Elston Howard

[Dewey]

Great thread.

I wish I had a better contribution, but it still reflects well on the man. Some pioneers together!

Original AP caption: The Baltimore Orioles' Larry Doby and Puggy Bell (white T-shirt) scramble for the ball as referee Jackie Robinson, formerly of the Brooklyn Dodgers, looks on during a benefit game in New York, January 16th 1958. The hand at right belongs to Elston Howard of the New York Yankees. The game at the Renaissance Casino was a fundraiser for the Harlem branch of the YMCA

[GeoPoto]

(Thanks Dewey: great photograph. Obviously, Elston's arm.)

The players could see what was coming. Monarchs owner Tom Baird had found that there was money to be made selling players to the majors. Ernie and Ellie made a bet: Whoever got to the majors first would call the other and tell him what it was like. Tom Greenwade, the legendary Yankees scout, soon came calling to look at a different player, but Buck O’Neil steered him to Howard. Within days, Elston Howard and Frank Barnes had been sold for $25,000 to the New York Yankees.

(I apologize for the blurry scan. I can't fix it at my present location.)

[GeoPoto]

Now 21, Howard debuted on July 26, 1950, in left field for the Class A Muskegon, Michigan, Clippers. He would earn $400 a month. The Clippers had a 39-46 record when he arrived, and went 36-18 in the 54 games he played, making the playoffs. Howard batted cleanup and hit well, but the Clippers fell short of the league championship.

[GeoPoto]

Returning to St. Louis for the off-season, Elston announced his decision to marry his high school sweetheart, Delores Williams. Just before the wedding, he was drafted into the Army, at the height of the Korean War. While he was in basic training, the marriage with Delores was dissolved — there are conflicting stories as to why. Howard was sent overseas, but he never fought in Korea. Once the Army realized it had a great baseball player on its hands, he was assigned to Special Services and sent to Japan. That was all Howard ever did in the army: play baseball.

[GeoPoto]

By 1953 Howard was playing for the Yankees’ top farm team, the Kansas City Blues. Another black player, Vic Power from Puerto Rico, was a teammate. Power batted .349 but because of the amount of trouble he stirred up was considered too much of a loose cannon to ever make it in pinstripes. Power was eventually traded to the Philadelphia A’s. In August, Jet magazine featured an article with the headline “Howard May be First Negro with Yankees.”

[Lucas00]

Originally Posted by GeoPoto

By 1953 Howard was playing for the Yankees’ top farm team, the Kansas City Blues. Another black player, Vic Power from Puerto Rico, was a teammate. Power batted .349 but because of the amount of trouble he stirred up was considered too much of a loose cannon to ever make it in pinstripes. Power was eventually traded to the Philadelphia A’s. In August, Jet magazine featured an article with the headline “Howard May be First Negro with Yankees.”

Here is my original press photo of Vic with the Blues dated 5/24/52. The Yankees had Been Scouting him since 1950!
"A good chance of become the first Negro ever to play on the American league team"
Amazing history.

And to keep it on track with Elston. A snapshot taken of him alongside Mick, Game 3 of the 1960 World series.

[GeoPoto]

(Great photographs, Lucas! Thanks for sharing.)

Shortly before Christmas, Elston proposed to Arlene Henley, whose sister he had gone to high school with. He spent February 1954 at “Yankee Prospects School” with 28 other ballplayers in Lake Wales, Florida, and March at spring training with the big club, sharing a locker room with Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, Mickey Mantle, and Billy Martin. Bill Dickey, former Yankee great, worked with him to make him a major league catcher. Some newspapers, like the Baltimore Afro-American, criticized the Yankees, claiming the move to catcher was a manufactured setback to keep Howard in the minors. When the Yankees broke camp, they took three catchers north with them: Yogi Berra, Charlie Silvera, and Ralph Houk. They didn’t want to send Howard back to the Blues, so they arranged for him to play with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the International League. Canada was a bit more welcoming to black players. Howard won the league MVP Award, hit .330, with 22 homers and 109 RBIs. At the end of the season, he gave Arlene an engagement ring, and they planned to marry in the spring of 1955.