The Souls of Black Baseball:
Voices from the Field of Dreams
Deferred
An Oral History Project by Dr. Bob Allen
An Oral History Project by Dr. Bob Allen
Veteran of the Negro League Baseball era, catcher for the
Philadelphia Stars, Bill "Ready" Cash can spin out a story that takes
away your own breath as he tells it. Like the one about the 28 day bus
trip the team took in the late 40's: going through towns 75-80 miles an
hour because they had to make the schedule; blowing out motors and
getting speeding tickets in the bargain; playing games along the way
from Philadelphia, winding south 1900 miles away to Tyler, Texas.
On the field, in 105 degree weather, ready for the dressing
rooms,
but not allowed to use them. Had to go under the stands to dress. Only
allowed a short run around the field for warmup as an old guy hollered
from the stands, "nigger, I'm gonna shoot you." Says Bill: "We still
had to play ball. Out of those 28 days we were away from home, we was
in bed four hours. All the rest of the time we slept in the bus,
traveling."
Cash continues the story, taking you on the northbound loop
back
home; like always, stopping now and then after games, at places that
were open to get food, sandwiches, mayonnaise, meat, sodas, to eat on
the way. Games along the way, night and day. Cash recalls: "One Sunday
we played in Birmingham. They had a little kid 16 years old and his
father didn't allow him to play, goin away with the team. He only
played on Sundays. He was battin' third. Piper Davis was the manager. I
said, Piper, you've got this kid hittin' third?' He said, you'll find
out.' We were tied 6-6 in the seventh inning and he came up. Boy, I
just knew we were gonna throw a ball by him. He got 4 for 5 against us
that day. I hit a double off the scoreboard. The next guy hit a long
fly to center field, he went back against the fence and caught it. I
tagged up and went to third base. When I got there, the ball was
waitin' on me. That little 16 year old kid was Willie Mays. Boy, he
could hit, he could ...of course you know all about him...he could do
it."
This and many other stories, some tragic and sad, others
side-splitting hilarious, are part of and emerging from an oral history
project by Dr. Bob Allen, a free lance writer and researcher, and
former teacher at the Pennsylvania State University. Allen's travel
throughout the northeast in the last six years, and his intention to
visit and interview on film every surviving player from the Negro
Leagues, was based on a three part goal: to preserve, promote, and
promulgate the history and stories of Negro League Baseball.
To date, the project has collected 381 hours of
film footage
of Negro Leagues histories. Yet, there is more to be done and further
support to continue the project is needed. A detailed description of
the project is available to all interested. In summarizing the project,
Allen notes:
... without such histories being recorded, getting the actors
to
recall the play, and enabling future generations to see and understand
the scene of the past "In time, we forget who we are." As players from
the old baseball Negro Leagues probe the scars and remember the joys of
their finest hours amidst the apartheid at the heart of the nation's
pastime, this project will memorialize who they were so that we can
better understand who we might be. Hopefully, it will make a special
contribution to this important history of sport and American society;
be of help and of use to veteran historians of the sport; and bring to
life and keep alive the lessons and challenges we can all take up from
this fascinating history.
For further information, enquiries, and suggested contacts to help
Dr. Allen locate and interview players, or to provide needed support to
continue the project, please be in touch with:
an Oral History Project by Dr. Bob Allen, Technical Assistance Ron Gruici
Copyright 2006