Irvin recalls it all decades after last game in majors
Ballplayers nowadays have no idea how good they have it.
“We play a doubleheader in Newark, start at 1 and finish at 4 or 5,” Monte Irvin said. “Now we go to Trenton, which is 60 miles south to play a night game.
“Guess what we did. We tied up the uniforms, which were wool and heavy, and let ’em dry outside the bus when we drove down the highway.
“Funniest looking thing you’d ever see, people wondering, ‘What the hell is that?’ ” That was the Negro Leagues. “You really had to love the game to play in those circumstances,” Irvin said.
Six decades removed from playing with the Newark Eagles, Irvin, 96, speaks of the Negro Leagues with great insight, passion and pride. Despite the poor conditions and segregated eating and sleeping conditions, Irvin played in the Negro Leagues because he loved it. And because there was no other option.
“It was really super, just special days,” said Irvin, who enjoyed stopovers in big cities and visiting favorite nightclubs, including Chicago’s Chez Paree. “We’d catch Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Those were great times.”
On Wednesday, when the Giants gave Irvin a 2014 World Series ring in Houston, he shared stories of a wonderful life in baseball, including his years with Newark, which preceded his time in the major leagues. He and Hank Thompson were the first African Americans to play for the New York Giants, in July 1949.
It was two years after Jackie
Robinson broke the color line. In fact, at the time, Irvin was considered a perfect choice to be the first black man to break the barrier. He played seven years with the Giants (one with the Cubs), hit .394 in two World Series and was third in the MVP voting in 1951.
That year, he was asked to mentor a rookie named Willie Mays.
“I saw all the great center fielders. None could play like Willie,” Irvin said. “He thought if the ball stayed in the ballpark, it was his solemn duty to catch it. Especially when the game really meant something, a catch to save the game, win the game. Everybody talks about Roberto Clemente, but Mays had a much better arm. He had a quicker release.”
Here are Irvin’s thoughts on some of the great Negro Leaguers:
Smokey Joe Williams: “The Walter Johnson of the Negro Leagues. Oh, the stories Joe used to tell about setting up a hitter. How did you pitch to the Babe ( Ruth in barnstorming tours)? He said, ‘Oh, that was easy. Everyone tried to throw it hard at Babe. That’s not how you get Babe out. With Babe, you throw a changeup.”
Cool Papa Bell: “He’s a legend. They told me about Cool Papa Bell, how he didn’t make any mistakes because he would outrun his mistakes.”
Double Duty Radcliffe: “Oh, Double Duty. Anything he says, don’t believe.”
Ray Dandridge: “I wish the Giants had him. One of the great third basemen no one knows anything about. He was bowlegged. They said a train might go through his legs but not a baseball. I’ll always be mad. He said, ‘If you had let me play one inning on the Giants in 1950 ...’ — that’s when we needed a third baseman. (Years later, Giants owner) Horace ( Stoneham) gave Dandridge $2,000 for overlooking him.”
Oscar Charleston: “They say Charleston was the Willie Mays of his day. Great arm, can run like a deer. Steals bases. Spike you if you get in the way.”
Josh Gibson: “The guy that everybody should’ve seen was Josh Gibson. Josh died in 1947 about two, three months before Jackie Robinson joined the Dodgers.”
Tulowitzki trouble: Curious that right in the middle of the Troy Tulowitzki soap opera — does he want to be traded from the Rockies or doesn’t he? — he left Friday’s game with quadriceps tightness.
The most recognized shortstop in the world now that Derek Jeter is retired has played 100-plus games just once in the past four years. He’s listed as day to day, but it has been year to year with his injury report, an unfortunate detour for the 30-year-old who grew up in Sunnyvale a fan of the A’s and Jeter.
Tulowitzki has been the subject of trade talk the past week, thanks to agent Paul
Cohen telling the New York Post his client could ask to be dealt. Tulowitzki said he won’t ask for a trade and didn’t tell his agent to pop off, but it’s hard to believe Cohen thought of the idea by himself.
The Rockies have been a mess in recent years, and Tulowitzki probably realizes his only chance to play for a contender is to go elsewhere. Not easy. His injuries aren’t his only red flag. He’s owed $113.7 million through 2020 and would get an additional $2 million if traded.
That he insists he is not demanding a move only helps his trade value in case the Rockies decide to pull the trigger — but his age, ailments and contract suggest he could remain in Denver a long time.
Around the majors: One of the most impressive stats in Wednesday’s eight-inning gem by Cleveland’s Corey Kluber: zero walks to accompany his 18 strikeouts. He was removed after 113 pitches, denied the chance to set the nine-inning-game record. He would’ve needed to strike out the side in the ninth. ... Josh Hamilton could join the Rangers as early as Thursday. ... ... Tommy Joseph, a catching prospect the Giants sent to Philadelphia in the Hunter Pence trade, suffered a concussion for a third straight season.