top of page
Search
Writer's pictureElaine DeNiro

The Roswell Flames Baseball League: 1930-1946

Roswell was home to a baseball team from the black baseball league known as the Josh Gibson League.


Play Ball! Josh Gibson Baseball League in Roswell, Georgia. #31 is Larry Strickland.



Best Power Hitter and Catcher in the History of any League


Josh Gibson was a Georgia born, professional baseball player in the National Negro Baseball League from 1939 to 1946. Some fans called Gibson the "black Babe Ruth". Other fans called Babe Ruth, "the white Josh Gibson".


Josh Gibson was never able to play in the major leagues. An unwritten "gentleman's agreement" prevented non-white players from participating.




Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame


Gibson became the second player from the black leagues to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. Second to Satchel Paige who was inducted a year earlier. "Even though Jackie Robinson became the first black player in modern major league history in April 1947, Larry Doby, who broke the American League color barrier that July, felt that Gibson was the best black player in 1945,[17] and 1946.[18] Doby said in an interview later, "One of the things that was disappointing and disheartening to a lot of the black players at the time was that Jack was not the best player. The best was Josh Gibson. I think that's one of the reasons why Josh died so early – he was heartbroken."[18]". Read more about Josh Gibson here.



Three Men Organize a Local, Semi-Pro League


In 1958, three area men, Alonzo Allen, Estee Strickland and Charles Grogan organized the local league. Grogan organized the local league. Grogan served as the President of the Josh Gibson Baseball League that operated out of eight cities in Georgia. It was considered a semi-pro league. The local team was named the Roswell Flames, later known as the Southern Flames.


Roswell Field's Tournament Games and Miss Baseball


Scouts from the major league teams were known to come to the games, especially during tournament games. Players were in their teens and older. Fundraisers were held to pay for the player's uniforms and equipment. Games were held on the baseball field on Woodstock Road. Women of the community sold food at the concession stands to provide financial support for the teams. It was common for everyone to come after church, since the games were played on Sundays.


Each year the league voted for a Miss Baseball to be recognized at the tournament. Pictured to the right is Miss Virginia Manning Paterson receiving the trophy from Charles Grogan in 1961.




424 views3 comments

Recent Posts

See All

3 Comments


han gu
han gu
Jul 17

许多留学生在面对复杂的学术任务时,容易产生自我怀疑和焦虑情绪,认为自己无法完成高质量的作业。作业代写 https://www.12y.org/ 服务可以在一定程度上帮助留学生克服这些负面情绪。通过专业写手的帮助,留学生能够看到自己的学术任务被高质量地完成,这不仅让他们在学业上取得了好成绩,也增强了他们对自己学术能力的信心。随着自信心的增强,留学生在面对未来的学术挑战时,能够更加从容和自信,逐步摆脱对代写服务的依赖。

Like

Макс
Макс
Jun 25

The wood personalized growth chart from Woodandroom was the perfect gift for our son. Now we can track his growth and write down important points right on the table. It is not only useful but also very beautiful. The table is made of quality wood and looks very stylish. We are very happy with this purchase and recommend it to all parents who want to make something special for their child.

Like

Макс
Макс
Jun 03

We live in a country house and needed a gps wireless dog fence to keep our dog from running off the property https://pawious.com/en-ca/collections/gps-wireless-dog-fences Pawious offered an excellent solution that proved to be easy to install and effective. The system keeps the dog securely within the designated area and I can go about my business without worrying about his safety.

Like
bottom of page