[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 24 (Wednesday, March 1, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1582-S1583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 
      SENATE RESOLUTION 386--HONORING THE PRE-NEGRO LEAGUES AND NEGRO 
        LEAGUES BASEBALL PLAYERS AND EXECUTIVES ELECTED TO THE NATIONAL 
        BASEBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2006
  Mr. TALENT (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Frist, and Mr. Sununu) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 386

       Whereas African Americans began to play baseball in the 
     late 1800s on military teams, college teams, and company 
     teams, and eventually found their way onto professional teams 
     with White players;
       Whereas the racism and ``Jim Crow'' laws that forced 
     African American players from their integrated teams by 1900 
     compelled those dedicated players to form their own 
     ``barnstorming'' teams that traveled throughout the United 
     States and offered to play any team willing to challenge 
     them;
       Whereas, in 1920, the Negro National League was created 
     under the guidance of Andrew ``Rube'' Foster, a former 
     player, manager, and owner of the Chicago American Giants, at 
     a meeting held at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City, Missouri;
       Whereas soon after the Negro National League was formed, 
     rival leagues were assembled in eastern and southern States, 
     bringing the thrills and innovative play of African American 
     ballplayers to major urban centers and rural countrysides 
     throughout the United States, Canada, and Latin America;
       Whereas, from the 1920s to the 1960s, over 30 communities 
     located throughout the United States were home to teams in 1 
     of the 6 Negro Leagues;
       Whereas the Negro Leagues maintained a high level of 
     professional skill and became centerpieces for economic 
     development in their communities;
       Whereas, in 1945, the Brooklyn Dodgers of Major League 
     Baseball recruited Jackie Robinson from the Kansas City 
     Monarchs, making Robinson the first African American in the 
     modern era to play on a Major League Baseball roster;
       Whereas the integration of Major League Baseball, which 
     soon followed the signing of Jackie Robinson, prompted the 
     decline of the Negro Leagues because the Major Leagues began 
     to recruit and sign the best African American ballplayers;
       Whereas it has been recognized by numerous baseball 
     authorities that many of the greatest players ever to play 
     the game of baseball played in the Negro Leagues, rather than 
     Major League Baseball;
       Whereas, on February 27, 2006, the National Baseball Hall 
     of Fame announced that Ray Brown, Willard Brown, Andy Cooper, 
     Frank Grant, Pete Hill, Biz Mackey, Effa Manley, Joe Mendez, 
     Alex Pompez, Cum Posey, Louis Santop, Mule Suttles, Ben 
     Taylor, Cristobal Torriente, Sol White, J.L. Wilkinson, and 
     Jud Wilson had been elected to the National Baseball Hall of 
     Fame Class of 2006;
       Whereas less than 1 percent of all professional baseball 
     players have been honored with induction into the National 
     Baseball Hall of Fame;
       Whereas we congratulate Ray Brown, an ace starter for the 
     Homestead Grays who--
       (1) ranks among the top Negro Leagues pitchers in total 
     wins and winning percentage; and
       (2) pitched a perfect game in 1945 as well as a one-hitter 
     in the 1944 Negro World Series;
       Whereas we congratulate Willard Brown, an outfielder with 
     the Kansas City Monarchs who--
       (1) lead the Negro American League in home runs and batting 
     average during numerous seasons; and
       (2) was considered by many to be the Negro American League 
     version of Josh Gibson;
       Whereas we congratulate Andy Cooper, a pitcher with the 
     Detroit Stars and Kansas City Monarchs who--
       (1) had a knack for changing the speed of his pitches;
       (2) was the all-time leader in every Detroit Stars pitching 
     category;
       (3) was among the top 10 leaders in career wins, 
     strikeouts, shutouts, and winning percentage in Negro Leagues 
     history; and
       (4) later in his career became the manager of the Kansas 
     City Monarchs and lead them to 3 pennants;
       Whereas we congratulate Frank Grant, a second baseman with 
     tremendous range and a strong arm who--
       (1) hit over .300 in 4 seasons with White minor league 
     teams until the color lines forced him out of the league in 
     1886;
       (2) played for top-rated African American teams until 1903; 
     and
       (3) who displayed a unique blend of speed and power in the 
     International League that allowed him to turn 1 out of every 
     4 base hits into extra bases;
       Whereas we congratulate Pete Hill, a premier outfielder 
     who--
       (1) played brilliantly for the Cuban X-Giants, Philadelphia 
     Giants, Chicago Leland Giants, and the Chicago American 
     Giants before the formation of the Negro Leagues;
       (2) during his 1911 season as an American Giant, hit safely 
     in 115 out of 116 games; and
       (3) was rated the fourth best outfielder in the renowned 
     1952 Pittsburgh Courier player-voted poll of the best players 
     of the Negro Leagues;
       Whereas we congratulate Biz Mackey, a strong-armed catcher 
     who--
       (1) ended his career with a lifetime batting average well 
     over .300;

[[Page S1583]]

       (2) ranked among the top Negro Leaguers in lifetime total 
     bases, RBIs, and slugging percentage; and
       (3) later managed the Baltimore Elite Giants and the Newark 
     Eagles who, under his skill and leadership, won the Negro 
     World Series in 1946;
       Whereas we congratulate Effa Manley, the co-owner of the 
     Newark Eagles, who--
       (1) has become the first woman elected to the National 
     Baseball Hall of Fame; and
       (2) in addition to her efforts in baseball, played an 
     active role in the Civil Rights Movement by promoting such 
     causes as Anti-Lynching Day at Ruppert Stadium, which is the 
     home of the Eagles;
       Whereas we congratulate Jose Mendez, a right-handed pitcher 
     who--
       (1) earned a winning percentage of just under .700 during 
     his memorable career as a member of the Cuban Stars, All 
     Nations, and Kansas City Monarchs; and
       (2) managed the Kansas City Monarchs to successive pennants 
     from 1923-1925, during which time he compiled a 20-4 pitching 
     record with 7 saves;
       Whereas we congratulate Alex Pompez, a successful team 
     owner who--
       (1) owned the Cuban Stars of the Eastern Colored League and 
     then the New York Cubans of the Negro National League; and
       (2) signed the first Puerto Rican, Dominican, Venezuelan, 
     and Panamanian players of the circuit;
       Whereas we congratulate ``Cum'' Posey, owner of the 
     Homestead Grays, who--
       (1) won the Negro National League pennant 8 times between 
     1937 and 1945; and
       (2) assembled teams that were home to 11 of the 18 Negro 
     Leaguers currently in the Hall of Fame;
       Whereas we congratulate Louis Santop, a power-hitting 
     catcher who--
       (1) played for several of the greatest African American 
     teams of the pre-Negro Leagues era, including the 
     Philadelphia Giants, New York Lincoln Giants, and the 
     Brooklyn Giants;
       (2) hit over .320 while slugging tape-measure homeruns 
     during his tremendous career in the Negro Leagues; and
       (3) was rated by Rollo Wilson as the first string catcher 
     on his all-time Black baseball team;
       Whereas we congratulate Mule Suttles, a hard-hitting first 
     baseman and outfielder who--
       (1) played spectacularly for the St. Louis Stars, Chicago 
     American Giants, Birmingham Black Barons, Newark Eagles, and 
     other Negro League teams; and
       (2) was 1 of the most powerful home run hitters in the 
     Negro Leagues, ranking third all-time among Negro Leaguers in 
     home runs and RBI;
       Whereas we congratulate Ben Taylor, a pitcher who--
       (1) transitioned into a top-ranked first baseman and clean-
     up hitter for the Indianapolis ABC's at the start of his 
     career;
       (2) served as an extremely successful player-manager from 
     1923-1929; and
       (3) exclusively managed the Washington Potomacs, the 
     Baltimore Black Sox, and the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants 
     until 1940;
       Whereas we congratulate Cristobal Torriente, a 5-tool 
     outfielder who--
       (1) played most of his games for the Cuban Stars and 
     Chicago American Giants;
       (2) earned an incredible lifetime batting average of over 
     .330; and
       (3) is 1 of the all-time offensive leaders in Negro Leagues 
     history, ranking in the top 20 all-time in home runs, RBIs, 
     and total bases;
       Whereas we congratulate Sol White, a tremendously gifted 
     baseball player who--
       (1) played all infield positions during his 25-year 
     baseball career;
       (2) was a member of the best African American independent 
     teams of the pre-Negro Leagues era, including the 
     Philadelphia Giants, which he helped found in 1902 as playing 
     manager;
       (3) hit .359 in the White minor leagues during 5 seasons 
     before the color line was established; and
       (4) made a timeless contribution to baseball by authoring 
     his book, ``Sol White's Official Base Ball Guide'', the first 
     history of Black baseball before 1900;
       Whereas we congratulate J.L. Wilkinson, an creative and 
     innovative team owner who--
       (1) owned the Kansas City Monarchs, the All Nations club, 
     and 1 of the first professional women's teams in the United 
     States;
       (2) was a pioneer of night baseball and various ballpark 
     promotions;
       (3) was the only White owner of the Negro National League 
     when it was chartered in 1920; and
       (4) ran the longest running franchise in Negro National 
     League history during which his teams won an unprecedented 17 
     pennants and 2 World Series;
       Whereas we congratulate Jud Wilson, an intense first and 
     third baseman who--
       (1) ranks among the top 10 all-time in home runs, RBIs, 
     hits, total bases, slugging average, and batting average in 
     the Negro Leagues;
       (2) holds a lifetime batting average over .340;
       (3) earned from fans the nickname Boojum, after the sound 
     that his line drives made when slamming off the fences; and
       (4) played on pennant-winning teams as a member of the 
     Baltimore Black Sox, Philadelphia Stars, and Homestead Grays;
       Whereas those baseball legends will be inducted into the 
     National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 30, 2006, in 
     Cooperstown, New York, joining former Negro Leagues players 
     Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, Monte 
     Irvin, Roy Campanella, ``Satchel'' Paige, Willie Mays, Bill 
     Foster, ``Buck'' Leonard, ``Bullet'' Rogan, ``Cool Papa'' 
     Bell, Hilton Smith, ``Smokey'' Joe Williams, Josh Gibson, 
     ``Judy'' Johnson, Leon Day, Martin Dihigo, Oscar Charleston, 
     ``Pop'' Lloyd, Ray Dandridge, ``Rube'' Foster, ``Turkey'' 
     Stearnes, and Willie Wells, as members of the National 
     Baseball Hall of Fame; and
       Whereas we congratulate the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum 
     in Kansas City, Missouri, the only public museum in the 
     Nation that exists for the exclusive purpose of interpreting 
     the experiences of the players in the Negro Leagues, founded 
     in 1990 by Negro Leagues legend Buck O'Neil, Horace Peterson, 
     former Kansas City Monarchs outfielder Al ``Slick'' Surratt, 
     and other former Negro Leagues players, for the tireless 
     efforts of the museum to preserve the evidence of honor, 
     courage, sacrifice, and triumph in the face of segregation of 
     those African Americans who played in the Negro Leagues 
     through its comprehensive collection of historical materials, 
     important artifacts, and oral histories of the participants 
     in the Negro Leagues and the impact that segregation had in 
     the lives of the players and their fans: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates Ray Brown, Willard Brown, Andy Cooper, 
     Frank Grant, Pete Hill, Biz Mackey, Effa Manley, Joe Mendez, 
     Alex Pompez, Cum Posey, Louis Santop, Mule Suttles, Ben 
     Taylor, Cristobal Torriente, Sol White, J.L. Wilkinson, and 
     Jud Wilson on being elected to the National Baseball Hall of 
     Fame Class of 2006;
       (2) commends the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the 
     Negro Leagues Baseball Museum for their efforts to ensure 
     that these legends of baseball receive the recognition due to 
     players of their caliber; and
       (3) respectfully requests the Enrolling Clerk of the Senate 
     to transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to--
       (A) the National Baseball Hall of Fame; and
       (B) the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

                          ____________________