Baseball fans love to discuss the question of who the greatest players
ever were. Unfortunately, the discussion tends to be very limited - white
players from before 1900 are frequently ignored. Even more disturbing is
the ignorance of black players before 1947. The fact that few
self-described hardcore fans even recognize the name Oscar Charleston
shows how frightening this lack of knowledge is.
  Charleston, you see, was the greatest player in the primarily 
black-owned and -operated Negro Leagues where Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron
and Ernie Banks got their start and the only American forum for black
baseball players before integration. Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige have
retained greater popularity, but they were far less skilled than
Charleston. Charleston routinely led the Negro Leagues in categories such
as average, doubles, triples, homers and steals. To understand the
significance of this, take a look at Barry Bonds, the greatest player of
the past 30 years. Now imagine if Bonds led all black baseball players in
all of the above five categories on a regular basis - and played Gold
Glove center field while he was at it. That gives you an idea of what
Oscar Charleston was like. Oh, he also was the manager of the greatest
team in Negro League history, for good measure.
  John Henry Lloyd is another widely ignored Negro League great. "Pop"
Lloyd was often compared, when he played, to Honus Wagner, the greatest
white shortstop ever, and was called "The Black Honus Wagner". Wagner said
"After I saw him play, I felt honored that they should name such a great
ballplayer after me." Yet on the official all-century team ballot, Lloyd's
name wasn't even included. No one who has studied his career in any
detail places him below the likes of Cal Ripken Jr. and Ozzie Smith, who
were on the ballot instead.
  While leaving Ed Delahanty off all-century teams makes sense (he died in
1903, after hitting .333 at age 35, following years of .376 and .354), his
exclusion from consideration of all-time teams is astounding.  He has the
seventh highest batting average ever, led his league in slugging five
times and was among the top 5 in homers six times and the top ten in total
bases 11 times. Despite playing in the dead ball era, he managed to top a
.500 career slugging percentage. Yet because he played primarily in the
19th century, almost no one raises his name in discussing who follows Ted
Williams among all-time left fielders.
  Smokey Joe Williams is often ranked as one of the top five pitchers in
baseball history, yet wasn't even inducted into the Hall of Fame till a
year ago. Some place him second to only Walter Johnson, but Williams got
slighted due to his skin color - and still gets slighted. Lacking the
showman personality and wit of Satchel Paige, he is rated as the better
hurler by any Negro League scholar and was similarly given a higher rating
when the Pittsburgh Courier once listed the all-time Negro League team.
When you say "Smokey Joe", though, the baseball fan thinks "Smokey Joe
Wood" instead. Even when Williams finally got into Cooperstown, the media
basically ignored the belated honor.
  There are other early-era whites and Negro League blacks who get
slighted in "top 10" or "top 20" lists by position, too numerous to cover
each in depth (which increases the shamefulness of the matter) - men like
Buck Ewing, Willie Wells, King Kelly, Buck Leonard, Roger Connor, Turkey
Stearnes, Billy Hamilton and Sam Thompson. Until men like Charleston are
included in discussions of the best players ever, or men like Delahanty
and Wells are included in discussions of the best at their position,
baseball fans will be overlooking some great talents, offering false
conclusions as a result.

  Mischa Gelman scored exactly one point in his high school basketball
career.