Chicago Brown Bombers
The Chicago Brown Bombers played in the Negro Major Baseball League of America and later the United States League.
The Brown Bombers played in Minnesota in July, 1942 against the Twin Cities Gophers in Negro Major Baseball League of America games.[1] In 1945 the Brown Bombers were members of The United States League for one season before the league folded.
The United States League was started by Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers (Major League Baseball) in 1945. Gus Greenlee, who was the former owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords, assisted Rickey in the venture. Public opinion was that Rickey started the league to scout Negro League talent. The league folded after the first season.[2]
Teams in the United States League included:
- Boston Blues
- (Tom Parker – manager)
- Brooklyn Brown Dodgers
- (Branch Rickey – owner)
- Chicago Brown Bombers
- Cleveland Clippers
- (Jim Bender – manager)
- Detroit Motor City Giants
- (William “Dizzy” Dismukes – manager)
- Hilldale Giants
- Pittsburgh Crawfords
- (Gus Greenlee – owner)
- Toledo Rays
- (William “Pee Wee” Spencer – manager)
Lineup Card for Chicago Brown Bombers vs Pittsburgh Crawfords at Nicollet Ball Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1945
The starting lineup and batting order for the Chicago Brown Bombers on the lineup card were:
- Morehead – catcher
- Turner – third base
- Walker – second base
- Noble – right field
- Rhodes – first base
- Ray – left field
- Wyatt – short stop
- Smith – center field
- Mitchell – pitcher
The Pittsburgh Crawfords were managed by former Negro League great Roy “Red” Parnell. The starting lineup and batting order for this game for the Crawfords were:
- Petroff – first base
- Daniels – third base
- Jimmy Johnson – shortstop
- Boot Smith – second base
- Fred Morefield – left field
- Gabriel Patterson – right field
- Jorge Almagro – center field
- Eudie Napier – catcher
- Cecil Kaiser – pitcher
