contained six teams, though it was not uncommon for them to have a few more or less. Baltimore, Chicago, Kansas City, New York, and Philadelphia were usually represented. Among other cities fielding teams were Atlantic City, Birmingham, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Memphis, Newark, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Washington. The schedules were set up to allow member teams to play against other competition, primarily white semi-pro opponents. As a result, it was common for the black clubs to play more non-league than league contests. Teams normally played from 50 to 80 league games a season.

Over the years, 11 inter-league Black World Series were held. The NNL and ECL titlists played from 1924 through 1927. Champions from the NAL and NNL met from 1942 through 1948. In 1933 club owners initiated the East-West all-star game. Into the 1950s, the contest was played each summer at Chicago's Comiskey Park. Bringing the best black players together, the East-West game would attract from 20,000 to 50,000 fans, and provided an important source of revenue for the black teams.

Thanks for getting this started up Pete. The Negro Leagues, and it's players will give us plenty to talk about, as if we needed anymore to talk about.

This was a good idea, and yes we do have alot of other things to talk about, let me go get out my Negro League hats.

Negro League World Series
Negro National League Champion Negro National League Champion
vs. vs.
American Negro League Champion Negro American League Champion
1924-1927 1942-1948

1948 Homestead Grays NNL 4-1 Birmingham Black Barons NAL
1947 New York Cubans NNL 4-1 Cleveland Bulldogs NAL
1946 Newark Eagles NNL 4-3 Kansas City Monarchs NAL
1945 Cleveland Buckeyes NAL 4-0 Homestead Grays NNL
1944 Homestead Grays NNL 4-1 Birmingham Black Barons NAL
1943 Homestead Grays NNL 4-3 Birmingham Black Barons NAL
1942 Kansas City Monarchs NAL 4-0 Homestead Grays NNL

1927 Chicago American Giants NNL 5-3 Bacharach Giants ANL
1926 Chicago American Giants NNL 5-3 Bacharach Giants ANL
1925 Hilldale Daisies ANL 5-1 Kansas City Monarchs NNL
1924 Kansas City Monarchs NNL 5-4 Hilldale Daisies ANL

World Series Championships by Franchise

3 Homestead Grays 1943 1944 1948
2 Chicago American Giants 1926 1927
2 Kansas City Monarchs 1924 1942
1 Cleveland Buckeyes 1945
1 Hilldale Daisies 1925
1 Newark Eagles 1946
1 New York Cubans 1947

Great information Pete. Its too bad, that it is so hard to piece together a complete history of black baseball.

I still think it would have been so cool to have the Newark Eagles come into NY and play back-to-back 3-game series against the Brooks at Ebbets and the Jints at the Polo Grounds. Exciting to think about it even now! I can picture packed houses with Maglie staring down the Eagles......WOW

The Negro Leagues will always be a mystique.