![]() Stearnes liked to take the bus to watch games at Tiger Stadium, preferring to sit in the center field bleachers with the “regular people.” He died at the age of 78 in 1979, more than two decades before the Hall of Fame finally inducted him. Most of his co-workers had no idea that “Norman” had once been one of Detroit’s greatest baseball players. 330 and led the Negro American League in home runs.Īfter he left baseball, Turkey spent nearly three decades working in auto plants in Detroit, basically anonymous. Turkey played from 1923 to 1940, and his 186 home runs are the most in negro leagues history, though we only have about 600 games of boxscores for Gibson. He was faster, but Turkey Stearnes was one of the best fly ball men,” Radcliffe said. “Cool Papa Bell was the fastest man … but couldn’t field with Turkey Stearnes. Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, who played against Stearnes, compared him to Cool Papa Bell: He reportedly had a strong throwing arm from center field. Stearnes would have been an outstanding player in the white major leagues. He choked up on a light, thin bat, yet he hit moonshot home runs.” When he ran, his elbows flapped in and out - thus his nickname. “All arms and legs, Stearnes was a pastiche of oddities in his batting stance he leaned way forward and his back foot pointed straight up. It was 1922, and the man with the funny trot found enough time to play baseball and get a contract with the Stars, who were in the Negro National League.Īuthor Mark Ribowsky, who has written three excellent books on the history of the negro leagues, called Stearnes a “cobralike outfielder” and described him like this: But Turkey wasn’t in the money yet: he first worked on the production line at the Briggs Manufacturing Company, where he painted automobiles. A teammate got him a job with a team in Memphis, and from there he was discovered by a scout and traveled north to Michigan. Stearnes came from modest beginnings in Tennessee, and seemed destined for life as a poor farmer until he proved his value as a ballplayer in sandlot leagues around Nashviille. He won at least five home run titles and captured a pair of batting titles in Detroit, where he was lauded as “The Black Ty Cobb.” He had thinning hair at a young age, and he wore his cap back on his head in that way that many old-time ballplayers did in the 1920s, when he was a star for the Detroit Stars. Stearnes was wiry with long legs, knobby knees, and high cheekbones. 339, though Turkey was five years younger. Contemporaries, Charleston and Stearnes were in the same leagues for about five seasons, and Stearnes outhit Oscar. There are probably three men who have a serious claim to being the best hitter in the history of the negro leagues: Stearnes, Oscar Charleston, and Josh Gibson. Now that Major League Baseball has ruled that negro leagues stats are part of the official major league record, on equal footing with the numbers from the American and National Leagues and other professional “major” leagues, Stearnes rates in the top 10 in several career offensive categories. 600, both of which rate in the top ten all-time for major league baseball. But in the nearly 1,000 league games Norman “Turkey” Stearnes appeared in for which we have boxscores, he batted. Get it all for less when you order with Baseball Monkey promo codes.The official record of baseball in the negro leagues is not as complete as that of the segregated white major leagues, unfortunately. You can also find complete catcher’s and umpire’s gear at Baseball Monkey, along with practice wear and uniform pieces. Training shoes and cleats from New Balance, Easton, Rawlings, Adidas, and more. ![]() Catcher’s, pitcher’s, and other gloves in a full range of sizes from youth to adult, plus sting stops, glove liners, and leather-care supplies.Tee-ball and coach-pitch bats for the littlest sluggers, plus fastpitch and slowpitch softball bats and baseball bats, along with a detailed buying guide and explanation of aluminum versus wood and weight-drop requirements by league and age.From tee-ball to baseball, Baseball Monkey has what you need: Save time and money when you stock up for the season with Baseball Monkey coupon codes. Baseball Monkey also gives customers a 150-day return window so you can be sure to get the right gear, and the site offers plenty of tips and videos to help you decide. The Monkey Sports baseball and softball gear division guarantees its prices and offers name-brand gloves, shoes, bats, protective gear, and more for kids, men, and women playing slowpitch, fastpitch, or baseball. Baseball Monkey knocks savings out of the park. ![]()
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