1952 Pittsburgh Courier All-Time All-America Team.

This month marks the 70th anniversary of the Pittsburgh Courier naming an All-Time All-Star team.

The Courier was an African American Weekly with a lot of baseball coverage.  In 1952 the paper surveyed 31 of the top baseball men in the country 

On April 19th 1952 they published the results: 

As part of our latest ArtCard Project we have taken the 1952 Courier Selections and created cards for several of the players using the 1976 Topps All-Star subset. 

Battery

First we have the Battery. LHP John Donaldson was a showman who created a blueprint of how to make money outside of segregated MLB - this same idea would be adopted by Satchel Paige. To show this relationship we added a nod to Paige in the form of a US postage stamp behind Donaldson. Smoke Joe Williams and Biz Mackey who played for the Philadelphia area Hilldale Daisies round out the battery selections. 

Infield

The Infield is let by Jackie Robinson who we show here "Breaking Barriers" of the card/frame. We don't know a lot about Oliver Marcelle but his nickname was ghost, an image we added above his right shoulder. Above his left shoulder we have his son Ziggy Marcell who played in the 1930s era Negro Leagues. 

Outfield 

We conclude with the Outfield. Both Cristobal Torriente and Martin Dihigo are natives of Cuba and we have added the countries flag for each. There flairs on Monte Irvin's card represent the day that he went out to purchase a saxophone but instead came home with a baseball glove.

If you want to delve more into the Pittsburgh Courier selections here is the full page from 1952. You will need to click on the image and expand it to read the details.

Sources and Links

Pittsburgh Courier 1952 April 19 

SABR Bios

Negro League eMuseum

Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe: T201 Mecca Double Folder

Recently my sketches have been focused on the players of the Negro Leagues. Today we featured Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe who got his nickname from pitching one end of a double header followed by catching the other.  

 I was interested in a way to capture this idea on a baseball card. 

1911 T201 Mecca Double Folder Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe

The T201 Double Folder was the perfect solution. Unfolded/Open features Radcliffe pitching, while the folder version shows him catching. 

While the video is fun, I kind of think it is easier to see the images in stills.

1911 T201 Mecca Double Folder Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe (pitching)

 For the pitching image I put in Radcliffe in pinstripes and on a basically clear field.

1911 T201 Mecca Double Folder Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe (catching)

As a catcher I made Radcliffe a catcher for the Birmingham Black Barons. whom he played for from 1942-46. I went with an industrial background here - typical of many Negro League stadium. 

Time

The card is a bit of an anachronism. Radcliffe's career spanned 1928-50 so 1911 predates that period a bit, but the double folder was to good an idea to pass up.

Sources and Links

Phungo Originals

Phungo Negro Leagues

Seamheads

Negro League Baseball eMuseum 

Cardboard Connection

Toni Stone at the Laura Pels Off-Broadway

Last weekend Team Phungo made the trek up to Manhattan and enjoyed a tremendous play that was based on a Baseball Player.

Toni Stone played second base for the Indianapolis Clowns in 1953. This made her the first woman to play baseball with a Men's professional baseball team. The Clowns are an important part of Negro League history sending several players to the Major Leagues, including Hank Aaron the man that Stone replaced.

The play covers a lot of territory. We learn about Stones background and early prowess in athletics. Her range included track and figure skating. The play also depicts her as an avid baseball fan who memorized stats and has BASEBALL CARDS!!

If you have studied the Negro Leagues you may be familiar with a lot of the material in the play, but it is nice to see it depicted in a fashion that I found historically accurate: The long bus rides due to unwelcoming hotels, The double-headers played in different towns, and of course the harassment from fans during exhibition games with white teams.

In addition Stone dealt with sexism issues from teammates as well as opponents.

There is also a scene where Toni Stone discusses an unfortunate story regarding Gabby Street.

April Matthis
In addition to having an informative and interesting story the play has a very good cast led by veteran April Matthis in the title role. Matthis as Stone figures into every conversation from start to finish making this an almost one-woman show despite the fact she shares the stage with eight other actors.  

Above you see the set for the show. It is set up to appear like a ballpark with bleachers around the stage. Notice the trashcan of baseball bats between bleachers 2 & 3. The stadium lights were a neat part of the set which were used for dramatic affect. The windows in the two alleys between the bleachers often featured single players batting or throwing and created a look of a baseball card.

The Lobby was also dressed up for the show with Pennants and background info on Stone and the Negro Leagues.

Another really nice touch was that they sold Cracker Jack at the concession stand.

On Tour
Toni Stone will only be in NYC through August 11th. However it is going on a short tour thru early 2020. The first stop is San Francisco, followed by DC in the Spring. If you get the opportunity and would like to see some baseball history related theater I highly recommend this show.

Off-Broadway
I always recommend Off-Broadway if you want to see a play in New York. The theaters are more accessible, tickets are significantly cheaper and since the theaters are smaller you always get a good seat. In addition I can usually find an Off-Broadway show that aligns with my tastes. The Broadway productions are big and mainstream, OB gives the companies a chance to produce edgier stories.

Sources and Links
Vittles On Stage Index

SABR
Roundabout Theater

Negro League Stats up at Baseball-Reference

Baseball-Reference has announced that they have added Negro League Stats to their database.  The data may be incomplete but regardless it sure is fascinating. 

2010 Phungo #42 Judy Johnson

One of the first players I looked up was Delaware Rep and Hall of Famer Judy Johnson.  Career .293 hitter batted over .370 two different times 26 career Home Runs.

2010 Phungo Cards - Judy Johnson

2010 Phungo #42 Judy Johnson

Judy Johnson is a Negro League Player from Delaware. He was active with 5 different negro league teams between the years of 1918 and 1936. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks (KC Royals Class A affiliate) play on Judy Johnson Field @ Frawley Stadium. The Statue you see on the above card is in front of the Stadium.

The Card number is #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson. The Picture was taken after a Double Header between the Blue Rocks and Lyncburg Hill Cats. I had gone to see Mike Moustakas and Pedro Alvarez play 3rd base for each of the clubs. Neither player was remarkable that day as the pitchers were the highlight.

For another great custom card of Judy Johnson check out the Infinite Baseball Card Set. In addition to producing a fine custom card Gary has also added the usual quality biographical information that he brings to every post.

I always enjoy learning the history of the game and seeing the creativity that other card bloggers bring to the table. In an era where we find the baseball card designed by the sole authorized producer can be sometimes wanting, it is good to see that the card collecting community can provide some interesting and quality alternatives.

Phungo Game Report - 2009 09 07 Rangers 4 @ Orioles 5

Saturday was a great day for a game and the Phils were on the road so I ventured down to Camden Yards in Baltimore to catch the Orioles hosting the Rangers.

The O's are fielding what one would think is a pretty forgettable team and are attempting to not suffer a hundred losses. As dreadful as this sounds they are not awful to watch - in fact since there is no one at the stadium, it is a good opportunity to catch some of their young talent which will hopefully help the O's compete in the future.

Three of the O's Baseball America Top 5 Prospects were in action Saturday - Catcher Matt Weiters (#1), Left Fielder Nolan Reimold (5) and 2008 #4 overall pick Brian Matusz got the start.

The Texas Rangers are potentially playoff bound and feature a good mix of young talent and some veterans. Sadly Josh Hamilton is on the shelf and was out of the lineup.

After a rough start Matusz settled down and managed to pitch 6 good innings after a shaky 3 run first highlighted by a David Murphy home run. For the game Matusz gave up 4 runs over 7 innings on 6 hits and only 1 walk. It was good enough to give the O's a 5-4 Win. Former Phil Kevin Millwood did not pitch nearly as well - first he could not hold the 3 run lead that the O's spotted. Millwood would leave after only completing 5 innings and giving up 5 runs.

The Offensive highlights were provided by long time Oriole Melvin Mora who was 3 for 4 with a Homer and 3 RBIs. It may be Mora's last great game with the O's.

Some Snapshots:
Good Guy Awards go out to the Rangers Derek Holland, Julio Borbon, and I think this is Michael Young who were all spotted signing autographs. Robert Andino signed a few Autos on the home side.

It was Negro League Recognition Day at Camden Yards and the Widow Hall of Famer Leon Day (foreground) threw out one of the ceremonial first pitches.

2009 09 05 Mrs Leon Day

2009 09 05 Melvin Mora
Melvin Mora was the offensive hero of the day. As part of the Negro League Celebration the Orioles wore the uniforms of the 1949 Baltimore Elite Giants (Pronounced E-Light)



2009 0905 Brian Matusz v Ian Kinsler

Good seats for everyone. The payed attendence was a shade under 18,000 but I am not sure that half that many actually showed up.