Whirty: Pennsylvania Colored League came and went 75 years ago
From SABR member Ryan Whirty at Philly.com on April 15, 2015:
The Philadelphia Tribune’s Ed Harris had a tendency to wax poetic, and in a July 1940 column, he was in peak form.
His subject? The newly christened Pennsylvania Colored Baseball League, which in 1940 — 75 years ago — became one of the first circuits to attempt to draw together Philadelphia-area African-American semipro teams in the era of rigid racial segregation in America’s pastime.
And Harris was virtually giddy with excitement at the apparent prosperity of this new Negro baseball adventure.
“Behind and underneath it all, the solid foundation on which all baseball is built, are the little clubs, the sandlot teams, the semi-pro clubs, the minor leagues,” Harris wrote.
Read the full article here: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/other_sports/Colored_league_came_and_went_75_years_ago.html
Originally published: April 17, 2015. Last Updated: April 17, 2015.