Little Rock Black Travelers (1945)

The Little Rock Black Travelers were a Negro baseball team in the 1945 Negro Southern League. The team played home games at Travelers Field.

History
In the spring of 1945, the Little Rock Black Travelers became one of eight franchises in the newly revived Negro Southern League, which had not operated since 1936. The team was owned by Sam Parks and managed by Charlie Burgs.1 2 Home games were played at Travelers Field, home of the white Little Rock Travelers from whom the name "Black Travelers" originated.

The Negro Southern Schedule was divided into a split season. The first half began on May 6th and finished on July 4th. Little Rock finished seventh among eight teams in the first half with 9-22 record.3 Shortly after the second half began in mid-July, the Black Travelers moved to Richmond, VA due to "difficulties with the Little Rock baseball park."4 This difficulty was likely the result of not being able to book Travelers Field for home games.

After Little Rock dropped out of the Negro Southern League, the team barnstormed as an independent club.

Schedule/Results
The Negro Southern League schedule was divided into a split schedule. The following is a record of those halves before the team moved to Richmond, as can best be understood:

First Half
Date Location Opponent W-L R RA Notes
5/6/1945 Travelers Field, Little Rock, AR New Orleans Black Pelicans L 5
5/6/1945 Travelers Field, Little Rock, AR New Orleans Black Pelicans L 6
5/7/1945 Travelers Field, Little Rock, AR New Orleans Black Pelicans L 4 7 7 , 8
5/?/1945 Mobile Black Bears W 1 0 9 , 10
5/?/1945 Mobile Black Bears W 7 6 11 , 12 , 13
5/?/1945 Mobile Black Bears L 6 8 14 , 15 , 16
5/?/1945 Mobile Black Bears L 2 8 17 , 18 , 19
5/?/1945 New Orleans Black Pelicans W 8 6 20 , 21
5/?/1945 New Orleans Black Pelicans L 3 11 22 , 23
5/?/1945 New Orleans Black Pelicans L 0 8 24 , 25
5/23/1945 Rebel Stadium, Dallas, TX New Orleans Black Pelicans L 9 10 Or 9-12.26 ,27 , 28
5/27/1945 Travelers Field, Little Rock, AR Chattanooga Choo Choos L 2 4 29 , 30
5/27/1945 Travelers Field, Little Rock, AR Chattanooga Choo Choos W 8 5 31 , 32
5/30/1945 Travelers Field, Little Rock, AR Chattanooga Choo Choos W 33 , 34 , 35
5/30/1945 Travelers Field, Little Rock, AR Chattanooga Choo Choos W 36 , 37 , 38
6/1/1945 Fairgrounds Park, Jackson, MS Chattanooga Choo Choos L 11 13 39
Note: Complete to this point. Record of 6-10 in league games. 40
6/3/1945 Smithson Stadium, Knoxville, TN Knoxville Grays L 3 18 41 , 42 43
6/5/1945 Smithson Stadium, Knoxville, TN Knoxville Grays W 10 8 44 , 45
6/5/1945 Smithson Stadium, Knoxville, TN Knoxville Grays L 0 7 46 , 47
6/7/1945 Builders Park, Newport News, VA Knoxville Grays L 48
Note: Lost 3 of 4 games with Knoxville. Record of 7-13. 49 , 50
Note: Series with Mobile cancelled. 51
Note: Series with Asheville cancelled. 52
6/24/1945 Smithson Stadium, Knoxville, TN Knoxville Grays L 2 8 53 , 54 , 55
6/24/1945 Smithson Stadium, Knoxville, TN Knoxville Grays L 2 4 56 , 57 , 58
6/?/1945 Knoxville Grays L 59
6/26/1945 Kingsport, TN Knoxville Grays L 60 , 61
7/2/1945 Luther Williams Field, Macon, GA Atlanta Black Crackers L 62 , 63
7/?/1945 Atlanta Black Crackers L 64
7/?/1945 Atlanta Black Crackers L 65
7/?/1945 Atlanta Black Crackers L 66
7/?/1945 Atlanta Black Crackers L 67
7/?/1945 Atlanta Black Crackers L 68
First Half 9-22 (.290) 69


Second Half
Date Location Opponent W-L R RA Notes
7/8/1945 Mooers Field, Richmond, VA Chattanooga Choo Choos L 1 2 70 , 71 , 72
7/?/1945 Mooers Field, Richmond, VA Chattanooga Choo Choos L 73 , 74
7/9/1945 Mooers Field, Richmond, VA Chattanooga Choo Choos L 75 , 76
7/15/1945 Engel Stadium, Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga Choo Choos L 3 4 77
7/15/1945 Engel Stadium, Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga Choo Choos L 2 7 78
7/17/1945 Engel Stadium, Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga Choo Choos L 10 18 79
7/18/1945 Engel Stadium, Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga Choo Choos L 4 7 80


Non-League Games
Date Location Opponent W-L R RA Notes
5/17/1954 Legion Field, Pensacola, FL Pepsi-Colas All-Stars 81
5/18/1954 Legion Field, Pensacola, FL Pepsi-Colas All-Stars 82
7/22/1945 Mooers Field, Richmond, VA Mobile Black Shippers W 18 9 83
7/22/1945 Mooers Field, Richmond, VA Mobile Black Shippers W 2 1 84
7/23/1945 Mooers Field, Richmond, VA Mobile Black Shippers 85
7/30/1945 Danville, VA Nashville Black Vols 86
8/3/1945 Hammond, IN East Chicago Giants 87
8/9/1945 Horlick Athletic Field, Racine, WI Pittsburgh Crawfords L 7 27 88


Players
Player Birth Death Notes
Clark 89
Jim Coachman 90 , 91
Creamer 92
Curry 93 , 94
Eddie Green 95
Hainey
Hall 96
Hill 97 , 98
Hubbard
Hyde 99 , 100
Hooker 101 , 102
Jordan 103
Lewis 104
Lockhart 105
Lockman 106 , 107 , 108
Manion/Mainor 109 , 110
McCarthy 111
Morgan 112
Frank Pearson 9/10/1919 in Memphis, TN 8/11/1997 in Memphis, TN 113 , 114
Porter 115
Lefty Peach 116
Ray 117
Saunders 118
Joe Washington 119
Williams 120
Wilson 121

1 The Sporting News, 3/1/1945
2 Arkansas Gazette, 5/6/1945, p.8
3 Times-Picayune, 7/8/1945
4 Afro American, 7/28/1945
5 Times-Picayune, 5/11/1945
6 Times-Picayune, 5/11/1945
7 Times-Picayune, 5/11/1945
8 Afro American, 5/26/1945
9 Afro American, 5/26/1945
10 Arkansas Gazette, 5/13/1945
11 Afro American, 5/26/1945
12 Afro American, 5/12/1945
13 Arkansas Gazette, 5/13/1945
14 Afro American, 5/26/1945
15 Afro American, 5/12/1945
16 Arkansas Gazette, 5/13/1945
17 Afro American, 5/26/1945
18 Afro American, 5/12/1945
19 Arkansas Gazette, 5/13/1945
20 Afro American, 5/19/1945
21 Afro American, 6/2/1945
22 Afro American, 5/19/1945
23 Afro American, 6/2/1945
24 Afro American, 5/19/1945
25 Afro American, 6/2/1945
26 Times-Picayune, 5/24/1945
27 Afro American, 6/2/1945
28 Dallas Morning News, 5/23/1945
29 Afro American, 5/26/1945
30 Arkansas Gazette, 5/28/1945
31 Afro American, 5/26/1945
32 Arkansas Gazette, 5/28/1945
33 Afro American, 5/26/1945
34 Arkansas Gazette, 5/28/1945
35 Pittsburgh Courier, 6/9/1945
36 Afro American, 5/26/1945
37 Arkansas Gazette, 5/28/1945
38 Pittsburgh Courier, 6/9/1945
40 Pittsburgh Courier, 6/9/1945
41 Afro American, 5/26/1945
44 Afro American, 5/26/1945
46 Afro American, 5/26/1945
49 Arkansas Gazette, 6/10/1945.
50 Pittsburgh Courier, 6/16/1945
51 Arkansas Gazette, 6/10/1945.
The article doesn't explicitly say that the series with Mobile was cancelled, but this is in inferred by the fact that the Chicago-Toledo game was taking the place of the series.
53 Afro American, 6/23/1945
54 Chicago Defender , 6/30/1945, p.7
56 Afro American, 6/23/1945
57 Chicago Defender , 6/30/1945, p.7
59 The Sporting News, 7/5/1945, p.18. Little Rock lost a four-game series to Knoxville.
61 The Sporting News, 7/5/1945, p.18. Little Rock lost a four-game series to Knoxville.
62 Afro American, 7/14/1945. Atlanta Swept six-game series.
63 Macon Telegraph, 7/1/1945
64 Afro American, 7/14/1945. Atlanta Swept six-game series.
65 Afro American, 7/14/1945. Atlanta Swept six-game series.
66 Afro American, 7/14/1945. Atlanta Swept six-game series.
67 Afro American, 7/14/1945. Atlanta Swept six-game series.
68 Afro American, 7/14/1945. Atlanta Swept six-game series.
69 Times-Picayune, 7/8/1945
70 Afro American, 7/21/1945
71 Richmond Times-Dispatch, 7/8/1945
73 Afro American, 7/21/1945
74 Richmond Times-Dispatch, 7/8/1945
75 Afro American, 7/21/1945
76 Richmond Times-Dispatch, 7/8/1945
83 Richmond Times-Dispatch, 7/23/1945
84 Richmond Times-Dispatch, 7/23/1945
85 Richmond Times-Dispatch, 7/23/1945
86 The Bee (Danville, VA), 7/25/1945
87 Hammond Times (Hammond, IN), 8/3/1945
89 Racine Journal Times, 8/8/1945
90 Racine Journal Times, 8/8/1945
91 Indianapolis Recorder, 6/16/1945; 4/14/1945, noted to be from Mobile, AL.
92 Racine Journal Times, 8/8/1945
93 Racine Journal Times, 8/8/1945
95 Hammond Times (Hammond, IN), 8/3/1945
97 Times-Picayune, 5/24/1945
101 Racine Journal Times, 8/8/1945
104 Racine Journal Times, 8/8/1945
106 Racine Journal Times, 8/8/1945
109 Racine Journal Times, 8/8/1945
112 Arkansas Gazette, 5/28/1945
113 Arkansas Gazette, 5/28/1945
115 Arkansas Gazette, 5/28/1945
116 Racine Journal Times, 8/8/1945
117 Arkansas Gazette, 5/28/1945
118 Racine Journal Times, 8/8/1945
119 Racine Journal Times, 8/9/1945
120 Racine Journal Times, 8/8/1945