B.A.T. Talk
Baseball’s Black Eye
After nearly a year away from writing due to the war in Ukraine, I am thrilled to be stepping back into my role as columnist for the State Street Tribune in the year 1939. My focus will be primarily on baseball and the events of 1939. My previous columns can be found on my Medium page.
March 1, 1939
CHICAGO — ¡Hola! A little Spanish lingo I picked up on my travels. What a wonderful trip it was to Cuba! Don’t worry. I am not going to fill this column with tales about the glorious weather while you were back here suffering through a Windy City February.
However, I couldn’t help but think how wonderful it would be if this lovely Caribbean Island could become our 49th state. That is, if it is their own choice. I’m not talking about imperialism like we are seeing happen over in Europe almost on a daily basis.
Adolph Hitler and his Wehrmacht seem to take whatever land they want by force. Equally repulsive was reading about 20,000 people who attended a German American Bund (American pro-Nazi organization) at Madison Square Garden Feb. 20. Early in February, the Republican Spanish government was forced to flee to France by General Francisco Franco and his Nationalists.
Now we come around almost full circle to link Spain and Cuba. Spain had ruled Cuba almost the entire time between Christopher Columbus and 1898. Cuba’s war for independence from Spain was part of the larger Spanish-American War. The United States, in effect, helped the Cubans gain independence (and protected its own interests).
Every 6th grader can tell you about Teddy Roosevelt, the Rough Riders and their charge up San Juan Hill. Lesser known was a group of black American soldiers, primarily from the 10th Cavalry Regiment, known as the “Buffalo Soldiers.” These men charged up the hill alongside the Rough Riders. A total of 5 men of color were awarded the Medal of Honor in that battle.
But what does this have to do with baseball? In my previous column I concluded with an open-ended question. What has happened to all the Cuban baseball players? Bobby Estella of the Washington Senators is the only Cuban-born player on a MLB roster in 1939.
The answer is pure, unadulterated racism. Organized professional baseball has discriminated against men of darker skin since its foundation. And I don’t see Commissioner Kennesaw “Mountain” Landis changing that policy anytime soon. Look at photos of Cuban players who have played in the majors. All of them with lighter skin. Estella is lighter toned than I am.
Fidel, the 12-year old pitcher I met, told me stories about players like Martin Dihigo, Jose Mendez and Cristobal Torriente. He claimed all three were superior to any Cubans who have played in the major leagues.
Where did they play? It turns out in the American Negro Leagues. I’m not naive. I’ve heard about the Negro Leagues, but I knew nothing about them. I discovered that throughout the 1920s there were two teams playing in the U.S. One was called the Cuban Stars East and the other Cuban Stars West? Dihigo played 1B mostly for the Cuban East club. Torriente was a CF, mostly with the Chicago American Giants. Mendez was a pitcher, as well as manager, for the Kansas City Monarchs.
The American Giants play right here in Chicago at Comiskey Park (when the White Sox are on the road). Sometimes they would draw over 30,000 people to a game. I never knew.
Some MLB stars knew. Babe Ruth went mano y mano with Dihigo in Havana. During a 9-game barnstorming series, Dihigo out-slugged the Bambino. Former Athletics catcher Ira Thomas said, “If Mendez were a white man, he could have gotten a good position in the majors.”
John McGraw, the long-time manager of the New York Giants, stated that it was a failure of baseball not to put aside any unwritten laws or prejudices that prevented the signing of a player regardless of his race.”
As I close today, let’s ponder this question, ladies and gentlemen. If we can put a rifle in the hands of a black man and have him fight to defend our freedom, why can’t we put a bat in his hand and have him help our team win a championship?
