Negro League Baseball Discussion Forum: Former Players – Information Exchange: Gene Baker
By Brent Kelley (Tomturner) on Friday, December 3, 1999 – 06:12 am:
The sad news of Gene Baker's death is in the news today. He was a wonderful player who would have been considered a great if he had been able to get to the major leagues earlier. His greatest importance to the game, however, was the help and stability he gave to fellow rookie Ernie Banks. Banks would have been outstanding anyway, but Baker's presence greatly helped him make the adjustment from black ball to white ball. Baker's experience in the PCL was extremely beneficial to both him and Banks when they joined the Cubs.
By Gaylon White (Mofojenkins) on Wednesday, December 8, 1999 – 10:26 pm:
Gene Baker was my first baseball hero. So I was saddened to hear of his death. Baker was a shortstop with the Los Angeles of the PCL when I saw him play. Smooth as silk in the field. Solid hitter with power. He was a great fan favorite. In 1953 when he joined the Cubs in the Big Show, my older brother and I shifted our loyalty to the Cubs. I am a Cubs fan to this day because of Baker and Ernie Banks. I was deeply disappointed when the Cubs traded Baker to the Pirates in 1957. The Pirates were the parent club of the Hollywood Stars, hated rivals of the Angels in those days. Still, I continued to root for Baker. He was 28 when he made it to the Cubs — his best years behind him. But I'll always remember Baker as the first in a series of outstanding post-World War II second sackers. Baker was followed by Tony Taylor, Kenny Hubbs, Glenn Beckert and, most recently, Ryne Sandberg. I have done a lot of research on Negro League players and write frequently about these players. If you have any stories you want to share about Baker, Artie Wilson, Joe Taylor, or Al Pinkston, leave me a message.