Negro League Baseball Discussion Forum: Negro League Teams – Information Exchange: 1934-35 Pittsburgh Crawfords….
By Jkurt (Jkurt) on Tuesday, July 31, 2001 – 04:01 pm:
I am looking for complete roster information for the team some argue was the finest ever negro leagues club, the 34-35 Crawfords. I'm not even sure just how many roster spots a Negro League team carried during the league's heyday and the closest i've come to 'complete' information is a photo (it features Josh Gibson in a windbreaker/warm-up jacket) with incomplete caption/personnel.
my reason for wanting this roster information is actually rather curious–in the 1991 version of Tony Larussa's computer/video baseball game, players have the option of pitting classic teams (the 1919 White Sox, the 1952 Yankees, the 1975 Reds, etc.) against one another. I thought it would be interesting to create a Crawfords team (the game affords that option) and see how they would match up with some of the other classic teams. I do have SOME roster information (the team featured Gibson, Bell, Charleston, Bankhead, Paige, Judy Johnson, Streeter, Ted Page, etc.) and have gleaned additional information from Riley's 'encyclopedia,' but would like something close to the complete roster, if such a thing exists…
I should also note that the game does feature a 'Negro Leagues All Star' team, itself a formidable unit. It was in fact this silly computer game that introduced me to negro leagues players/history, an interest that has blossomed into a real passion.
anyhow, thanks in advance if anyone can help me…