When looking back at baseball’s history, numerous greats come to mind—from Babe Ruth to Lou Gehrig—but often overlooked are the players of The Negro Leagues, once Major League Baseball (MLB)’s segregated division. One such player, Robert Scott, formerly of the New York Black Yankees, came to the Martinsville campus on Wednesday, March 29, 2006. During his visit, Scott shared his experiences playing the good ole American game during an era of racial divide.
English teacher Judy Lebowitz organized the visit for her students in New Voices, a course that examines contemporary American works. Scott’s talk was used to supplement the reading of August Wilson’s “Fences,” a Pulitzer Prize winning play whose main character is a former Negro Leagues player.
Before opening the floor for questions, Scott briefly listed his career highlights, beginning in the 1940s, when he played for the Macon Braves, and continuing through his time spent playing for the Macon Cardinals, Boston Blues, and Black Yankees. He would ultimately join the New York Giants minor league in 1955, his final year in baseball, after the Negro Leagues folded in 1950. Scott went on to pursue a career in bricklaying before returning to Yankee Stadium in 1995, when he was recognized for his achievements.
Sitting casually at a desk on stage in the Hauser Auditorium, the former right-handed pitcher described similarities between the Major and Negro Leagues, noting the shared set up, crowd of about 35,000 attendees (both black and white), and home games played in Yankee Stadium (where he played as a member of the Black Yankees). Nevertheless, there were marked differences which Scott shared with the students. Among them, he includes Negro Leaguers’ disparate earnings (beginning at $350), shorter contractual time (typically just one-year), and second-rate travel arrangements (by bus instead of train).
He also detailed the discrimination that team members faced, such as being turned away from public restrooms and hotels. Scott says, “Sometimes there were no hotels to stay in or showers to use … so we would sleep on the bus, but we kept playing baseball on our minds. It was rough out there, so you had to really love the game.”
In addition to his own achievements, Scott reminisced about playing alongside Jackie Robinson before Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, when he was signed to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He also spoke about African-American female baseball history makers like Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, one of a handful of players, and Effa Manley, the only female owner in the league.
Although his baseball career has ended, Scott relives his days through speaking engagements and uses his experiences to offer advice. Many tips were shared, but he left the students with one simple admonition—“Be a nice person and live the right way, so someday you can look back proudly.”
© 2006 The Pingry School
