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4 The Monarchs and the Major Leagues The state of black baseball in 1932 “With the primary election over and spring making its appearance, all eyes are now turning toward america’s greatest pastime, baseball,” declared a 1932 Chicago american Giants press release. “There is no ‘depression’ on when a baseball fan desires to see a good team play.”1 Dick lundy, manager of the baltimore black sox and columnist for the baltimore Afro-American, appeared similarly optimistic. “in former years,” he wrote, “there have been attempts by outlaw club owners to fight organized baseball, but the fans have become more and more conscious each year that only through organization can the proper competitive spirit and interest be injected into the game.”2 fred stovall believed in organization, too, and he wanted to be part of a new league in 1932. his monarchs had won the championship of the 1931 Texas– louisiana league. but that league organization was not headquartered in monroe , nor was it a “major” league, and the success of his team the previous year led the owner to make an attempt for one or the other. it seemed initially that creating a league headquartered in monroe would be the most feasible endeavor. The presence of any major league, in fact, appeared tenuous at best. his first move of the 1931–1932 intercession was to hire business manager h. D. “Doug” english from the shreveport sports, a fellow Texas-louisiana league team the previous season, to administer both the team and a possible league. it didn’t take long for the new officer to develop a heady reputation. “This young, modest gentleman just about carries monroe in the palm of his hand when it comes to publicity,” wrote John l. Clark. “he has the full cooperation of the white dailies, public utilities and radio. he has three periods on the air, croons and plays requested numbers and makes his own announcements. he is more responsible than any other single individual for the reputation which 48 / Chapter 4 monroe has as a baseball town.” The Shreveport Sun’s Pitman nedde called english a “young brainy skipper, full o’ pep and rarin’ to go,” who “will try by the hardest to put over a winner for the boys this season. your scribe is well acquainted with this bird, ‘Doug’ english; he knows his onions when it comes to putting pep into a team, together with the gag he carries on with at a piano. english tried hard to put the black sports on the map here, last season; he is a fellow who seemingly never tires of keeping up and at ’em.”3 The hire appeared wise. stovall then called a meeting of potential owners in monroe, with representatives from new orleans, baton rouge, shreveport, and alexandria from louisiana ; little rock, hot springs, Pine bluff, and el Dorado from arkansas; and vicksburg, natchez, and Jackson from mississippi. The Tri-state league, as the aggregation would be called, met on January 22 with floodwaters rising around them. “There seem[s] to be a change coming up the road,” wrote nedde, “but don’t get glad too quick—it’s a little too early.” he was, at best, cautiously optimistic . The idea of the Tri-state league appeared to be the perfect remedy for depression-ridden north louisiana, but the effort of monroe officials seemed almost too good to be true.4 Those early meetings didn’t ease nedde’s skepticism. Though the monarch delegation was “courteous in inviting other towns of louisiana to join this league, there is evidently no chance for another louisiana team to be able to join a baseball league,” reported nedde. shreveport’s potential Tri-state entry, the shreveport black sports, was led at first by Charlie Jones, a shreveport native who nedde touted as having starred with the homestead Grays, hilldale Daisies, and Kansas City monarchs. by the end of January, the sports planned on being part of the new league.5 from that first short meeting came the possibility of recruiting the much more prominent memphis red sox for the new league. “memphis,” reported the Kansas City Call, “would find this a better territory and more profitable than the southern league.” and the Tri-state would certainly find itself more profitable with memphis as a member. With a power vacuum at the top of the black baseball world, the lowly new outfit began setting its sights even higher. The Kansas City monarchs, Cuban stars, Pittsburgh...

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