Black History Month 1: The New York Black Yankees

 

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The Black Yankees

Well, even though yesterday was Ground Hog Day, I don’t really have anything to match up with that so for this week's meeting of my conversation group, I decide to honor Black History Month. And having covered other teams, today I want to look at the New York Black Yankees. 

Born in 1931as the Harlem Stars, one of their two main owners  was the great entertainer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. While they would ultimately follow their white namesakes to the Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium, they played their home games at a number of other interesting places including the Dyckman Oval in northern Manhattan and Hinchcliff Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey.  Recently there has been a major fund drive to restore Hinchcliff as a landmark of the Negro Leagues era. In the waning years of the Negro Leagues, post integration, they played their final years at RedWings Stadium in Rochester. 

Their most intriguing home was the Hebrew Orphan Asylum on 138th and Amsterdam, across from the City College of New York, once known as the Harvard of the Working Class. In the early 20’s, a deal was struck whereby the New York Yankees would buy the Asylum to build their new stadium on the grounds and the  Asylum would move to the Bronx.  The deal however, fell through . The Yankees instead moved to the Bronx to create the House that Ruth built and the rest is history.  The Asylum closed in 1941.

Only once did the Black Yankees come close to winning a title losing to the Philadelphia Stars. Their most famous player was pitcher Satchel Paige who played for most of the famous Negro teams at one point or another. 

Their logo bore a striking similarity to the white Yankees logo, though with no flourishes.  The Brooklyn Eagles, playing at Ebbets Field, would oddly wear the same hat logo. The  hat is paired with a 1935 era Back Yankees “utility” shirt. 

So for todays, hats off and hats on to the New York Black Yankees.