Thank you. Absolutely Gary, another "candidate" could have been the umpire of that game a gentleman named Guthrie who ump'd a game earlier in the season when Claxton pitched for the Oakland Oak Leafs (the premier colored team in the Bay area). Don't think he would qualify as a "supposed friend" though.

Also a pitcher for the Oaks named Higginbotham (joined the Oaks after Claxton was released June 3), who played for Portland in 1915 where Claxton had spent the season integrating the Portland Inter-City League for the Sellwood Dingbats.

Too many others to speculate on, but really need to examine all angles on a subject as sensitive as this....

Forgot to mention Standridge was also on the 1909 Vancouver Beavers where another African American "Big Chief" Dick Brookins tried to pass himself as Native American. Brookins was dismissed from the team prior to the beginning of the season. Great story on that here:
http://www.attheplate.com/wcbl/profi...kins_dick.html