By Michael D. Wynne
Due to”Jim Crow” in the era of racial segregation of sports that lasted all of the way up to the 1970s and later, some of the greatest, yet, sadly, least known baseball players had to play in segregated black baseball leagues. Because of this, these phenomenal players often did not achieve immortal fame like their white peers with only a few after their deaths receiving their just and deserved praise. Officially, the term, “Negro Leagues,” refers to the organized, structured circuits of teams at various levels across the country that began in 1920, from top-shelf leagues such as the Negro National League and the Negro American League, to smaller scale operations such as the Negro Southern League. Teams belonging to these “negro” leagues (as they were called then) were in almost ever size city throughout America and Louisiana, including Alexandria.
Here is the story of Alexandria’s short-lived teams documented by this writer.
The first official African-American team formed here was the very short-lived West Alexandria Lightfoots in June of 1906, a year before the white Alexandria team, the Alexandria White Soxs, started. The black teams always played at what is now the defunct former city-owned Lincoln Park, now a largely abandoned field next to the railroad track near the intersection of Lee and Harris Streets in downtown Alexandria.
From 1906-1932, various short-lived black teams formed, changed their names and their leagues and quickly died, often in mid-season. But the best known of the Alexandria black teams were the “Alexandria Pioneers” and the “Alexandria Lincoln Giants” (sometimes referred to as the Alexandria Lincoln Black Giants).
Lincoln Park here was formally opened on July 3 and 4, 1932 with a game between the Pioneers and the Lake Charles All-Stars. The new park was described by the Town Talk: “The negroes have constructed a modern baseball park, with a grandstand seating capacity of 700. The park has been built according to regulations at a cost of only $900, according to club officials. The grandstand is 150 feet long. Special reservations will be made for white persons … Scores of white persons have been attending games played so far this season, and as many as 250 of them are anticipated at the formal opening contests.”
The first roster of players were: Winifred S. Welch – manager, Lofton – center field, George Sias – 3rd base, Jones – centerfield, Lashie – 2nd base, Raymond -1st base, Willie”Lefty” Simms – right field, Pete – shortstop and Parker and famed “Iron Man Moseley” – both pitchers. Other later players on the Pioneers and Giants’ teams had fanciful names including: “Big Train” Parker, Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd Kranson, “Fats” Johnson, “Sweet Papa” and Lloyd “Pepper” Bassette. Both teams play similarly imaginatively named teams including the Monroe Monarchs, New Orleans Black Pels, Pittsburgh, Pa. Crawfords, Lecompte Dirty Devils, the Yannigans, Indianapolis A.B.C.’s, Beaumont Black Exporters, and the Shreveport Black Sports.
The Alexandria Pioneers lasted only a month and were quickly eclipsed by the newly transferred from Shreveport team, now called the Alexandria Lincoln Giants. The Giants had a great remaining season in 1932, winning almost every game, and in 1933, would play the 1932 negro leagues’ world champs, the Pittsburgh Crawfords, a team which included the legendary Hall of Famer Leroy “Satche” Page. (This writer had the wondrous honor of sitting alone with Satchel in the stands in 1972 during a semi-pro exhibition game and sharing a box of popcorn with him as well as getting a baseball signed by him – a day I will never forget!). This legendary 1933 game, once documented by Lamar White, will be the feature of a future book by this author.
Sadly, this historic and now legendary Alexandria Lincoln Giants black team played their last game on Lincoln Field in late August of 1934 when they were shortly thereafter sold and transferred to New Orleans. Alexandria, a true pioneer in the negro leagues never had another similar team here and the predominantly white Alexandria Aces (the subject of a future article) remains dominant in local baseball fans’ minds.
