WTHBALLS CUSTOM NEGRO LEAGUE SET: BUCK LEONARD

Up on the blog today, the next card profile from my recently released "Negro Leagues Greats" custom set, the all-time great Buck Leonard:

 

Leonard played for the Homestead Grays between 1934 and 1950, often batting cleanup behind Josh Gibson, with whom he was nicknamed the “Thunder Twins” because of their legendary power.
The team were three-time Negro World Series Champions, in 1943, 1944 & 1948, while Leonard was a 13-time all-star selection at First Base and took home the batting title in 1948 with a .395 average.
After his Negro League playing days were over he went on to play in the Mexican League where he would continue playing until 1955, even though he was actually offered a Major League contract in 1952.
However, due to his age, he felt he would hurt the integration of baseball and embarrass himself, so he stayed in Mexico, playing for various teams such as Torreon, Xalapa and Durango.
Fittingly, in 1972 he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with former teammate Josh Gibson, and in 1999 he was ranked #47 in the Sporting News list of “100 Greatest Baseball Players”, only one of five players who played the bulk of their career in Negro League ball.

NEGRO BASEBALL LEGENDS- BUCK LEONARD

Today’s Negro League legend is Buck Leonard, legendary first baseman for the great Homestead Grays teams of the 1930’s and 1940’s that also had stars like Josh Gibson and Judy Johnson:

Leonard played for the Homestead Grays between 1934 and 1950, often batting cleanup behind Josh Gibson, with whom he was nicknamed the “Thunder Twins” because of their legendary power.
The team were three-time Negro World Series Champions, in 1943, 1944 & 1948, while Leonard was a 13-time all-star selection at First Base and took home the batting title in 1948 with a .395 average.
After his Negro League playing days were over he went on to play in the Mexican League where he would continue playing until 1955, even though he was actually offered a Major League contract in 1952.
However, due to his age, he felt he would hurt the integration of baseball and embarrass himself, so he stayed in Mexico, playing for various teams such as Torreon, Xalapa and Durango.
Fittingly, in 1972 he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with former teammate Josh Gibson, and in 1999 he was ranked #47 in the Sporting News list of “100 Greatest Baseball Players”, only one of five players who played the bulk of their career in Negro League ball.

HALL OF FAME #15: BUCK LEONARD: CLASS OF 1972

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!