[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 6, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H2200-H2202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUES AND THEIR 
                                PLAYERS

  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 162) recognizing the contributions of the Negro 
Baseball Leagues and their players, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 162

       Whereas even though African Americans were excluded from 
     playing in the major leagues of their time with their white 
     counterparts, the desire of many African Americans to play 
     baseball could not be repressed;
       Whereas Major League Baseball did not fully integrate its 
     leagues until July 1959;
       Whereas African Americans began organizing their own 
     professional baseball teams in 1885;
       Whereas the skills and abilities of Negro League players 
     eventually made Major League Baseball realize the need to 
     integrate the sport;
       Whereas six separate baseball leagues, known collectively 
     as the ``Negro Baseball Leagues'', were organized by African 
     Americans between 1920 and 1960;
       Whereas the Negro Baseball Leagues included exceptionally 
     talented players who played the game at its highest level;
       Whereas on May 20, 1920, the Negro National League, the 
     first successful Negro League, played its first game;
       Whereas Andrew ``Rube'' Foster, on February 13, 1920, at 
     the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City, Missouri, founded the Negro 
     National League and also managed and played for the Chicago 
     American Giants, and later was inducted into the Baseball 
     Hall of Fame;
       Whereas Leroy ``Satchel'' Paige, who began his long career 
     in the Negro Leagues and did not make his Major League debut 
     until the age of 42, is considered one of the greatest 
     pitchers the game has ever seen, and during his long career 
     thrilled millions of baseball fans with his skill and 
     legendary showboating, and was later inducted into the 
     Baseball Hall of Fame;
       Whereas Josh Gibson, who was the greatest slugger of the 
     Negro Leagues, tragically died months before the integration 
     of baseball, and was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of 
     Fame;
       Whereas Jackie Robinson, whose career began with the Kansas 
     City Monarchs of the Negro American League, became the first 
     African American to play in the Major Leagues in April 1947, 
     was named Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year in 1947, 
     subsequently led the Brooklyn Dodgers to 6 National League 
     pennants and a World Series championship, and was later 
     inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame;
       Whereas Larry Doby, whose career began with the Newark 
     Eagles of the Negro National League, became the first African 
     American to play in the American League in July 1947, was an 
     All-Star 9 times in the Negro Leagues and Major League 
     Baseball, and was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of 
     Fame;
       Whereas John Jordan ``Buck'' O'Neil was a player and 
     manager of the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American 
     League, became the first African American coach in the Major 
     Leagues with the Chicago Cubs in 1962, served on the Veterans 
     Committee of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, chaired the 
     Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Board of Directors, and worked 
     tirelessly to promote the history of the Negro Leagues;
       Whereas the talents of such players as James Thomas ``Cool 
     Papa'' Bell and Oscar Charleston earned them recognition in 
     the Baseball Hall of Fame as well as the Sporting News List 
     of Baseball's Greatest Players, but were all denied admission 
     to the Major Leagues due to the color of their skin;
       Whereas Minnie Minoso played in the Negro Leagues for 
     several years before being allowed to play in the Major 
     League and was denied admission to the Hall of Fame, because 
     during his prime years, he was a victim of racial 
     discrimination;
       Whereas Autozone Park in Memphis, Tennessee, has been 
     designated to host on March 31, 2007, the inaugural Civil 
     Rights Game between World Series champions, the St. Louis 
     Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians in commemoration of the 
     Civil Rights Movement; and
       Whereas by achieving success on the baseball field, African 
     American baseball players helped break down color barriers 
     and integrate African Americans into all aspects of society 
     in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the teams and players of the Negro Baseball 
     Leagues for their achievements, dedication, sacrifices, and 
     contributions to both baseball and our Nation; and
       (2) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     recognizing ``Negro Leaguers Recognition Day''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Watson) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. 
Foxx) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, in 1872, Bud Fowler became the first African 
American to enter organized baseball. At the time, Sporting Life 
magazine called him ``one of the best general players in the country. 
If he had had a white face,'' they said, ``he would be playing with the 
best of them.'' There were only a handful of black players during that 
time.
  By the end of the 1800s, the door to organized baseball was slammed 
shut to African Americans, and as a result, in 1920, Andrew ``Rube'' 
Foster managed a Negro baseball team and organized seven other team 
owners to join him to form the Negro National Baseball League. Mr. 
Foster is known by many people to be the father of the Negro Baseball 
League.
  For his efforts and contributions to baseball, he was inducted into 
the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Since 
1920, many teams were formed to expand the Negro Baseball Leagues. He 
produced many extraordinary players like Satchel Paige, ``Cool Papa'' 
Bell, ``Double-Duty'' Radcliffe, ``Groundhog'' Thompson and many 
others.
  Presently, there are 278 members of the National Baseball Hall of 
Fame, 18 whom had played in the Negro League. These greats include 
Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson, who first played in the Negro Leagues 
and then entered Major League Baseball.
  Indeed, the players in the Negro Leagues were of such high caliber 
that many of them later moved to other major leagues and enjoyed better 
statistics playing there than they did in the Negro Leagues.
  The opening of the doors of the major leagues to Negro League players 
often is attributed to Branch Rickey, who made a bold decision to sign 
Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. 
Unfortunately, many owners of Negro baseball teams could not compete in 
the recruitment and financial compensation for African American 
players, which later caused many African American teams to fold in the 
early 1960s.
  Some people shake their heads and say that the Negro Leagues' players 
came along too early. I think ``Cool Papa'' Bell had it right when he 
said ``they opened the door, just too late.''
  But then it is never too late to right what has been a wrong, to 
create equal opportunity and to open the doors for the Luke Easters, 
the Minnie Minosos, the Kirby Picketts, the Barry Bondses, the Frank 
Thomases, and countless others who have thrilled and delighted us with 
their skills.
  The achievement and success of African American baseball players on 
the baseball field have helped break down color barriers and integrate 
African Americans into all aspects of society.

                              {time}  1515

  This bill recognizes the teams and the players of the Negro Baseball 
Leagues for their achievements, their sacrifices, their dedication, and 
their contributions to baseball and the Nation. I commend the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for introducing the bill, and I urge its 
swift passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 162, which honors the 
Negro Baseball League.
  Those of us who love baseball relish the comparisons between players 
of different eras that our rich statistical records permit. Nobody who 
witnessed

[[Page H2201]]

Hank Aaron, a Negro League alum, break Babe Ruth's home record can deny 
the impact that feat had on the game and on society.
  The shame of racism, which afflicts our country even today, prevents 
us from properly assessing the place in the game of Negro League 
players. We know that some of the greatest players ever to pick up a 
bat and ball toiled in those leagues. But who was better, Josh Gibson 
or Johnny Bench? Satchel Paige or Cy Young? Cool Papa Bell or Mickey 
Mantle? How would the Pittsburgh Crawfords, who had six Hall of Famers, 
stack up against the 1927 Yankees, the best team of baseball's all-
white era?
  Baseball today is one of America's most perfect meritocracies. If you 
can throw 92-mile-per-hour strikes or hit them consistently, there is a 
place in the game for you.
  It wasn't until 1890, when team owners began to see the potential of 
their product, that black players began to disappear from white teams. 
And then it wasn't until the mid 1940s when Branch Rickey of the 
Dodgers decided he would rather beat the Yankees than honor the 
unspoken agreement to keep black players out of the game that black 
players returned.
  Today we understand as a Nation that talent comes in all shapes, 
sizes, and colors. Baseball taught us that. Negro League players taught 
baseball that. For that, Mr. Speaker, we are eternally grateful.
  I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 162.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the Representative from 
Tennessee, Representative Steve Cohen, have as much time as he might 
consume
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 162, which 
recognizes the contributions of Negro Baseball Leagues.
  The Negro Baseball Leagues are part of our history when segregation 
was the rule, segregation was the law. It is an unfortunate, most 
unfortunate part of America's history, part of a blemish on the soul of 
America, part of the blemish on the Constitution, on our laws, and the 
basis of the founding of the country.
  No Nation has a more distinguished, honorable, and respected 
foundation conceived in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, 
and equal justice for all. But in so many institutions it wasn't true, 
it wasn't real, until about the 1960s. The work of a great Democratic 
Congress and President Johnson and others, Republicans as well in a 
bipartisan move, overcame and repealed Jim Crow laws and passed 
amendments and laws that allowed people to use public facilities and to 
have integration in this country and to give everybody the American 
Dream, which had been denied for over 200 years in this country.
  The baseball leagues that were reserved for Negroes were an example 
of that. There were great players who didn't have the opportunity to 
perform and achieve until integration. Branch Rickey of the Dodgers 
brought Jackie Robinson up in the 1940s, and there were great players 
that didn't have that opportunity.
  I want to tell you one story about one particular baseball player who 
is in this resolution. He is in this resolution because he deserves to 
be in any resolution about baseball, about discrimination, and about 
kindness, Minnie Minoso. Minnie Minoso was a Cuban, African Cuban, who 
came to this country. I guess he would be an African American.
  Minnie Minoso started his career in the Negro League, and didn't get 
to the Major Leagues until he was about 28 or 29 years of age. He had a 
great career. He led the American League in triples and doubles and 
stolen bases, one time in RBIs, received three or four Golden Glove 
awards, named to the All-Star games many, many times, and had 
statistics with home runs and batting average at nearly .300 for his 
career that should have qualified him for the Hall of Fame. But he 
hasn't gotten into the Hall of Fame, and he is not going to get in the 
Hall of Fame because he wasn't allowed to start in Major League 
Baseball until he was 28 or 29 because of discrimination.
  Well, in 1955, at a spring training game in Memphis, Tennessee, at 
Russwood Park, I went to a ball game in Memphis. I had had polio the 
previous year, and I attended the game with my White Sox cap and White 
Sox T-shirt, on crutches. A player came up to me and offered me a 
baseball; I was down by the railing trying to get them. The player was 
named Tom Poholsky, who was white. And I thanked him, but he told me, 
You shouldn't thank me. You should thank that player over there, number 
9, Minoso. Minoso gave Poholsky the ball and wanted me to have it. But 
because of segregation in this country, Minnie Minoso, one of 60 
players, they hadn't cut the rosters yet for spring training, was the 
only player who had the kindness in his heart to see somebody who was a 
ball fan who couldn't play at the time because he was on crutches. But 
in a segregated South, he couldn't give me that ball. He couldn't have 
a decent act of kindness because of segregation.
  Well, I got the ball, and I went down with my dad and we got to know 
Minnie Minoso, and it started a friendship that has continued to this 
day. Minnie Minoso was a class act, a wonderful human being who goes 
beyond baseball, the most popular player ever to wear a White Sox 
uniform, and a person who has given his life to baseball. But because 
of the denial of segregation, not allowing him to play in the Major 
Leagues until he was 28 or 29, he will not get the respect he is due, 
just like other players in the Negro Leagues didn't. So many of them 
who were great players, who would have led the majors in stolen bases, 
in doubles, in triples, in home runs, in RBIs, or average, as shown 
over the years by great players like Maury Wills and Bob Gibson and so 
many other great players who got the opportunity to play and show they 
could perform.
  This year in Memphis on March 31, the major leagues are having a 
civil rights game. The last exhibition game of the season will be in 
Memphis at Auto Zone Park; it will be the Cleveland Indians and the St. 
Louis Cardinals play. There will be a special luncheon the day before 
the game where the widows of Roberto Clemente and Buck O'Neal will be 
honored, as well as Spike Lee, for contributions that baseball and 
civil rights have given to the growth of this country.
  It is somewhat ironic in a way that we now see what baseball did to 
help integrate our country. And this resolution, which is part of the 
process of showing what this country has gone through, is about a time 
when we had segregation. Baseball helped integrate society. It helped 
get little young white kids to appreciate black players and see simple 
acts of kindness and see the absurdity of segregation. It gave me the 
opportunity in 1961 in Memphis to go to the Lorraine Hotel, then an 
all-Negro institution, and see a hero and other players like Walter 
Bond and Dick Powell staying in the segregated black hotel when the 
Caucasian players were at the Peabody, and see how ridiculous is this 
that my hero, an All-Star, a Golden Glove award winner, has to stay at 
the Lorraine Hotel which was not up to standards.
  Baseball has come a long way. The Negro Leagues did a lot to give 
entertainment to Negroes and Caucasians who went to those games, and 
gave players an opportunity to play. And it is unfortunate they had to 
exist, but they did. They gave these players a great opportunity, from 
Josh Gibson, the great catcher, Satchel Paige, Buck O'Neal, and so many 
others who are enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Kansas City where there 
is a Negro League Baseball museum. But they also gave this country the 
opportunity to look at segregation for what it was, stupid, ignorant, 
retarded, and gave a process by which we overcame.
  Sports have been a great vehicle to overcome discrimination and 
prejudice, and it was done in baseball, through heroic works by Branch 
Rickey, heroic at the time of Jackie Robinson who took all kinds of 
taunts. Now there is a Hall of Fame and there are players in there of 
both races, and you get there by talent. And that needs to happen all 
throughout this society and all throughout this country.
  I was pleased to bring this resolution because of my experience with 
Minnie Minoso, my love of baseball, and the fact that baseball gave me 
an exposure to the horrors of segregation and what it did to my hero 
and a man who was kind to me through the years, Minnie

[[Page H2202]]

Minoso. But there were so many others. I went to games at Martin 
Stadium in Memphis, which is the home of the Memphis Red Sox, and it 
was all Negro players. They were great players. They didn't get an 
opportunity to show their skills. They later did.
  I urge all my colleagues to support House Res. 162, recognizing the 
contributions of the Negro Baseball League, but at the same time 
reflect on how sad it was that there had to be a Negro Baseball League, 
and to reflect upon the need to make amends, not just to African 
Americans who were enslaved by this country's laws and limited and 
punished and enslaved by Jim Crow laws, but at the same time to think 
about the greatness of our country and mend a fault and a tear in our 
Constitution and our soul and civic justice, and put it together and 
apologize for slavery and Jim Crow, and make our country more whole and 
do the right thing. When you are wrong, you apologize. When you do 
evil, you do apologize, and you move forward. They are different bills, 
and I hate to mix them, but they are all part of the same story.
  America needs to move forward, and progress has been made. We need to 
appreciate the past, but see where we were and move forward. And I am 
honored to be with the other sponsors of this bill, I think there are 
hundreds of them, and recognize the contributions of the Negro Baseball 
League and the story that baseball has played, and ask everybody in 
America to pay attention on March 31 to the final exhibition game of 
the season which will be televised on ESPN, a civil rights game that 
will highlight the civil rights heroes through sports, where Julian 
Bond will speak at a luncheon at the Peabody Hotel and tell a story of 
integration and success through sports that came too late in this 
country's history.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to my distinguished 
colleague from the State of Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis).
  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I hadn't intended to come 
over and speak on this, but the gentleman from Tennessee's eloquence 
moved me to also add my support for this resolution. I supported it 
through the committee process. But to also recognize the contributions 
of the players, the Josh Gibsons, the Buck O'Neals who, because of the 
bars of segregation at the time, were never allowed to participate in 
what we now know as the Major Leagues.
  But this resolution speaks to the fact that their contributions, that 
their activities and their records are also an important part of 
American history and of baseball history, and they should be remembered 
for their contributions. And that is what this resolution does. In 
their own ways, they are not only great players, great all-stars, great 
performers, and great athletes, but they also were pioneers. And I am 
proud to be here to support the gentleman's resolution.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 
162, which recognizes the contributions of the Negro Baseball Leagues 
and their players for their achievements, dedications and sacrifices to 
baseball and the Nation.
  African Americans began to play baseball in the late 1800s on 
military teams, college teams, and company teams. They eventually found 
their way to professional teams with white players. Moses Fleetwood 
Walker and Bud Fowler were among the first to participate. However, 
racism and ``Jim Crow'' laws would force them from these teams by 1900. 
Thus, black players formed their own units, ``barnstorming'' around the 
country to play anyone who would challenge them.
  In 1920, an organized league structure was formed under the guidance 
of Andrew ``Rube'' Foster--a former player, manager, and owner for the 
Chicago American Giants. In a meeting held at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas 
City, MO, Foster and a few other Midwestern team owners joined to form 
the Negro National League. Soon, rival leagues formed in Eastern and 
Southern states, bringing the thrills and innovative play of black 
baseball to major urban centers and rural countrysides in the U.S., 
Canada, and Latin America. The Leagues maintained a high level of 
professional skill and became centerpieces for economic development in 
many black communities.
  In 1945, Major League Baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers recruited Jackie 
Robinson from the Kansas City Monarchs. Robinson now becomes the first 
African American in the modern era to play on a Major League roster. 
While this historic event was a key moment in baseball and civil rights 
history, it prompted the decline of the Negro Leagues. The best black 
players were now recruited for the Major Leagues, and black fans 
followed. The last Negro Leagues teams folded in the early 1960s, but 
their legacy lives on through the surviving players and the Negro 
Leagues Baseball Museum.
  The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is extremely significant because it 
represents many of the outstanding contributions that blacks made to 
the game of baseball notwithstanding their initial exclusion from the 
professional baseball league here in this country. The museum was 
designated America's National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum when the 
House passed a resolution. The museum, in the 18th and Vine Historic 
Jazz District, was founded in 1990 to commemorate an era when many of 
baseball's top players could not perform on the game's biggest stage, 
the major leagues, but instead made their own history. The museum draws 
about 60,000 visitors a year who can view evidence of the great 
contributions made to America's favorite pastime.
  The legacy of the Negro Baseball Leagues also lives on through the 
multitude of great black and Latino players who have contributed 
greatly to the game of baseball. The contributions of the Negro 
Baseball League players certainly paved the way for baseball giants 
such as Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and 
Barry Bonds. Hank Aaron is the Major League Baseball homerun record-
holder because of the significant role the Negro Baseball Leagues 
played in the black community. The Negro Baseball League is not only a 
great contribution to the black community but also to the Nation and 
the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 162 to 
recognize the contributions of the Negro Baseball Leagues and their 
players for their achievements, dedication and sacrifices to baseball 
and the Nation.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I too want to commend Mr. Cohen for his 
eloquence, for introducing this resolution; and I urge all Members to 
support the passage of H. Res. 162, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 162, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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