0302 - Sam Allen
Sam Allen is a former Negro League player who spent time as a member of the Kansas City Monarchs, the Raleigh Tigers, and the Memphis Red Sox. He led the Negro American League in runs scored in 1957, helping the Monarchs win the championship. During our conversation, he referenced a handful of things and people upon which you may want to do more research. Consider this page to be your “liner notes” for the episode so you can follow along.
Sam Allen and me after recording our interview at his home in Norfolk, Virginia.
John T. West School
John T. West School was built in 1906 and located in the Huntersville neighborhood in Norfolk, Virginia. It was the first public African-American school in the City of Norfolk to hold high school classes for African-American school children.
Barraud Park
Prior to the mid-1920s, African-American civic leaders sought to convince the city to build a major park or some recreation site for Black residents in the city.
Black residents only had makeshift recreation spaces and several small parks in Berkley, Brambleton, and Lambert’s Point. They were not allowed to set foot in Lafayette Park unless they were picking up trash along Granby Street.
In 1926 the city finally bought land from the Barraud family to be used for “colored” recreation. The park was formally opened in August 1928.
Jackie Robinson at High Rock Park
On October 12, 1949, "Jackie Robinson and his Major League All Stars” with Roy Campanella and Larry Doby played an exhibition game against “the American League All Stars" at High Rock Park.
The exhibition drew a crowd estimated at 12,000 fans to the home of the New York Yankee farm club Norfolk Tars. Contemporary newspaper accounts say several thousand fans were turned away on orders of the fire department that night.
Satchel and Josh
After the 1942 Negro World Series, the Kansas City Monarchs and Homestead Grays continued to schedule exhibition games. The teams engaged in a short barnstorming tour in the Tidewater region of Virginia, scheduling games in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Newport News.
This photo shows the two legends shaking hands before their October 2nd game at High Rock Park.
The second covered Grandstand down the line at High Rock Park was specifically for "coloreds" and African-American patrons had to enter through a "Jim Crow Gate." Segregation was sadly still very much alive in the south during this time and African-Americans had their own distinct seating area.
Pvt. Willie Mays
Acting as a physical training instructor at Fort Eustis, Virginia, Willie Mays leads GIs through a calisthenics session on February 19, 1953.
Joe “Sleepy” Lewis
A native of Drakes Branch, Virginia, Joe Lewis made his Negro leagues debut in 1920 with the Baltimore Black Sox. He spent many years playing for the Hilldale Club, and was part of their 1925 Colored World Series championship team.
Lewis also acted as a promoter of baseball games while Willie Mays was stationed at Ft. Eustis.
Left Handed Batter
When a left handed pitcher was on the mound, the angle of their delivery made it difficult for Sam at the plate as a left handed batter. He made it work, though.
Fred “Zip” Brooks
In February 1954, news circulated about new hires in the Piedmont League, including “Zip” Brooks and Jim Mason. Six players, along with their trainer, Zip, became the first Black men on the Tars’ spring training roster.
He eventually became the trainer for the Richmond Colts.
Yankees Farm Club
The Yankees were Sam’s favorite team growing up, because the local Norfolk Tars were their Class B affiliate.
Every spring, the Yankees would come up from their Spring Training camp to play exhibition games against the Tars at High Rock Park. The games brought out so many fans that they would line up all the standing room only tickets around the warning track, and the fans themselves were actually "in play."
Jackie Robinson
After Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, many Black and minority baseball fans across the country (including Sam) adopted the Dodgers as their new favorite team, regardless of their previous allegiances.
Willie Mays
After playing with Willie Mays during some exhibition games while Willie was stationed at Ft. Eustis, Sam became a fan of the New York Giants.
Here, Willie is seen at Camp Kilmer on May 29, 1952, shortly after being drafted.
Going All Out
One of the things Sam admired so much about Willie Mays was the fact that he always gave it everything he had, whether it was during a World Series game, or during an exhibition game. Willie always left everything on the field.
Goose Tatum
Better known as a member of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters' basketball team, Reece “Goose” Tatum was also a flashy-fielding showman with the Indianapolis Clowns. At first base he provided a big target for infielders and entertained the fans with his long arms and a big stretch.
Abe Saperstein
Best known as the owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, Abe Saperstein earned most of his wealth from his work as a promoter and booking agent for the Negro American League. He was also Satchel Paige’s personal agent, and worked with Bill Veeck to scout talent for the Cleveland Indians, the first American League team to integrate.
Syd Pollock
A pioneer of women’s baseball in the 1920s, in the 1930s Syd Pollock set up a booking agency to compete directly against the most powerful man in black baseball, Nat Strong. Later he owned the Ethiopian Clowns, a team that combined skilled play and comedy baseball. In order to play in the Negro American League the team was compelled to change its name to the Indianapolis Clowns and stop wearing African costumes, although they continued to perform clowning routines.
“King Tut”
Richard Elmer "King Tut" King played with the Cincinnati/Indianapolis Clowns in 1943, 1945, and 1948.
King was known more for performing pantomime comedy acts than his playing ability. King was also known for his oversized first baseman's mitt.
King was billed as "The Crown Clown," crown prince of Negro baseball. He also performed skits before the game, between innings, and interacted with the fans in the stands. He often dressed as an Egyptian Pharaoh or wore a tuxedo and top hat.
He eventually transitioned away from playing altogether, but remained associated with the Clowns until his retirement in 1959.
Spec Bebop
Spec Bebop was a dwarf who performed vaudeville routines and had top billing with the Clowns well into the 1950s. He often worked alongside King Tut, where the two performed a rowboat routine.
“Shadow Ball” as demonstrated by the Indianapolis Clowns, the “Harlem Globetrotters of Baseball.” https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/t1-negro-leagues-baseball-1946
Two Sport Star
While at Booker T. Washington High School, Sam (#1 in the front row) once scored 6 touchdowns in a game against Crestwood. Not only that, but he also added 4 extra points. And don’t you forget it.
82nd Airborne
Sam used to train every day like they were going to war tomorrow. You had to be prepared.
Ernie Wheelwright
One of Sam’s football teammates while in the military was Ernest Lamour 'Wheels' Wheelwright. Ernie attended Southern Illinois University and served in the 101st Airborne Division (a.k.a. the Screaming Eagles).
Wheelwright played as a running back for the New York Giants (1964–65), Atlanta Falcons (1966–67) and the New Orleans Saints (1967–70).
Following the end of his football career, Wheelwright appeared as an actor in films including The Longest Yard (1974), Trackdown (1976), The Greatest (1977) & Wildcats (1986).
Walt Lundy
One of Sam’s friends growing up, Walt Lundy played multiple sports at Booker T. Washington High School. Here they are playing on a basketball team together in the 1950s (Sam is wearing #8).
Harry Postove
Harry Postove was instrumental in seeing the Norfolk City League come to fruition, and nurtured the league for over 50 years. He was a sports editor for the Norfolk Ledger, served in the Military, was one of the White Sox’ top scouts.
Postove signed Walt Lundy to a minor league contract. He is seen here, signing Luis Aparicio to the White Sox in June of 1965.
Wilson Baseball Gloves
They may have been expensive, but they were worth it. You can’t have your glove breaking when you need it to make the play!
Here is an ad from 1951, right when Sam was looking for some new equipment.
A Phenom
The day Willie Mays graduated from high school, he was signed by the New York Giants. First, the Giants sent Mays to their Class B farm team in Trenton, New Jersey, but he quickly advanced to their AAA farm club.
Here he is, at the age of 20, in the clubhouse of the Minneapolis Millers in 1951. He would be called up to the Giants and go on to win Rookie Of The Year that season, helping the Giants win the pennant. The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!
He may have been young, but he was already well on his way to being a superstar.
Willie’s brilliant play in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series may have been his most famous instance making a catch like that, but it certainly wasn’t his first time. Sam saw Willie make a play just like this a couple years earlier.
Smoky Joe Williams
Once tabbed by Ty Cobb as “a sure 30-game winner in the major leagues,” Smoky Joe Williams is often mentioned by old-timers as black baseball’s greatest pitcher, superior even to Cannonball Redding, Bill Foster, Frank Wickware, and Satchel Paige, who called Williams his idol.
In the twilight of his career with the Homestead Grays, Smoky Joe bested Paige, 30 years his junior, in two out of three games.
Satchel Paige
Sam thinks that while there may have been other great pitchers throughout history, the thing which set Satchel Paige apart from them all was his longevity.
“Everybody thinks it’s remarkable how I keep getting batters out in my 40th year of pitching — that’s right, 40 years of straight baseball,” Paige said. He had been happy to be hired by Kansas City, but only so that “now folks can see that I must have had a lot more going for me, and deserved to be in the big leagues when I was in my prime.”
The Biggest Stage
Satchel Paige was never afraid of big moments or big stages. In fact, that’s when he came alive.
Sam said Satchel was the toughest pitcher he ever faced. What happened in the one at bat Sam had against him? “He blew me away.”
Tomás de la Cruz
Before Jackie Robinson came on the scene there were Roberto Estalella, Alex Carrasquel, Hiram Bithorn, and Tommy de la Cruz – Caribbean-born foreign imports with more than a small trace of African bloodlines to strain the boundaries of segregated North American professional baseball.
In 1944, he won 9 games, lost 9 games, put up a 3.25 ERA, and had an ERA+ of 108. He even threw a complete game one-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Cincinnati Reds Training Camp
Douglas, Georgia was the home of the Reds’ spring training camp from 1954 through 1957. The Airbase was a ready-made facility with barracks and a dining hall. The airbase athletic field included a baseball diamond, volleyball courts, four tennis courts, basketball court, and an obstacle course.
Sam was at the 1957 camp, but didn’t end up making the team.
Bob Mitchell
Bob “Peach Head” Mitchell was signed by Monarchs manager Buck O'Neil and joined a strong pitching staff featuring the legendary Satchel Paige. He compiled a 30-14 record from 1954-57.
Mitchell helped Sam Allen become a Monarch, and he was instrumental in the decades-long fight to get former Negro League players their rightful pensions.
Curt Flood
Curt Flood earned an invitation to the Cincinnati Reds’ Spring Training in 1957 after the year he had at High Point-Thomasville in 1956. In 154 games, Flood batted .340 with 190 hits and scored 133 runs. He had 29 home runs, 128 RBI, and 317 total bases. He walked 102 times and stole 19 bases, too.
French Shriners
Sam had an extremely nice pair of shoes with him on the bus to Jacksonville the night of April 19, 1957.
This 1957 ad for French Shriners lists the price as $21.95, which is the equivalent of $235 in 2023.
Dizzy Dismukes
William "Dizzy" Dismukes was a star pitcher, one who not only threw a no-hitter — against none other than Rube Foster’s 1915 Chicago American Giants — but also tossed a four-hit complete game against the 1911 Pittsburgh Pirates.
He was, for parts of two decades, a manager who is credited with at least 196 career wins. He was the traveling secretary for the 1942 Kansas City Monarchs. He was a part-time baseball writer with the Pittsburgh Courier.
He was, for a time, the secretary of the Negro National League. In the early 1950s, he became one of the first Black scouts in Organized Baseball, working for both the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees, and in 1952 the Pittsburgh Courier listed him among the best Negro League pitchers of all time.
Burt Shotton
When Burt Shotton retired, he promised his wife he’d never put on another uniform. When he was offered a managerial job by Branch Rickey, Shotton kept his promise to his wife… and managed in a suit.
Ted Rasberry
In 1953, Ted Rasberry purchased an Indianapolis team and moved them to Detroit, renaming the team the Detroit Stars. He applied to the Negro American League and was accepted.
He purchased the Kansas City Monarchs in 1956, but the League would not allow Rasberry to own two teams, so he sold the Detroit Stars to his niece and secretary, Minnie Forbes, who owned the team from 1956 to 1958.
The Martin Brothers
The Memphis Red Sox played at Martin Stadium, which was built by the Martin brothers, who owned the team. That made the Memphis Red Sox one of the only Negro League teams to own their own stadium.
The Memphis Red Sox were never the most heralded bunch, but three decades of Negro League baseball was still a major victory that very few teams could claim.
Martin Stadium
Martin Stadium, formerly known as Lewis Park, was home of one of the most enduring teams of the Negro Leagues — the Memphis Red Sox (1920s-1950s). It was one of only a few baseball stadiums that exclusively hosted a team from the Negro Major Leagues.
A stadium owned by Blacks, that promoted Black athletics, was a unique cultural fixture in any American city much less a major city in the segregated south.
“Lefty” Mathis
Verdell “Lefty” Mathis, a pitcher for the Memphis Red Sox, was the premier southpaw in the Negro Leagues during the 1940s. His ability and popularity were such that he pitched in three East-West All Star Games, starting the 1944 and 1945 games for the West, and made the all-star roster a total of six times.
Mathis needed surgery after the 1945 season, but no doctor would operate on him. Dr. Martin, one of the owners of the Red Sox, performed the surgery to remove bone chips from Mathis’ left elbow, enabling him to come back and pitch again in 1946.
The Negro Motorist Green Book
An annual guidebook for African-American road trippers founded and published by New York City mailman Victor Hugo Green from 1936 to 1967.
From a New York-focused first edition published in 1936, Green expanded the work to cover much of North America. The Green Book became "the bible of black travel" during the era of Jim Crow laws, when open and often legally prescribed discrimination against African Americans and other non-whites was widespread.
Bus Travel
Mastering travel in segregated America was the hallmark of many successful black baseball teams. Switching from train travel to bus travel allowed you to get to your league opponent destinations faster, while also picking up exhibition games in between travel. The Kansas City Monarchs were among the earliest teams to take advantage of bus travel.
Here we see the Kansas City Monarchs’ team bus with manager Frank Duncan.
Bonnie McEachin’s Plaza Hotel
In 1940, Bonnie Estelle McEachin opened a 12-room hotel near the Booker T. Theatre. It was so popular that she opened a new place, The Plaza Hotel, at 1757 Church in Norfolk, Virginia six months later with twice as many rooms.
All African-American entertainers stayes at the Plaza, even if they were performing 50 miles away. Duke Ellington ordered steaks sent there from New York. Some songs were written at the Plaza, including "Yakkity Yak" by the Four Coasters.
Billy Williams
Billy Williams was the youngest of five children. The brother born directly before him was Franklin Delano Williams, who was roommates with Sam Allen during their time together on the Memphis Red Sox.
Frank eventually signed with the Pirates organization and would have a six-year minor league career.
Speedy Sam
Sam batted lead off for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1957. He led the Negro American League in runs scored thanks to his speed and base running. He was also a great bunter, allowing him to get on base in any number of ways.
His skills helped Kansas City win the championship in 1957, the last championship the Monarchs would win.
Rube Foster
Hall of Fame manager John McGraw once said, “To play for Rube Foster you had to be able to bunt into a hat ... Rube would put two hats out on the field, one between the pitcher’s mound and first base, the other between the mound and third. If you couldn’t get a bunt down into one of those two hats, you couldn’t make the team.”
He would have loved Sam Allen.
Pedro Sierra
Pedro Sierra was born in Cuba in 1938. His journey to being a professional ballplayer, something he promised his dying mother he would do, began in the Negro Leagues as a member of the Indianapolis Clowns and Detroit Stars from 1954 to 1958.
This led to a long minor league career with the Minnesota Twins’ and Washington Senators’ affiliates from the late 1950s through the 1970s, with a few years interrupted by military service. He extended his time in baseball all the way through 1975 in Mexico.
He and Sam are good friends who frequent card shows and autograph signings together. Sam’s family calls him “Uncle Pedro.”
Ebbets Field
The loudest roar from a crowd Sam ever heard in his career was when he hit a home run at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.
No wonder that was Sam’s favorite place to play.
Willard Brown
Willard J. Brown was known as “Home Run” during his career, when he played almost exclusively for the Kansas City Monarchs. He used a 40-ounce bat to become the preeminent Negro Leagues home-run hitter during the 1940s.
Brown was one of the five original Black players to integrate the white Major Leagues in 1947, along with Jackie Robinson. When Brown returned to the Monarchs in 1958 after a hiatus, Sam Allen was sent to the Raleigh Tigers to make room for Brown on the roster.
Brown was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Small Rosters
As you can tell from this 1958 Kansas City Monarchs team photo, the roster sizes in the Negro Leagues were nowhere near as large as teams for the white Major Leagues. That meant that players often times needed to know how to play multiple positions, and pray they didn’t get injured.
Lost Statistics
One of the reasons it’s been so hard for the average fan to contextualize how great players in the Negro Leagues were is that their games weren’t always covered in newspapers so the statistics have been lost. But ask any player who played back then and they’ll tell you, their league was just as talented. If not more so.
Few Photos
This is one of the very few photos Sam has of himself during his playing career. Not because he lost photos he had, or wasn’t careful about collecting and keeping them when they were taken, but because so few photos were taken of most Negro League players and games in the first place.
That’s another reason why it’s so important to preserve the history of the Negro Leagues and of Black baseball. If we don’t, that history gets lost.
Negro League Crowds
While the fans at Negro League games were predominantly Black, there were still plenty of white fans in the stands, too.
Josh Gibson
It is said that Josh Gibson once hit a ball in Portsmouth and it didn’t stop until it reached Pittsburgh. The fact that there was a train track behind the stadium and Josh hit a home run over the fence and into the moving train is a detail that isn’t necessary.
Barrier Breakers
There were five Black players who played during the 1947 Major League baseball season, which many people don’t realize. They were:
Jackie Robinson - SABR Biography
Dan Bankhead - SABR Biography
Larry Doby - SABR Biography
Willard Brown - SABR Biography
Hank Thompson - SABR Biography
Drafted Into The Military
Sam was just entering his prime as a baseball player, but his playing career was cut short due to being drafted.
Jessie Mitchell
Jessie Mitchell of the Birmingham Black Barons led the Negro American League in batting in 1957 with a .338 average. He also hit 17 home runs and drove in 67 runs to win the Triple Crown that season.
He was selected to play in four East-West All Star games (1955-1959). In 1959, he completed his Negro League career with the Kansas City Monarchs."
Jackie Robinson Barnstorming Tours
Beginning in 1946 and continuing through the 1950s, Jackie Robinson annually led a group of "all-star" players on a postseason barnstorming tour. During the early years, Robinson's barnstorming team toured in Mexico and the roster featured primarily Negro League players.
In later years, as integration progressed, the team included many black Major League stars, including his Dodgers teammates Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe. (Campanella also led his own, separate barnstorming tour in the 1950s.)
This ball, based upon the signatures present, most likely dates from one of Robinson's early tours in 1949 or 1950.
Freedom National Bank
When Jackie Robinson left the sports world, he used his status as a public figure to move into the political and corporate arena. In 1958 he became a spokesman and fundraiser for the NAACP. Robinson protested with Martin Luther King in Birmingham, Alabama. He was also present at King’s famous march on Washington in 1963. Jackie then open up a bank called the Freedom Bank. This stimulated Harlem’s economy by offering generous loans for local homes and businesses.
Established in 1973 by Rachel Robinson to perpetuate the memory of her husband, the Jackie Robinson Foundation is a public, nonprofit organization that administers one of the nation’s premier scholarship and leadership development programs for talented college students.
A Proud Man
One of the best feelings for Sam was coming home after being away playing ball and hearing the neighborhood women talking about how proud everyone was of him for living out his dreams.
A Part Of Our History
Baseball history is American history. That very much includes the history of the Negro Leagues.
Here, Sam stands in front of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.
2021 All Star Game
Sam brought his daughter and his grandson with him when he was invited to MLB’s 2021 All Star Game in Denver.
One of the highlights of the trip for Sam was meeting CC Sabathia.
Harbor Park
Sam was a 2019 inductee of the Tidewater Baseball Shrine at Harbor Park in his hometown of Norfolk, Virginia, one of his proudest achievements.
Lifetime Pass
Sam has also received a Lifetime Pass from Major League Baseball, allowing him and a guest free entry into any game he wants to see.
A Family Man
Sam is most proud of his family. Here he is with his daughter at her graduation from Bennet College.
Sam’s Grandson
You can just see in his eyes how proud he is of his grandson, Gregory.
Sam and Don
Sam and his grandson, Donavon, have a special bond. Don helps Sam get to all of his engagements, and was instrumental in helping to set up this interview.
CC Sabathia
CC Sabathia has gone above and beyond to make sure Sam Allen, Pedro Sierra, and all other living Negro League players are getting the love and recognition they deserve.
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Sam gets the VIP treatment wherever he goes, from whoever is there. An entire generation of fans looked up to Ken Griffey, Jr., but Ken looks up to Sam.
Tim Anderson
My favorite moment I’ve ever witnessed in person at a baseball game was Tim Anderson walking it off into the corn at the Field of Dreams game. Don watched that moment on TV and knew it was special, too.
Here is Graig Kriendler’s painting of that amazing night.
A Legend
Don’s friends would say “I didn’t know your granddad was a legend!”
Well, he is.
It’s nice that he’s finally getting the recognition he deserves.
Stevenson High School
Rooting for my friend and our quarterback Bobby Giannini as he led our team to the IHSA 8A State Finals.
Blackhawks at Soldier Field
We were prepared for the cold, but it was still nice that the Blackhawks kept scoring to keep us warm.
Total Recall
We may have been speaking about things that happened 65 years ago, but Sam remembered them like it was yesterday. People, places, events… everything.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City is an absolute must-see. Seriously. Plan your trip right now.
Black Diamonds
Bob Kendricks’ podcast for the NLBM is a great listen, too. If you haven’t checked it out before, why don’t you start with THIS EPISODE, featuring Sam Allen and Pedro Sierra.
Nat King Cole
A baseball fan, himself, Nat King Cole once recorded a song that mixed his gospel upbringing with his love of the sport: “The First Baseball Game”
Here he is with Jackie Robinson as they wait for Game 2 of a doubleheader between the Dodgers and Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday, June 5, 1954 to start.
Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants
Look at the reverence CC Sabathia has for Sam.
Bob Motley
Bob Motley’s umpiring career began as he recovered from a gunshot wound at a military hospital on Okinawa.
"I could look out the window and see there was a ball field, so I decided I'd hop down with my crutches. And they needed an umpire," he says.
So they gave him a mask and chest protector, and he began calling balls and strikes for the Marines.
His grandson, Byron Motley, is a documentary filmmaker whose recent film The League is a great watch.
The Crew
Special thanks to Sam and Donavon, of course, but also to Ted and Edward Holstrom. What a special day.
Sam’s Chair
With Don’s help, we were able to get the audio levels as good and consistent as possible while Sam sat in his comfortable chair during our long conversation. I couldn’t be more grateful for both of them.
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Sam’s Friends
Claude Cousins
August 7, 1938 - March 2, 2005
Walt Lundy (pictured here)
December 10, 1935 - June 18, 2005
Toni Stone
Toni Stone’s break came when Syd Pollock, owner of the Indianapolis Clowns, signed her in 1953. Although she was originally signed to increase ticket sales, she proved to be far more than just a novelty woman player. One newspaper article said of her playing – “she’s agile, has good baseball instinct, and knows what a Louisville slugger is used for.”
Other women were eventually signed, as well, thanks to Stone’s success.
Henry Aaron
Henry Aaron, a Mobile, Alabama native, signed with the Indianapolis Clowns in April of 1952 for $200 a month after the team's business manager, Bunny Downs, saw him play for the Mobile Black Bears the year before in an exhibition game against the Clowns.
The crosshanded hitting shortstop would join the team for the 1952 season. In three months, he would lead the league in hitting with a .467 batting average. He would also lad in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, rbi's and total bases.
Indianapolis Clowns vs. New York Black Yankees
The Clowns, taking a page from the Harlem Globetrotters’ playbook, took their opponents on the road with them so they were always guaranteed to have a worthy opponent in whichever city they were scheduled to play.
New York Black Yankees
Fans immediately realized the Yankees name and associated it with success and entertainment.
The Black Yankees were managed by Dick Lundy, no relation to Walt.