Negro league HOF Frank Grant 1886 Buffalo season scrapbook

Originally Posted by Jason19th

I am still going through all of the game recaps but what is amazing is that there is little notice of Grant as black or any notion of problems. To the contrary he is clearly a fan favorite (a guess talent has always broken down barriers) and team star. Even when he screws up the mistake is mentioned in light of all of the good he has done. One of the clips below (sorry that are hard to read) notes "There was a loud cheer when Grant came to the plate. For once the phenomenon was unequal to the task."

I found the same thing while researching Jimmy Claxton. Descriptive phrases used to evaluate Claxton included two types, (1) Commentaries on the man, and (2) reports on his game. I compiled these from the Cle Elum Miner Echo, Ellensburg Capital, Ellensburg Evening Record, Yakima Herald, Yakima Daily Republican, Wenatchee World, and Toppenish Standards newspapers from 1926-31 when he integrated the Roslyn Yippers of the Central Washington League. He was the Yipper manager 1926-27.

Those about the man referred to him as "star pitcher", "star moundsman", "star Roslyn chucker", star Yipper pitcher", "stellar southpaw", "pitching ace", Roslyn's mainstay", "class of the league", "best in the circuit", "the touted Claxton", and the "Roslyn wonder". Some articles painted with a pallet of racially charged phrases such as "colored hurler", "star colored southpaw", "Yippers Negro southpaw", and the "colored giant of Valley hurling circles", but never the hometown paper.

There were never qualifications of his game such as "he's good for a black man" etc. His pitching was described as "splendid", "superb", "magnificent", "impregnable", "invincible", and "disgustingly miserly". His pitches referred to as "steam and dazzle", "mystery curves", and "poison that baffled". He was praised by Yakima Indians manager Sonny Sontheimer as "almost a team himself".

Overall very well regarded. I believe commentaries on Grant would be similar, supported locally but sometimes disparaged by rival towns newspapers. Great, great, great scrapbook.

[Jason19th]

Here a couple of interior images. Clearly the home fans and reporters loved Grant. How many players get called "Phenomenon" on days when you go 0 for 3.

I love that woodcut image -- where did you find that?