Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!qantel!hplabs!sdcrdcf!ucla-cs!das From: das@ucla-cs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.sport.baseball,net.games.trivia Subject: Re: First Black Baseball Player Message-ID: <7493@ucla-cs.ARPA> Date: Fri, 8-Nov-85 00:54:30 EST Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.7493 Posted: Fri Nov 8 00:54:30 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 11-Nov-85 05:51:30 EST References: <544@petfe.UUCP> Reply-To: das@ucla-cs.UUCP (David Smallberg) Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department Lines: 18 Xref: watmath net.sport.baseball:2272 net.games.trivia:2232 In article <544@petfe.UUCP> evan@petfe.UUCP (Evan Marcus) writes: >Who was the first black ballplayer? My history books and my instinct >tells me the obvious answer: Jackie Robinson. > >Why then does Trivial Pursuit say that it was some other guy? Because it WAS some other guy. As I posted last year, Moses Fleetwood Walker was the first black major leaguer (for Toledo, I think), in the American Association. This was in the early 1880's. His brother was the second, and there were about a half dozen more. Surprisingly, they played in quite a few games where there was little racial antagonism. Not so surprisingly, they played in many games where there was quite a bit. Cap Anson of Chicago, the premier ballplayer of his day, was a virulent racist, and through such actions as refusing to take the field against black players, forced the league to stop signing them; the last black major leaguer before Jackie Robinson left the league in the late 1880's. -- David Smallberg, das@locus.ucla.edu, {ihnp4,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!das