Game Preparation and Play

The style of play in the Negro Leagues varied greatly from that of white professional baseball. This started with how teams prepared for their seasons to how they played on the field.

SPRING TRAINING

Spring Training, began in the late 1800s with some believing the tradition began when the Chicago White Stockings and Cincinnati Red Stockings traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana in 1870 to set up camp. Others point to a four-day camp held in Jacksonville, Florida by the Washington Capitals in 1888. Regardless of the official origins, by 1900 Spring Training had become the normal practice for the American and National Leagues.

Spring Training was - and is - an opportunity for players to work on their skills and for the team's manager and coaches to evaluate talent that would eventually make the roster.

THE ROSTER

Since around 1910, the American and National Leagues have allowed for their active roster - players eligible to play - to have up to 25 players. In 1921 the 40-man roster went into effect and includes players on the disabled list and players in the minor leagues who signed to a Major League contract.

By contrast, Negro League teams carried between 16 and 18 players on their teams, far fewer players than the American and National League teams. This was partially due to the strict budgets of teams and lack of funds to pay for additional players. This meant that Negro League players had to be able to play more than one position, something that happened frequently as the teams traveled extensively and played multiple games in a day. Bill Cash, a catcher for the Philadelphia Stars shared that he played every position but shortstop and pitcher.

The number of players allowed on MLB's active and 40-man rosters was impacted by events taking place in the country and worldwide?

The number of players on both the active and 40-man roster fluctuated due to World War I, the Great Depression and the period after World War II.

In 1945 and 1946 the 40-man roster limit was raised to 48 players to accommodate returning veterans.

From 1986 until 1989 the active roster was limited to 24 to help counter the expense of rising player salaries.

During the first half of the 20th century the white baseball game relied on the power of the players. Players focused on hitting the ball out of the park, scoring runs in bunches. The Negro League game was much different. It was a game of finesse. Players manufactured runs with the bunt, base stealing and the hit and run.

With the fast pace of the Negro League game, players on both offense and defense had to be on their toes. While today you will often see players sliding head first, Negro League players never did so. They always slid with their spikes up and out so that the defensive player would not be able to tag or spike them in the hands or arms.

By the same token, the defense needed to be quick, particularly on double play balls. Mahlon Duckett who played second base for the Philadelphia Stars shared that "you had to know how to get that ball, make the play and get out of the way," before a player would take you out with a spike on a hard slide.

When players got on base, they did not like to stay still. They would look for the chance to take the next base either by a steal or attempting to take an extra base on a hit by a teammate. This constant activity on the base paths caused the defense, and pitchers in particular, to really pay attention to what was happening on the base paths.

When Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, he brought the Negro League style of play to Major League Baseball. Stars' player Wilmer Harris shared that "Jackie took Negro League Baseball to the Major Leagues. There was no such thing as hitting a single and going to second. He made the Major Leagues better and everyone was trying to play like the Dodgers."

On the field the Negro League players were fierce competitors but off the field they were a tight knit crew. They harbored no hard feelings toward one another because each understood that what happened on the field should stay there. This was an attitude that was embraced because off the field they were facing the same obstacles and discrimination.

Negro League players often warmed up in a style called "shadow ball" where players pretended to hit and field a baseball. The players would dive around the field and the players sold their hits and catches so well that the spectators thought they were playing with an actual baseball.

Barnstorming was often a challenge to the creation and ability to sustain organized Negro Leagues that asked affiliated teams to adhere to a set schedule. Teams would barnstorm not just prior to and after the organized league season but also during the season. This meant that teams would often skip scheduled league games in favor of what was perceived as a better payday from a barnstorming game or tour.