Pride of Smoketown

The 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords team, one of the dominant teams in Negro League history, is often compared to the legendary 1927 "Murderer's Row" New York Yankees. The squad from "Smoketown"-a nickname that the Pittsburgh Courier often applied to the metropolis better-known as "Steel City"-boasted four Hall-of-Fame players in outfielder James "Cool Papa" Bell, first baseman/manager Oscar Charleston, catcher Josh Gibson, and third baseman William "Judy" Johnson. The team also included such stalwarts as Sam Bankhead, William Bell, Jimmie Crutchfield, Andrew "Pat" Patterson, Leroy Matlock, and Sam Streeter. With a roster full of such illustrious stars, it is easy to see why the Crawfords were dominant. Nonethless, the team unexpectedly had to scratch and claw its way to the Negro National League pennant by defeating the New York Cubans in a thrilling seven-game championship series.This book includes articles on the players from the 1935 squad, as well as one who was absent. The Crawfords might have dispatched the Cubans more easily had they retained the services of pitcher Satchel Paige, a fifth Hall of Famer who had been a member of their 1934 squad. However, Paige and Crawfords owner Gus Greenlee were at odds and Paige shunned the Crawfords in 1935, although his shadow still loomed large over the Pittsburgh franchise. In light of Paige's prominence and the fact that he had been expected to pitch for the Crawfords, a feature article about his accomplishments in 1935 and a game article about his failure to appear for game at Yankee Stadium in September of that year also are included here.This volume contains exhaustively-researched articles about the players, front office personnel, Greenlee Field, and the exciting games and history of the team that were written and edited by 25 SABR members. The inclusion of historical photos about every subject in the book helps to shine a spotlight on the 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords, who truly were the Pride of Smoketown. Biographies:

SAM BANKHEAD by Dave Wilkie

JAMES (COOL PAPA) BELL by Dave Wilkie

WILLIAM BELL by Kevin Larkin and Frederick C. Bush

TED BOND by Richard Bogovich

ERNEST "SPOON" CARTER by Frederick C. Bush

OSCAR CHARLESTON, PLAYER-MANAGER by Tim Odzer

JIMMIE CRUTCHFIELD by William H. Johnson

ROOSEVELT DAVIS by Jay Hurd

JOSH GIBSON by William H. Johnson

CURTIS "POPEYE" HARRIS by Wes Singletary

DAVID WILLIAM "BILL" HARVEY by Matthew Clever

CARL HOWARD by Richard Bogovich

HOW WE HAPPENED UPON HOWARD: UNEXPECTED COLLABORATION LEADS TO INFORMATION ABOUT LITTLE-KNOWN NEGRO LEAGUE PITCHER by F.B., R.B., B.N.

BERTRUM HUNTER by Paul Hofmann

WILLIAM "JUDY" JOHNSON by Thomas Kern

HARRY KINCANNON by Margaret M. Gripshover

LEROY MATLOCK by Richard Bogovich

CLARENCE "SPOONY" PALM by Jon Henson

ANDREW "PAT" PATTERSON by William H. Johnson

BILL PERKINS by Bob LeMoine

SAM STREETER by Alan Cohen

CHESTER WILLIAMS by David Wilkie

GUS GREENLEE, OWNER by Brian McKenna

ROY SPARROW, PUBLICITY MAN by Margaret M. Gripshover

GREENLEE FIELD by Jeb Stewart

A NOTE ON ADDITIONAL PLAYERS WHO SOMETIMES APPEAR ON PITTSBURGH'S 1935 ROSTER by Frederick C. Bush

SPRING TRAINING FOR THE 1935 PITTSBURGH CRAWFORDS by Mark Blaeuer

1935 PITTSBURGH CRAWFORDS SEASON TIMELINE by Bill Nowlin

AUGUST 11, 1935: THE EAST-WEST ALL-STAR GAME, COMISKEY PARK by Frederick C. Bush

SEPTEMBER 22, 1935: PAIGE TAKES THE MONEY BUT NOT THE MOUND IN 12-2 WIN OVER PHILADELPHIA STARS, YANKEE STADIUM by Mark S. Sternman

THE 1935 NEGRO NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: PITTSBURGH CRAWFORDS V. NEW YORK CUBANS by Rich Puerzer

GUS GREENLEE AND THE CRAWFORD GRILLS by Leslie Heaphy

GUS GREENLEE AND THE EAST-WEST ALL-STAR GAME: ORIGINS AND CONFLICT (1932-1944) by Duke Goldman

WHERE WAS SATCHEL IN 1935? PAIGE AND GREENLEE FEUDED AS CRAWFORDS RULED THE NNL by Frederick C. Bush

KINGS OF THE HILL: THE STORY OF THE PITTSBURGH CRAWFORDS by Jeremy Be