Yes, the plaque is accurate. The Cuban Giants were organized by Frank P. Thompson who was the headwaiter at the Argyle Hotel in Babylon, New York on Long Island. He initially formed the team with members of the Argyle wait-staff and they became a popular hotel attraction. Thompson later moved his Philadelphia based Keystone Athletics to the Argyle and merged them with the Philadelphia Orions and Washington, DC Manhattans.
They became a popular barnstorming team called the Babylon Boys until Walter Cook bought the team in 1886 and renamed them the Cuban Giants. The players were NOT Cuban but the reference to Cuba, as Steve accurately points out, made them more palatable to white fans. They were alleged to speak a gibberish designed to mimic Spanish so that fans could confirm in their own limited minds that they were indeed Cuban! They barnstormed up and down the East coast and Florida in the winter playing a version of what African American players called Triple A baseball: Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime.
Cook sold the team to E. B. Lamar in 1896 and Lamar renamed them the Cuban X Giants who became extremely well known for the quality of their play.
I published an article."Black Baseball Barnstorming," in
The Ephemera Journal, Vol. 26, Num 1 (September 2023). If you're interested in a copy you can make enquiry at the Ephemera Society of America:
info@ephemerasociety.org.
I've attached the only image I could find of the original team. Sadly I don't own it but if anyone has a copy, I'm a buyer!
Cheers,
Mike
06-10-2024, 11:34 AM
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