Negro League 100th Anniversary
June 27, 2020 is the day the MLB was supposed to commerorate the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues. Due to the pandemic the celebration has been halted but that doesn’t mean the commemoration still can’t happen.
Paterson, New Jersey is home to the last major Negro League stadium, Hinchliffe Stadium, in the northeastern United States. The stadium was built in 1932 and in1933 hosted the Colored Championship of the Nation, the Negro League equivalent of the World Series. The Championship was played between the New York Black Yankees and The Philadelphia Stars with the Philadelphia Stars winning the Championship. In 1934 Hinchliffe became the home of the New York Black Yankees until 1945, except for the 1938 season where they played at the Triborough Stadium on Randall’s Island. Hall of Famer Larry Doby, who broke the American League Color barrier in 1947, grew up in Paterson, NJ and played football and baseball at Hinchliffe Stadium. He was ultimately scouted by the Newark Eagles in 1942 while playing at Hinchliffe.
The stadium became a National Historic Landmark in December 2014 by becoming part of the Great Falls National Historic Park. Hinchliffe is currently closed for restoration, with American Express recently pledging $300K for the facelift project. You can learn more about Hinchliffe Stadium and donate to the restoration fund at: http://friendsofhinchliffestadium.net/FriendsII/Friends_Welcome.html
A monument to the Philadelphia Stars was created in 2005 in Philadelphia’s Parkside community in West Philadelphia. The monument is located at the site of the former Y.M.C.A. athletic field which became home to the Philadelphia Stars known as the 44th and Parkside Ballpark.