Up next on my "Hall of Fame" thread is none other than former Negro League all-time great Buck Leonard.
Take a look at my card design:
Elected to the Hall of Fame along with former long-time teammate
Josh Gibson in 1972, Leonard was called "the Black Lou Gehrig", and
batted fourth behind Josh Gibson for many years.
In 1999 the Sporting News ranked him as the 47th greatest baseball player as part of their "100 Greatest Players" list.
Sadly statistics from the Negro Leagues are spotty, but from what
IS documented and researched, Leonard is credited with a .320 lifetime
average and a .527 slugging percentage, along with three Negro League
Championships and nine pennants.
One of my favorite quotes about Leonard is by fellow Hall of Fame
member Monte Irvin, when he stated, "Trying to sneak a fastball by him
was like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster".
Classic!
