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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1983-06-29, Page 64Black battery draws crowds to see baseball in Lucknow Baseball in Lucknow en- joyed its heyday in the early 50s when the Legion fastball team imported black players from Detroit. Those were the days when the Game attract- ed people from as far away as Elmira and Mount Forest and you couldn't squeeze another person onto the hill at Caledonian Park with a shoe horn. The Lucknow Legion which sponsored the fastball team, Charlie Webster and Bob McIntosh came up with the idea that, if they imported a coloured battery, they would really pull in the crowds. Tory Gregg who was pres- ident of the Western Ontario Athletic Association and a sports broadcaster with CKNX in Wingham was consulted and he told them the game would have to be changed to fastball. The Legion asked for permission to import a pitcher and a catcher, and the game was changed to fastball where the rules are the same as softball only the pitcher's delivery is different. Only the catcher and first baseman were per- mitted to wear gloves. In later years all players start- ing wearing gloves. The Legion appointed Charlie to find a black bat- tery. In the retail clothing business at the time, Charlie was an agent for Tip Top Tailors which was respon- sible for the big baseball league in Toronto. They had Charlie Justice pitching, a well known black player who had led their team to the world championship in Ari- zona. Charlie went to Justice and told him they wanted the best coloured pitcher and catcher in Detroit. Justice gave them a narbe. The black players would have to be paid to come to Lucknow to play ball and Charlie and Bob then had to go about making arrange- ments to have the players paid, At this time Silverwood's had a creamery in Lucknow and they agreed to share the expenses ',with the Legion. "No Work, Just Pitch" It was 1950. Wages were one-fifth of today's rate and a double-decker ice cream cone was 5 cents. Charlie and Bob and the Legion thought they could get a pitcher and catcher for $50 a week and the players would work at Silverwoods Creamery. Silv- erwoods would pay them $25 a week and the Legion would pay the other $25. The name Justice had given them was Hughie Hall. Bob and Charlie went to Detroit to see Hall work out and all of harlem came out to the ball diamond to watch. Hall made Charlie and Bob watch in awe. He was their man. Then the bad news: He said he was still in high school and wouldn't finish until the middle of June. If he did come to Lucknow to play ball, the least he would consider was $125 a week and "no work, just pitch". The season started earlier than Hall would be out of school and the price was beyond their means. Pitch Like a Bullet "If we got him, we still needed a catcher because nobody in Lucknow could hold him," says Charlie. "He was a bullet." To make a long story short, Charlie and Bob came home with a pitcher and a catcher for $50 a week and no work, but the pride and joy, "Hughie" was still in De- troit. Hughie was astute and he knew this pitcher and catcher weren't in his class. The Legion boarded them in •Lucknow and the next night at practice, half the village of Lucknow was out to see them. Most people in the village had never seen a coloured person before. Some thought because they were imported from Detroit and coloured, they must be really super. This was not to be. Luck - now lost the first two league games and the Legion mem- bers thought Charlie and Bob Turn to page 14b• Laitnow NAPPY 125N LUCKNOW Chisholm Fuels 529-1524 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR NEIGHBOURS IN LUCKNOW Mel Mothers R. R. 4, Wingham 357-3208 Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, June 29, 1983—Page 12b CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEIGHBOURS IN LUCKNOW ON JAMBOR[[ '83 FROM Huron County Council Warden Grant H. Sterling HAPPY 125TH LUCKNOW Brad's Plumbing & Heating R.R.3, Goderich Ripley -395-5771 VILLAGE OF LUCKNOW Con g ratulations on your 125th BIRTHDAY SERVING M;RICULTURE SINCE 1875 Howson & Hows0 Limited Elevators -5239624 Mill -523®4241 erd \lilt, r.. (4)r!iplct4. 1-;ir111 I,ra n 1'S(;ti til. 111,l TFi. C flit;ll.1,