A federal judge sides with Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing in its antitrust lawsuit, dismissing NASCAR’s “cartel” counterclaim and reshaping the sport’s power balance ahead of trial.
By Milton Kirby | Charlotte, NC | October 29, 2025
A Legal Showdown in Charlotte
Michael Jordan’s racing team, 23XI Racing, and Front Row Motorsports have not only made headlines on the track but also in federal court. On October 28, 2025, they scored a major victory when U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell dismissed NASCAR’s counterclaim accusing them of operating as a cartel.
The ruling marks a turning point in one of the most significant legal battles in modern motorsports. What began as a disagreement over how NASCAR governs its teams has evolved into a test of how much control a sports sanctioning body should hold over its competitors.
Background: Why the Teams Sued NASCAR
The lawsuit was filed in October 2024 by 23XI Racing — co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin — and Front Row Motorsports, owned by Bob Jenkins. Their claim: NASCAR’s charter system and business practices create an illegal monopoly.
Under that charter system, each Cup Series team holds a “charter” guaranteeing entry in every race and a share of revenue. The teams allege that NASCAR uses the system to limit competition, suppress team values, and maintain full control over television and sponsorship income.
Out of 15 Cup Series organizations, only two — 23XI and Front Row — refused to sign the new 2025 charter agreement after two years of tense negotiations. They called the deal “take-it-or-leave-it,” claiming it stripped teams of long-term equity.
The lawsuit names NASCAR Holdings, Inc. and CEO Jim France as defendants, accusing them of violating federal antitrust laws by dictating terms that block other sanctioning bodies or rival leagues from competing in top-tier stock-car racing.
NASCAR Fights Back — and Loses
In March 2025, NASCAR countersued. Its attorneys claimed that Curtis Polk — Jordan’s longtime business manager and co-owner of 23XI — coordinated with other teams to pressure NASCAR for a better charter deal.
NASCAR’s counterclaim described the teams as an “illegal cartel” that allegedly:
Boycotted meetings of the Team Owners Council,
Tried to interfere with NASCAR’s ongoing media-rights negotiations, and
Refused to negotiate individually.
The sanctioning body argued that this group behavior harmed competition and violated the Sherman Antitrust Act.
But Judge Bell didn’t see it that way. In his October 28 order, he granted summary judgment in favor of the teams, effectively tossing NASCAR’s counterclaim.
He wrote that NASCAR failed to show any “unreasonable restraint of trade” and that the meeting boycott “appeared to have little impact on the competitive landscape.” In other words, while the teams’ joint stance may have frustrated NASCAR, it did not harm competition itself — the key legal test for any antitrust violation.
Even if NASCAR experienced economic loss, the court said, that isn’t the same as harm to the marketplace.
What the Dismissal Means
By removing the “cartel” accusation, Judge Bell has simplified the case heading to trial. The focus now returns to the original question: Does NASCAR’s business model violate antitrust law?
For 23XI and Front Row, this is a big win. It clears away a major distraction and gives their attorneys — led by veteran sports lawyer Jeffrey Kessler — a cleaner path to argue that NASCAR’s charter system is anti-competitive.
“This ruling only reaffirms my clients’ unwavering pursuit of a more fair and equitable sport,” Kessler said after the decision.
NASCAR’s legal team struck a different tone, saying it “respects the court’s decision, though we respectfully disagree with its reasoning,” and indicated it may appeal the dismissal.
The Charter System at the Center of It All
Created in 2016, NASCAR’s charter system was meant to give teams stability — a guarantee that, like franchises in the NFL or NBA, they could count on starting spots and predictable income.
But the plaintiffs argue that NASCAR turned that system into a control mechanism. Charters can be revoked or limited in transferability, giving the sanctioning body final say over who can buy, sell, or race.
Teams say this suppresses their market value and leaves them dependent on NASCAR’s approval for everything from sponsorships to media exposure. Without reforms, they claim, no independent racing team can ever build the long-term wealth enjoyed by teams in other professional sports.
That imbalance is magnified by the way charters are distributed. Under the new 2025 charter agreement, most teams are limited to a maximum of three charters. However, powerhouse organizations like Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing were grandfathered in and allowed to keep four.
According to Jayski’s NASCAR Silly Season Site and RacingNews.co, this exception allows Hendrick to continue fielding four chartered cars — the No. 5, No. 9, No. 24, and No. 48 entries — while new or expanding teams are capped. That rule not only preserves historical dominance but also illustrates the inequity newer teams like 23XI are fighting to change.
Inside the Courtroom: Key Legal Milestones
The Original Complaint (October 2024) – Filed in Charlotte’s federal court, the complaint alleged that NASCAR controls nearly every aspect of top-tier stock-car racing, from event scheduling to licensing and broadcast rights.
Preliminary Injunction (December 2024) – Judge Bell temporarily allowed 23XI and Front Row to operate under existing charters while litigation continued.
Fourth Circuit Appeal (June 2025) – An appellate panel vacated an earlier injunction, emphasizing the need for a full trial on the merits.
Counterclaim Dismissed (October 2025) – The most recent order, striking down NASCAR’s accusation of cartel behavior.
The case is now scheduled for trial on December 1, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Both sides have agreed to strict pre-trial conduct rules to keep the proceedings civil — including bans on referencing unrelated controversies like former NASCAR CEO Brian France’s 2018 resignation.
The Bigger Legal Questions
The trial will revolve around several key issues:
Market Definition: Are we talking about “top-tier stock-car racing” (the Cup Series alone) or the entire motorsports industry? The smaller the defined market, the stronger the monopoly claim.
Competition vs. Competitor Harm: Antitrust law protects the market, not individual companies. The teams must prove NASCAR’s structure hurts competition itself — for example, by preventing new entrants or suppressing fair prices.
Revenue and Negotiation Power: Who should control the billions generated by television rights, sponsorships, and licensing? Teams say NASCAR hoards too much of that revenue and dictates how it’s divided.
Statute of Limitations: NASCAR argues that some alleged conduct happened more than four years ago and falls outside the antitrust window.
How the court answers those questions could reshape not only NASCAR’s future but also the economics of all U.S. motorsports.
What’s at Stake
If 23XI and Front Row win, the case could force NASCAR to overhaul its entire charter and revenue model. That might include:
Allowing greater transfer rights for team charters,
Sharing a larger portion of media and sponsorship revenue, and
Giving teams a stronger voice in governance.
For NASCAR, losing could mean ceding some of the control it has exercised since its founding in 1948.
Even a negotiated settlement — which remains possible — might compel NASCAR to rewrite its agreements in ways that permanently rebalance power between teams and the league.
Cultural and Business Impact
Beyond the courtroom, this case carries symbolic weight. Michael Jordan’s entry into NASCAR was already historic: a Black majority owner stepping into a sport long criticized for its lack of diversity.
Now, his team is challenging the structure of the very organization he joined. It’s not just about money — it’s about transparency, fairness, and inclusion in a sport trying to modernize its image.
Business outlets like Sports Business Journal and The Athletic note that Jordan’s leadership brings credibility and global attention to a sport seeking new fans. This lawsuit, though risky, positions him as both a competitor and a reformer.
For many team owners, the outcome will determine whether NASCAR evolves into a franchise-style league with shared prosperity — or remains a top-down entity where teams compete for limited leverage.
The Road Ahead
The December 1 trial will likely stretch into early 2026. Legal experts expect fireworks: expert testimony on sports economics, closed-door contract disclosures, and possibly new revelations about NASCAR’s internal decision-making.
Both sides continue mediation talks, but after this week’s ruling, 23XI and Front Row hold the momentum.
Whatever the verdict, this case is already changing the conversation around how America’s biggest racing league does business.
Dear Shadow Ball: How many players have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, based on their play in the Negro Leagues? – Curious Curt, International Falls, MN
Dear Curious Curt: Thanks for that question … there are 28 players, listed below with position and year inducted), inducted into the Hall of Fame based on their performance in the Negro Leagues.
Satchel Paige, P, 1971 Ray Dandridge, 3b, 1987 Andy Cooper, p, 2006
Josh Gibson, c, 1972 Leon Day, 1995 Pete Hill, of, 2006
Oscar Charleston, OF, 1976 Turkey Stearnes, of, 2000 Ben Taylor, ib, 2006
Martin Dihigo, 2b, 1977 John Henry Lloyd, ss, 1977 Cristobal Torriente, of, 2006
John Henry Lloyd, ss, 1977 Hilton Smith, p, 2001 Jud Wilson, 3b, 2006
Ray Brown, p, 2006
The real question, for me at least, is “are 28 Negro League player inductees sufficient to accurately tell the story of Negro League baseball in the first half of the twentieth century?” To answer that we need to add some context.
CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND
On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball announced that it was correcting a longtime oversight in the game’s history by officially recognizing seven specific Negro Leagues operating between 1920-1948 as “Major Leagues”.
Since April 15, 1947 (the day Major League Baseball integrated) 42% of all Hall of Fame players debuting have been players of color (i.e., would have been Negro Leaguers prior to that date)l
In his 1994 baseball documentary, Ken Burns states that Black baseball stars defeated White Major League stars at least 309(70%) times in 438 games … this, of course, is “oral history” but all 7 compilations of games between “so called” Negro League and “so called” Major League teams give the Negro Leaguers the edge with an average winning percentage of 58%.
Many Major League baseball players had been effusive in their assessment and praise of Negro League players prior to the integration of the game including Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, John McGraw, Joe DiMaggio, Dizzy Dean, Bob Feller, Charlie Gehringer, Rogers Hornsby, and Leo Durocher.
(This would be interesting but not probative but for the above four bullets) Between 1920-1948 the slash lines for both the two Major Leagues and the seven Negro Leagues are virtually identical. A slash line includes batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. The seven Negro Leagues slash line was .272, .335, .376 while the two Major Leagues (AL & NL) was .276, .340, .389.
It must be noted that – while there are 28 players in the Hall for play in the Negro Leagues – there are 125 players in the Hall who earned induction for play in the Major Leagues during baseball’s segregated era prior to 1947.
Given the above bullet points I hope it is obvious to all of us that the current ratio of Major League Hall of Famers prior to 1947 to Negro League Hall of Famers from that same period does not match the record, opinion and honors captured in the above bullets. Clearly, 28 does not do a good job of educating the public. How many Negro Leaguers should there be inducted in Cooperstown? I will close by sharing my opinion and will defend it later in this series if reader interest warrants. In my opinion there should be somewhere between 60 to 80 Negro League players inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Last week’s Shadowball Significa Question
“Who was the first 20th century player to break the color barrier and get into the major leagues, two bonus questions, what year, what team? A third bonus question, how long did he play in the majors? David Nivens, parts unknown, provided the following: When I was kid, my baseball coach told me that Jackie Robinson was the first black player to enter the Major Leagues in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He played 10 years in the Major Leagues. Thank you, David I very much appreciated your participation, and your including your father’s assistance; my dad provided me that same information when I was a kid.
The Shadowball Significa Question of the Week
What was the name of Atlanta’s most prolific franchise (in terms of years in the league) in the Negro Leagues?
Ted Knorr
Ted Knorr is a Negro Leagues history expert and longtime SABR member, known for his trivia wins and founding the Jerry Malloy Conference and Commemorative Nights. You can send questions to shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or Shadow Ball, 3904 N Druid Hills Rd, Ste 179, Decatur, GA 30033
Please consider supporting open, independent journalism – no contribution is too small!
Reggie Jackson’s three homers in 1977 sealed his “Mr. October” legend. From Oakland to New York, and now STEM philanthropy, his story blends power, pressure, and purpose.
By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | October 18, 2025
A night that named a legend
On Oct. 18, 1977, Reggie Jackson stepped into Yankee Stadium history. He saw three first-pitch strikes. He launched all three into the seats. The third flew to deep center, off the black batter’s eye. The Yankees clinched the World Series. The crowd roared “Reg-GIE!” and a nickname stuck forever: Mr. October.
That moment didn’t come easy. Jackson had joined New York after a stormy year in Baltimore. The Yankees clubhouse ran hot: big egos, bigger expectations. Manager Billy Martin benched him in the ALCS, then called his number late. Jackson answered with a key RBI single. He carried that momentum into the World Series—five home runs in the final three games, eight RBI, and a record 25 total bases. He owned October.
Built for big stages
Reginald “Reggie” Martinez Jackson played 21 MLB seasons. He starred for the Kansas City/Oakland A’s, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and California Angels. He was a 14-time All-Star, the 1973 AL MVP, a five-time World Series champion, and a two-time World Series MVP. He finished with 563 home runs and a reputation for rising when it mattered most.
Reggie Jackson Jersey – Courtesy Wikipedia
He also led the league in strikeouts—proof that taking big swings cuts both ways. But teams got better around him. Across two decades, Jackson’s clubs finished first 11 times and endured only two losing seasons. The A’s won three straight titles from 1972–74. The Yankees won back-to-back in 1977–78. The Angels won division crowns in 1982 and 1986. New York retired his No. 44 in 1993; Oakland retired his No. 9 in 2004. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1993.
The early fight: talent, tests, and grit
Jackson grew up in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, the son of Martinez Jackson, a former Negro Leagues infielder. At Cheltenham High, Reggie starred in four sports. Football nearly ended his athletic career—neck fractures, weeks in the hospital, a bleak prognosis. He came back anyway.
Major programs recruited him for football. He chose Arizona State, aiming to play both football and baseball. The pros soon called. In the 1966 draft, the A’s took him second overall. He signed, climbed quickly, and debuted in 1967. Two years later he clubbed 47 homers and chased Ruth and Maris for a summer.
Oakland greatness, Oakland grit
With the A’s, Jackson helped build a dynasty. From 1971–74, Oakland stacked division titles and won three straight World Series. He hit, he ran, he argued, he won. He blasted a transformer with a thunderous 1971 All-Star homer in Detroit. He stole home to help clinch the 1972 AL pennant—tearing his hamstring in the process and missing the Series the A’s still won.
Oakland was talent and turbulence. Owner Charlie Finley staged a “Mustache Day.” Teammates brawled. Arbitration battles made headlines. Through it all, Jackson produced—254 homers in nine A’s seasons—and forced the sport to deal with a star who wouldn’t shrink.
The Making of Mr. October
New York magnified everything. The media glare was constant. Quotes cut both ways. A June 1977 dugout confrontation with Billy Martin played out on national TV. Yet when the stakes rose, Jackson delivered. He crushed a walk-off-style dagger against Boston in a tense September race. Then came that three-homer masterpiece in Game 6. In 1978, he did it again—homers when needed most, a second straight title, and a legend cemented.
Legacy: power, pressure, contradictions
Jackson’s career tells a full American sports story. He won big. He failed big. He spoke his mind. He shouldered heat others couldn’t. He made teammates and cities better. He was the first to hit 100 home runs for three different franchises. He stacked rings and records while carrying the burdens of fame, race, and expectation in a volatile era.
Giving back: the Mr. October Foundation
After baseball, Jackson advised the Yankees for years, then joined the Astros as a special advisor in 2021. Off the field, he leaned into service. The Mr. October Foundation focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM education and career pathways for underserved youth. The mission is practical and urgent: connect students to real-world skills in engineering, advanced manufacturing, medical fields, and the trades.
Reggie Jackson Classroom – Courtesy Mr. October Foundation
Since 2014, the foundation has partnered with STEM 101, launching first in the Bronx (2015) and expanding to Detroit, Oakland, and St. Louis. The program’s three pillars—Create & Innovate, Career Pathways, andSolutions-Based Learning—turn curiosity into competence. The outcomes are clear: stronger post-secondary readiness, a visible path to good jobs, and a rising interest in STEM compared to peers. It’s the same formula that made Mr. October: preparation, courage, and timely impact.
Remembering where he stood—and stands
Jackson has always been candid about the business and the bruise of the game—about race, pressure, and the costs of being first in certain rooms. At baseball’s Rickwood Field tribute in 2024, he spoke bluntly about the insults and exclusions he faced early in his career. Those memories still cut. Yet his story arcs toward construction: hitting through hecklers, winning through chaos, building programs that open doors for kids who will build what’s next.
Why Mr. October still matters
Reggie Jackson is more than a night of three swings. He is a career of big moments and a life of bigger meaning. He pushed baseball forward. Now he’s pulling students forward—toward the labs, shops, clinics, and plants where the next American breakthroughs will be made. That’s clutch, too.
Dear Shadow Ball: I am 63 years old and Black. I have only heard snippets about the Negro Leagues during my lifetime. I now have an interest in educating myself about the leagues. How do you suggest that I start — I imagine reading your column is one place and I will read your column and engage, but I want to really dig in deep.
Secondly, are any of the players still alive? Ready to Dig in Deep – Ansonville, NC
Dear Ready to Dig in Deep: Thanks very much for that question and your imagination is in keeping with my expectations and intent for this column. I hope that questions like yours and future inquiries submitted by others allow me to “really dig in deep” and permit me to educate readers about the rich history of the Negro Leagues. I expect from time to time I may recommend books, articles or websites that further serve to provide that education about the other half of Major League baseball.
With regard to your second question, some background is necessary. On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball declared seven specific Negro Leagues and time spans as Major Leagues. I will limit my answer to those leagues. They are as follows:
Negro National League I 1920-1931
Eastern Colored League 1923-1928
American Negro League 1929
East-West League 1932
Negro Southern League 1932
Negro National League II 1933-1948
Negro American League 1937-1948
Sadly, at the time of that 2020 announcement, only three players survived. Since then, Willie Mays has passed on leaving only Reverend William Greason, 101, who pitched for the Birmingham Black Barons in 1948 and Ronald Teasley, 98, who played outfield for the 1948 New York Cubans still alive. So only two – Greason & Teasley remain from those Negro Leagues designated as a Major League. Just to be clear, the Negro American League continued on, no longer recognized as major, until 1961. A couple dozen or more of those players are still with us and continue to share rich stories with us.
The Shadowball Significa Question of the Week
“Who was the first 20th century player to break the color barrier and get into the major leagues, two bonus questions, what year, what team? A third bonus question, how long did he play in the majors?
Ted Knorr
Ted Knorr is a Negro Leagues history expert and longtime SABR member, known for his trivia wins and founding the Jerry Malloy Conference and Commemorative Nights. You can send questions to shadowball@truthseekersjournal.com or Shadow Ball, 3904 N Druid Hills Rd, Ste 179, Decatur, GA 30033
Please consider supporting open, independent journalism – no contribution is too small!
The Truth Seekers Journal welcomes Negro League historian Ted Knorr and his new column “Shadow Ball,” exploring the history, heroes, and hidden stories of Black baseball.
By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | October 7, 2025
We at The Truth Seekers Journal are excited to announce that on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, we will debut a new and engaging column: “Shadow Ball.” The column will feature the work of Negro League Baseball historian Ted Knorr, who has been—first a fan, then a historian—for more than 30 years.
About Ted Knorr
Ted Knorr, 74, is a retired program manager with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where he focused on economic development and education. A lifelong baseball fan, Knorr has devoted much of his life to exploring the rich history of the Negro Leagues, along with his deep interests in statistical analysis, Pittsburgh history, literature, and baseball trivia.
Among his proudest accomplishments:
He has played the APBA Major League Baseball Game for 63 years and been a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) for 46 years, remaining active in the Negro Leagues Committee (NLC) for 36 of them.
Since 1966, he and his father have attended about two dozen World Series, All-Star, and playoff games, along with stadium and season openers in Pittsburgh.
In 1973, he hitchhiked across the United States, following the Pirates, Mets, and Reds before witnessing Game Six of that year’s World Series in Oakland, California.
Hefounded Negro League Commemorative Nights in Harrisburg, Lancaster, and York, Pennsylvania—annual celebrations held since 1997.
He established the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference in 1998, a national research gathering that has convened 26 times to date. Knorr has hosted the event four times and attended 23 of them.
In 2007, heraised funds and designed a historical marker for his hero, Negro League outfielder Rap Dixon, whose life and career Knorr continues to champion for recognition in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
A trivia enthusiast, Knorr has won the Jerry Malloy Significa Contest three times, served as emcee ten times, and in 2022 led his team to victory in the SABR national trivia championship—making him the only SABR member to win trivia or significa titles on both sides of the color line.
Today, Knorr continues to lecture and exhibit on Negro League history for schools, community groups, senior centers, and baseball organizations nationwide.
A Twice-Monthly Column
“Shadow Ball” will be published on the second and fourth weeks of each month, offering readers a consistent and interactive look at the legacy of Negro League Baseball and the lives that shaped it.
Two-Way Conversation with Readers
The column will have two interactive components:
Reader Questions: Each edition, Mr. Knorr will respond directly to questions submitted by TSJ readers, allowing community curiosity to help shape the narrative.
Knorr’s Question to Readers: Mr. Knorr will also pose a question to readers. Selected responses will appear in the following week’s column. To be published, respondents will need to provide a release to TSJ.
Why “Shadow Ball”?
The title draws inspiration from the famous warm-up routines Negro League players performed—miming an invisible baseball to entertain crowds. In that same spirit, Knorr’s column will mix memory, history, and imagination, bringing the brilliance of Negro League Baseball into today’s conversations.
We invite our readers to join us in welcoming Ted Knorr and to become part of this living dialogue. Be sure to read the first edition of Shadow Ball on Tuesday, October 14, 2025.
Atlanta Dream fell 87-85 in Game 3 to Indiana, but back-to-back playoff berths show progress and hint at a brighter postseason future ahead.
Atlanta Dream makes second straight playoff appearance, signs of maturing team
By Milton Kirby | College Park, GA | September 19, 2025
College Park was rocking Thursday night, Gateway Center Arena alive with music, dance cams, and hope. The Atlanta Dream faithful came in expecting a fight, and they got one — right down to the last shot.
The scoreboard, though, told the tougher story. The Indiana Fever, a team that never stopped believing, closed on a 7-0 run in the final two minutes and stunned Atlanta, 87-85, in Game 3 of their opening-round playoff series.
Aliyah Boston slipped free under the rim for the go-ahead bucket with just 7.4 seconds to play. Then Lexie Hull poked away an inbounds pass, and when Brionna Jones’ last-second three sailed off target, the Fever swarmed each other in celebration.
The loss ends Atlanta’s season, and it stings — no doubt about it. But it also marks the second straight year the Dream reached the postseason, a sign that progress is real and sustainable under first-year head coach Carl Smesko.
A Gut-Punch Finish
For three quarters, Atlanta looked every bit the higher seed. The Dream pushed tempo, attacked the paint, and leaned on their stars. They piled up 56 first-half points, more than their total from Game 2’s loss.
Photo by Dale Zanine – Brionna Jones (24) passes the ball from the floor
Allisha Gray played with fire, notching her first playoff double-double with 19 points and 12 boards. Jordin Canada ran the offense with pace, dishing 10 assists to go with 18 points. Rhyne Howard had 16, Brionna Jones 12.
When Jones scored inside to give Atlanta an 85-80 cushion with just over two minutes left, the Gateway crowd was on its feet. It felt like the Dream were headed to the semifinal round for the first time since 2016.
But basketball has a way of flipping quick. Indiana’s Shey Peddy drained a three. Brianna Turner muscled in a putback. Then Odyssey Sims found Boston open after a scramble, and just like that, the Fever had the lead.
Atlanta still had a chance, but the late turnovers and hurried final shot sealed the outcome.
Fever Find a Way
To their credit, Indiana never quit. Even without injured star Caitlin Clark, the Fever leaned on balance and grit.
Kelsey Mitchell, who Atlanta keyed on defensively all series, still poured in 24 points. Boston had 14 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. Sims added 16 and Natasha Howard 12. Every Fever starter hit double figures.
Photo by Dale Zanine – Allisha Gray (15) shoots over Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7)
Mitchell summed up the night plainly: “I said before the game started, it was gonna be a gut-check type of game. I think you just have to dig deep.”
Head coach Stephanie White praised her group’s resilience: “This group has been through every situation imaginable. Their selflessness, toughness, and grit give us a chance every single night. I love riding with these guys.”
The Fever hadn’t won a playoff series since 2015. Their bench mob danced, their fans cheered, and social media lit up. They’ll take this momentum into a semifinal clash with defending champion Las Vegas.
Dream’s Year of Building
For the Dream, the loss is bitter, but it doesn’t erase the steps forward this team has made.
Last year, Atlanta’s playoff return ended quickly. This year, under a new coach and with a deeper roster, they climbed into the No. 3 seed, pushed their win total higher, and played two elimination games at home before the season’s final whistle.
Photo by Dale Zanine – Jordin Canada Drives Against Aliyah Boston
The franchise has not been this consistently competitive in nearly a decade. The players feel it, the fans sense it, and ownership sees the vision starting to take shape.
From our view, the takeaway is simple: this team has the bones of a contender. The experience of this playoff heartbreak will become the fuel for future runs.
Highlights and Hard Lessons
Atlanta’s high points were clear:
Allisha Gray’s first playoff double-double, a showcase of effort and toughness.
Canada’s control of the tempo, keeping the Dream organized and aggressive.
Howard’s versatility, even under constant defensive pressure.
The team’s ability to score inside early, with 40 first-half paint points.
But so were the lessons:
The Dream went cold in the fourth quarter, managing just 12 points.
Indiana outscored Atlanta 26-12 in the final period.
Costly turnovers in the final minute tilted the game.
In our view, this was less about collapse and more about learning the weight of postseason basketball — every possession magnified, every mistake costly.
Fans Showed Out
Even in defeat, Gateway Center Arena showed why College Park has become one of the WNBA’s loudest homes. From kids waving foam fingers to longtime season-ticket holders dancing in the aisles, the energy rarely dipped.
As the final buzzer sounded, there were groans, sighs, and a few tears. But there was also applause. Applause for a season that delivered 23 wins, for a roster that battled through injuries, and for a franchise that has its eyes set higher.
Looking Ahead
The Fever march on to face the Aces. The Dream will head into the offseason knowing they aren’t far away.
Atlanta has talent — Gray, Howard, Canada, Jones — and leadership in Smesko. What they need now is seasoning. A year of playoff heartbreak can turn into fuel.
And here’s our read: this is not the end of the story. Atlanta hasn’t won a playoff series since 2016, but the drought feels closer to ending than ever.
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Atlanta Falcons fans turn tailgating into a weekly ritual at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, blending food, music, and fellowship into one of the NFL’s most vibrant traditions.
By Milton Kirby | Atlanta, GA | September 8, 2025
Long before the coin toss and the first kick-off inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium (MBS), Falcons fans have already claimed their sanctuary. For many in the city, tailgating isn’t just a pastime — it’s a ritual.
When the stadium opened its Home Depot Backyard in 2019, Harry Hynekamp, vice president of fan experience for AMB Sports and Entertainment, put it plainly: “We want to be known throughout the NFL as the toughest place for an opponent to come and play.” That toughness starts outside, where thousands gather in red and black.
The Roots of Tailgating
It’s a tradition that transcends time and space, uniting Falcons fans in a unique bond of camaraderie and shared passion. The American Tailgate Association traces the first gathering back to 1861 at the Battle of Bull Run, where civilians hauled food and booze to the sidelines. A gentler origin credits Yale football in the early 1900s, when fans traveling by bus and train arrived early with baskets and grills. Either way, the tradition has grown into something much bigger — a cultural force, especially in the South.
A Religion in the A
In Atlanta, tailgating is not just a pre-game ritual, it’s a celebration of the Falcons spirit. By 6:00 a.m., the lots are alive with the sizzle of ribs and the aroma of chicken wings. Fans eagerly line up outside the Home Depot Backyard, ready for a day of music, drumlines, cheerleaders, Freddie Falcon, and giveaways. The atmosphere is charged with excitement, as fans of all ages come together for a day of fun and football.
Stories from the Lots
On Sunday, September 7, before the Falcons’ 23-20 season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, fans from all walks of life made their way to the Backyard and the designated lots surrounding the MBS. Corrie M. and her mother, Ivey L., came up from Eastman to cheer cousin Michael Pinnix as he suited up for the first time in a Falcons jersey.
Enjoying the tailgate
AD, with the Lights Out Tailgators, have been posted up 15 years strong. “It’s about family, food, and fun,” he said.
Reggie Watson, a season ticket holder for 34 years, helps lead the Tailgators 4 Lyfe crew, a group of 50 regulars who run their tailgate like a small business, collecting dues and organizing off-season events. “We are here for each other and the fun of it all.”
For others, it’s about innovation. Bryant Barnes rolled in with EventBox ATL, a tricked-out 20-foot shipping container transformed into a luxury lounge with TVs, a rooftop bar, karaoke station, and Wi-Fi, cell phone charging stations — big enough for 50 people. “We’re taking tailgating to the next level,” he said.
My first tailgate.
Small businesses thrive, too. Kisha, owner of Bartender To You, sets up her mobile bar at every home game. Randy, a barber from Mableton, has been tailgating for three years. Byron proudly introduced his toddler son to the family tradition this season.
Food, Faith, and Falcons
What makes tailgating in Atlanta unique is the mix: charcoal-grilled chicken, ribs, cold beer, whiskey, tequila shots, lounge chairs, DJ jamming, and even axe-throwing contests. It’s folding chairs sinking into the dirt, kids learning the Dirty Bird dance. It’s family. It’s a fellowship, a melting pot of Southern food, community pride, and Dirty Birds loyalty.
For Falcons fans, the tailgate is as essential as kickoff. And whether the Falcons win or fall short, the gospel keeps getting preached outside MBS every Sunday: the church of tailgate is alive and well.
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Decatur’s Brian Norman Jr. extends Top Rank deal, defending his WBO welterweight title against Devin Haney in Riyadh after knockouts in San Diego and Tokyo cemented his rise.
By Milton Kirby | Las Vegas, NV | September 6, 2025
Brian “The Assassin II” Norman Jr. has just signed a new multi-year deal with Top Rank. At only 24, the undefeated welterweight champ is betting on loyalty, staying with the promoter who believed in him from day one.
And now, the stage is set. On Nov. 22, halfway across the world in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Norman will defend his WBO crown against none other than Devin “The Dream” Haney.
“This is just the start,” Norman said. “Top Rank believed in me, and I’m building with the home team.”
From Decatur to the desert lights
Folks around Decatur remember Norman as a teenager already packing dynamite in both fists. He turned pro at 17, often fighting in small Mexican rings to stay busy. By 22-0, he caught Top Rank’s eye and inked a deal in 2022.
The rise hasn’t been smooth. In 2024, he walked straight into San Diego and silenced Giovani Santillan’s crowd with a 10th-round stoppage. That win earned him the WBO interim title, which was later upgraded to full champion when Terence Crawford stepped aside.
A hand injury benched him for the rest of that year, but Norman came roaring back. First, a March 2025 knockout of Derrieck Cuevas. Then, a June masterpiece in Tokyo — a left hook that left Jin Sasaki flat on the canvas and fans gasping. Knockout of the Year? No doubt.
A team effort
Behind Norman is a circle that has remained steady from the beginning: his father, Brian Sr.; adviser Adrian Clark; Jolene Mizzone; and veteran matchmakers Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler.
Clark put it plain: “It’s been a total team effort. We’re proud to keep pushing forward with Top Rank.”
The fight ahead
With 28 wins, 22 by knockout, Norman now faces his biggest test in Devin Haney — a technician known for his slick defense and ring IQ. Riyadh will host the clash, but back home in Decatur, fans will be watching every punch. From the quiet gyms off Candler Road to the bright lights overseas, Brian Norman Jr. carries Atlanta pride with him. This next fight is more than a title defense. It’s a chance to prove he belongs among the legends.
The 2025 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference in Louisville celebrated Black baseball history with films, panels, and a grave marker dedication, while addressing future challenges of diversity and memory.
By Milton Kirby | Louisville, KY | August 31, 2025
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) brought its annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference (JMNLC) to Louisville, Kentucky, August 7–9, filling the Galt House Hotel with scholars, historians, fans, and community leaders devoted to preserving the legacy of Black baseball.
This year’s gathering highlighted the cultural and historical depth of the Negro Leagues. Attendees viewed the premiere of I Forgot to Tell You About: The Story of the Cleveland Buckeyes, followed by a panel with former All-Star Kenny Lofton, filmmaker Evelyn Pollard-Gregory, and authors Wayne Pearsall and Vince Guerrieri. The weekend also featured poet Dorian Hairston, a Louisville Baseball History Panel with Harry Rothgerber and Anne Jewell, and a film screening on Black baseball in Nashville.
Historians Gather @ History Museum
Participants enjoyed a tour of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, a reception at the Roots 101 African American Museum, and a Louisville Bats game at Slugger Field. Presenters included longtime researchers such as James Brunson III, Larry McGill, Gary Gillette, Keith Wood, and others who continue to shed light on overlooked chapters of African American baseball.
Honoring Sammy Hughes
The conference closed with a powerful moment on Sunday, August 10, when SABR’s Pee Wee Reese Chapter, working with the Louisville Bats and Louisville Slugger Museum, placed a long-awaited grave marker for Negro Leagues great Sammy Hughes at Louisville Cemetery. Known as “Sammy T,” Hughes was a six-time All-Star second baseman who played with 17 Hall of Fame players (Roy Campanella, Biz Mackey, Mule Suttles, Willie Wells, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Cool Papa Bell, Ray Brown, Ray Dandridge, Turkey Stearnes, Leon Day, Martin Dihigo, Willie Foster, Judy Johnson, Satchel Paige, Hilton Smith, and Jud Wilson), and captured a 1939 Negro National League title with the Baltimore Elite Giants. After his death in 1981, Hughes had lain in an unmarked grave for 44 years.
Dorian Hairston (L) – Chris Jensen (R) JMNLC Speakers
History and Mission
Since its founding in 1998, the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference has been the only national symposium devoted exclusively to Black baseball history. Named for journalist and historian Jerry Malloy (1946–2000), the event reflects the mission of SABR’s Negro Leagues Committee, founded in 1971, to encourage research into the Negro Leagues, pre-Negro League baseball, and the broader African American impact on the game.
Founders such as Ted Knorr, Dick Clark, Larry Lester, Leslie Heaphy, and Malloy himself envisioned a forum where scholarship, storytelling, and community could meet. Their vision still guides today’s gatherings, with annual presentations, trivia contests, youth scholarships, library grants, and the ongoing Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project, which has provided headstones for more than 30 forgotten players.
The Future: Carrying the Flame
This year’s conference not only honored history but also raised questions about the future. Organizers acknowledged the challenge of drawing more diverse participants and sustaining momentum at a time when diversity initiatives are under political attack.
“The Malloy is the place where connections are made, and ideas are born,” said committee co-chair Todd Peterson. “Good trouble always has, and always will be, made here.”
Fellow co-chair James Brunson added, “The conference bridges past and present. Nothing is foreign, forbidden, or impossible with this group.”
Looking ahead, leaders emphasized Larry Lester’s “Three R’s” — Recognition, Respect, Redemption— as guiding principles for expanding the conference’s reach while ensuring that the painful history of baseball’s color line remains central to public memory.
In the words of one participant, the Malloy is not simply about baseball statistics or forgotten box scores, but about resisting historical amnesia, confronting injustice, and keeping alive the stories of the players who laid the groundwork for integration and equity in sport.
As Peterson concluded: “We are the keepers of the flame. We must be the bulwark against attempts to whitewash the past.”
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Negro Leagues star Rap Dixon, a five-tool outfielder from Harrisburg, earned Hall of Fame-worthy praise from legends like Oscar Charleston and dominated globally.
By Ted Knorr & Chris Rainey | Harrisburg, PA | Updated August 22, 2025
On December 12, 2018, at the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, Museum President Bob Kendrick, with historian Jay Caldwell, announced the Negro League Centennial Team. The team was a key part of the Museum’s celebration in 2020 of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Negro Leagues. The team of 30 players, a manager, and an owner was to honor the greatest Negro League players of all-time. Of the 19 position players on the team, only one was not already enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York — Herbert Alphonso “Rap” Dixon.
Further affirmation of Rap Dixon’s greatness was provided 70 years earlier when in 1949, the greatest of all Negro League outfielders, Oscar Charleston, was asked by a reporter from the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin for his all-time Negro League lineup, Charleston, whose career began before the Negro Leagues were organized, and ended several years after their demise as a major league, offered his team. In the outfield, he placed future Hall of Famers Martin Dihigo in left and Cristobal Torriente in right … between that pair, at his old position of center field, he inserted Rap Dixon. High praise indeed for a lesser-known player among the pantheon of Negro League stars.
A 6-foot-1, 185-pound dynamo who batted and threw right-handed, and played all three outfield positions, Dixon was a classic five-tool player: hitting for both power and average, running, fielding, and throwing. He also had a knack for performing well on the big stage. During his 16-year career, he was a key player on great teams in the Negro Leagues as well as in offseason leagues and a tour of Japan.
Herbert Alphonso Dixon was born on September 15, 1902, in Kingston, Georgia, about 56 miles northwest of Atlanta. He was the first of John and Rosa Goodwin Dixon’s five children. Herbert and his younger brother Paul (also a future Negro League outfielder) developed their rudimentary baseball talents in Georgia’s rural farm country.
Photo courtesy of Phillip Dewey – Rap Dixon
Just before the First World War, Rosa’s brother Oliver P. Goodwin accepted a position in Steelton, Pennsylvania, as pastor of the First Baptist Church. Steelton lies along the Susquehanna River south of the state capital of Harrisburg. Shortly thereafter, additional Dixon and Goodwin families, including John and Rosa Dixon, headed north for greener pastures, joining approximately 1.6 million African Americans opting to leave the South as part of the Great Migration.
The Dixon and Goodwin families settled on Adams Street near Uncle Oliver’s church. Just down the street was the Hygienic School for Colored Children, where Herbert began formal education. He graduated from eighth grade on May 23, 1919, before matriculating at Steelton High School. Herbert’s extracurriculars, in addition to baseball, included boxing, football, and playing the trumpet in the school band. In addition, Herbert worked part-time in the steel mill once he was old enough. According to Chappie Gardner: “[Dixon] got his wonderful strength of arms and shoulder from throwing pig iron billets at the crane operators in the steel mills.”
Herbert Dixon completed only two years of high school. Purportedly, Dixon’s schooling ended, and his “career in baseball started one day when his high school science teacher announced that the class was going to dissect a cat. Dixon, feeling squeamish, exited quickly and went straight to a sporting goods store; with the money he had earned working weekends at the Bethlehem Steel Company, he purchased a glove and bat, took a train to Atlantic City, and joined the Bacharach Giants.” Neither Seamheads.com nor Baseball-Reference.com lists him playing any games with the Giants that year.
By 1919, Dixon became a regular with Steelton’s semipro Keystone Giants. On May 31, the Harrisburg Telegraph announced that “Dixon, the Giants new shortstop, played fast ball and made two healthy swats” in an 8-3 victory over the Middletown White Sox. Dixon usually batted leadoff and was one of the team’s stars, even at age 16.
Perhaps the biggest game for young Herbert with Steelton came on July 16, 1921, at Harrisburg’s Island Park, when they took on the best of the local semipro clubs — Colonel W. Strothers’ Harrisburg Giants. The upstart Steelton club held a 9-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning before the more polished Harrisburg team rallied and eventually won the game in the 10th. Dixon played shortstop, batted third, and had two hits in the loss.
Herbert Dixon was briefly with the Keystone Giants in early May 1922 before Colonel Strothers recruited him. Dixon’s debut with Harrisburg occurred on May 20 against the powerful Hilldale Club when he stroked one hit in three at-bats with a run and a ribbie in a 5-3 loss. By mid-June, Dixon was the Harrisburg center fielder. When the veteran fly hawk, Jess Barbour, returned to the lineup, Dixon mainly played right field. Over the summer, he continuously upped his place in the batting order from eighth to fourth. The 1922 season ended on an unhappy note for Harrisburg as they lost their city title in a nine-game series against the fast Motive Power semipro team.
As the 1923 season dawned, Colonel Strothers struggled to find talent for his independent team competing against 14 teams in two leagues. These difficulties were eased when E.B. Lamar of the New York Bacharach Giants joined Harrisburg’s administrative team and brought with him several outstanding players, including outfielder Fats Jenkins, second baseman Dick Jackson, and pitchers Harold Treadwell and Nip Winters. In addition, Strothers brought in William Pettus of the Richmond Giants to anchor the infield at first and to manage the team.
By early 1923, Dixon’s nickname began to appear in print. There are two suggestions as to its origin. One supposes it was derived from the Rappahannock River, which flows through Virginia. How this relates to him is unclear. Sportswriter Chester L. Washington offered a more plausible suggestion: that it grew out of Dixon’s hitting ability while still in high school.
Washington claimed, “Rap hits the old apple with the same degree of force that made William Tell famous.”
The Giants’ primary opponent in 1923 was again the local Motive Power team. John Brackenridge, Motive Power’s manager, threw down the gauntlet in the offseason saying he had “signed the same aggregation of stars that annexed the City championship from Strothers’ Harrisburg Giants.” Unlike 1922, where the Giants got off to a slow start losing 11 of their first 17 contests, the 1923 Harrisburg team captured a dozen victories in their initial 17 games. They faced Ben Taylor’s Washington Potomacs nine times and emerged with six wins.
Dixon started the season slowly at the plate before being sidelined most of July with an undisclosed illness. It was a harbinger of the future for Dixon, who would be haunted by injury and illness during his career. He had powerful arms, but author James Riley called attention to his spindly legs. Riley also suggests that drinking was an issue with Dixon, especially later in his career.
The season culminated, as it had the previous year, with a series against Motive Power. The Giants dropped the opener, 7-4, on the Island Park field. Dixon’s bat led the team to an 8-3 victory in the second game. The remainder of the series was dominated by Giant’s pitcher Nip Winters, who captured three complete-game wins.
During the offseason, the Giants joined the ECL and signed Oscar Charleston to guide the team. Charleston arrived in Harrisburg on March 3, 1924. Immediately, he and Strothers began building a ballclub that Charleston thought could be a dark-horse contender. Retained were outfielders Dixon, Jenkins, and Barbour, and five others. Charleston brought four pitchers with him from the Indianapolis ABCs. Other fresh faces included first baseman Edgar Wesley from the Detroit Stars and pitcher Slim Branham. The new manager gushed about the potential he saw. “We got the stuff, boy, we got the stuff.”
The season began on April 19 with a non-league contest versus the York White Roses, featuring Del Bissonette. The Giants lost a close encounter, 3-1, and Dixon appeared as a defensive replacement for Dick Jackson, the second baseman. Charleston started in right field. Dixon saw little action early in the season as Jackson held down right field. At 21, Rap was the youngest member of the team and may not have won Charleston’s favor yet.
Dixon’s chance to impress came in early June in New York against the Lincoln Giants at the Catholic Protectory Grounds. In a doubleheader victory, he supplied five hits off a quartet of hurlers. By late June, Dixon had cemented his place in right field, joining Jenkins (left) and Charleston (center).
The trio was soon dubbed the “million-dollar outfield” and played together through the 1927 season. Combined, they posted a stellar .351 batting average (898-for-2559) in their time together. The trio is one of only 12 outfield groups that played four or more years together while featuring a future Hall of Famer. Local sportswriter Wellington “Welly” Jones said, “There is no better outfield than Dixon, Charleston, and Jenkins.”
While Dixon maintained his hold on the right-field spot, he hit only .259 in ECL action. His first ECL home run came on July 15 off Brooklyn’s Pud Flournoy. Jenkins batted .336, and Charleston dominated league pitching with 15 home runs and a .405 average. A revolving door at third base and a struggling pitching staff doomed the Giants to a 30-31 mark.
The following season, 1925, was the Harrisburg Giants’ high-water mark. Charleston captured his second consecutive triple crown (.427/20/97 in a 73-game ECL season). Jenkins hit .317 and scored 82 runs, while Dixon made his presence known, hitting .352/8/53. The team finished second (48-24-1, .664) behind Hilldale. The outfield trio was honored with both Charleston and Dixon being named first team All-East, and Jenkins as an honorable mention in left.
That fall, Dixon accepted an invitation from Hilldale’s Biz Mackey and joined the Philadelphia Royal Giants in the California Winter League. The team won the season’s second half with an overall record of 24-15-3. Dixon batted just .271 and usually was in the bottom of the order. He struck four hits as the Royal Giants swept the White King Soapsters in a three-game postseason battle.
The Royal Giants remained in the West after the Winter League season, playing local semipro squads and PCL teams. Dixon hit well in these exhibitions, although the most significant impression his bat made was on the head of Portland catcher Frank Tobin. In a game on March 19, Dixon swung and missed but knocked Tobin unconscious. The team wrapped up their stay in California in early April.
His fine 1925 season made Dixon a star. New York Giants manager John “Muggsy” McGraw told the press that winter that, “If that boy Dixon was not so black, I could make a Cuban out of him and the National League would have another star to talk about. He is, without question, one of the greatest outfielders in the United States.” Despite the glowing praise, Colonel Strothers listened to offers from Rube Foster that might have sent Dixon to Chicago.
In the 1926 season, Dixon again put up nice stats, .323/6/40, while playing 47 of the 49 league games. Charleston’s numbers dipped dramatically, and John Beckwith led the team with a .330 average. Perhaps it was his off-year or maybe the pitching staff’s 5.00 ERA, but, as his biographer Jeremy Beer notes, Charleston “increasingly edged into hotheadedness as the year dragged on.” The manager’s attitude rubbed off on his players. Dixon tried to fight an umpire in Baltimore. Shortstop Rev Cannady went further by slugging an umpire in the jaw. The team finished fourth in the ECL at 27-22.
When the ECL season ended, Dixon again joined Mackey in California. He joined a spectacular lineup featuring holdovers Mackey and Bullet Joe Rogan, plus Turkey Stearnes, Willie Wells, and Andy Cooper. After a decent (9-8) first half, the Royal Giants added Bill Foster. The team caught fire, winning 13 of 14 second-half decisions to capture the playoff qualifying title. In the playoffs, they split four games but failed to capture the official league title when the deciding fifth game with Shell Oil was never played.
Dixon batted .349 — third in the league behind Stearnes (.387) and Shell’s Bob Jones (.361) while leading the league in games and doubles. He finished second on the team (and league) in hits to Stearnes. As in the previous winter, he was the team’s left fielder.
After the season, Philadelphia Royal Giants owner/promoter Lonnie Goodwin desired to take the squad on a tour of Japan, Korea, and the Hawaiian Islands. With the core of his team under contract to Negro League teams such plans were not without controversy. Ownership threatened a five-year suspension on any Negro Leaguers who failed to show for spring training. Of the 14 players on the Winter League team only five risked the potential punishment — Mackey, Cooper, Dixon, Frank Duncan, and Neal Pullen.
On March 9, Goodwin and his team set sail on the La Plata Maru to Yokohama, Japan. The touring Royal Giants were not the same team that had participated in the California Winter League, but they remained a formidable unit. They arrived in Japan on March 29 to begin a 27-game schedule (22 games in Japan; 5 in Korea).
The major-league tour of Japan in 1934, featuring Babe Ruth, was highly influential in the birth of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Writers also credit the two earlier Negro League tours for creating a love for the game in Japan. In his study of Ruth’s tour, Robert K. Fitts notes that the “Negro Leaguers conducted themselves far better than their white counterparts.” Years of barnstorming had taught them not to embarrass an opponent with antics or running up the score.
The tour opened on April 1 in Tokyo against the Keio University’s Mita Club, which five years earlier had defeated the Herb Hunter All-Stars, 9-3. The Mita Club fell, 2-0, to Cooper, and then Mackey beat them, 10-6, the following day. No box score exists for the opener, but Dixon went three for three with a double, a walk, and a sac fly in the second game. He followed that performance with a five-for-five day (including a triple and double) in cavernous Koshien Stadium.
The Japanese fans were in awe of Dixon’s bat, speed, and throwing arm. Dixon’s eighth consecutive hit was a mere appetizer for his next feat. Koshien Stadium had been built in 1924 with a left-center-field gap that measured 128 meters (420 feet). No native batter had hit or cleared the fence, but on April 6, Dixon smashed a ball that ricocheted off the wall for a triple. Dixon next wowed the fans at Jingu Stadium on April 28 after a 14-0 win. He stood at home plate and threw balls on target to players in the left-field seats.
After Emperor Hirohito commemorated the Japanese tour of Dixon and his mates by presenting them with a trophy, the team headed for Korea. Dixon pitched the May 19 game in present-day Daegu, picking up the victory, 14-2. From there, the team traveled to Honolulu, where they played for two weeks before heading back to the mainland. The threatened lengthy suspension had been reduced to approximately two weeks by ECL President Isaac Nutter.
Dixon finally returned to Harrisburg on July 22. Things were vastly different with the Giants as Oscar Charleston was being dealt to the Hilldale club, and John Beckwith was the manager. Charleston’s departure fell through, and he took the field with Dixon against a Brooklyn Royal Giants team rattled from an auto accident en route to the game.
Brooklyn’s late arrival and a rain shower held the game to just four-and-a-half innings with Harrisburg on top, 8-7. Dixon had a hit and scored a run while batting in the seventh spot and playing his traditional right field. Harrisburg had finished the first half with a 25-20 mark. They were 0-3 in the second half before the victory over Brooklyn. With their million-dollar outfield again intact, the team finished second and posted a 13-8 record after Dixon’s return. Dixon hit .282 in 21 league games.
Dixon returned to the California League that winter, but circumstances were far different than the previous year. A second Black team was entered, called the Cleveland Stars, with a roster that included Dixon’s former Royal Giants teammates Stearnes, Newt Allen, Crush Holloway, and Wells. In addition, Commissioner Landis had imposed restrictions on major leaguers playing in the circuit.
Besides the newly minted Stars, the Royal Giants’ main competition came from Pirrone’s All-Stars. Anchored by Babe Herman and Bob Meusel, Pirrone’s squad beat Dixon’s team early in the campaign, but then Herman and Meusel stopped play to comply with Landis’s edict. After their departure, the All-Stars faded, and the Royal Giants ran away with the title.
After his shortened season with Harrisburg, Dixon exploded in California. His .380 batting average was second in the league behind teammate Jess Hubbard (.442). He exhibited power with a league-leading six doubles and three triples in just 79 at-bats. His five home runs were second to Stearnes’ seven.
Dixon played with the Cleveland Giants in California in 1928-29. His .360 average was only sixth on the team. After a winter in Cuba, Dixon returned to California in 1930-31 with the Royal Giants. In five seasons on the coast, he batted .326 (156-479) and had 21 home runs.
Citing poor attendance, Colonel Strothers disbanded his Harrisburg team in March 1928. Dixon signed with the Baltimore Black Sox and turned in two of the finest seasons ever seen in baseball. In 1928, he posted a line of .398/13/58. They were nearly Triple Crown numbers had teammate Jud Wilson not hit .399 (.0006 points separated them). He also led the circuit with 34 walks. Using modern statistics, he posted an OPS of 1.180 and an OPS+ of 190.
The following year found the team in the American Negro League, where they captured the flag in both halves and posted a league (ANL) best 55-25 mark. In 76 games, Dixon produced even better numbers: .415/16/92. His OPS rose to 1.204 and his OPS+ to 191. Dixon’s marvelous season was jeopardized in July when he was beaned in a game with the Homestead Grays. He fearlessly returned to the lineup the next day and proceeded to rap out 14 consecutive league hits during the week. The streak started against the Grays and culminated on July 28 when he collected eight hits in a doubleheader versus Hilldale. The major-league record for consecutive hits is 12.. Including two walks against the Grays, he had 16 consecutive on-base appearances, which is bested only by Piggy Ward’s 17 in 1893.
Dixon did not go west in the offseason, opting instead to play in Cuba with Almendares. He displayed his power and speed, leading the league in stolen bases (19) and the team with five home runs. (Mule Suttles led the league with seven.)
Dixon entered the 1930 season as a 27-year-old, with his prime years ahead of him. Rather than improving on the two impressive seasons, he tailed off and found himself packing bags to go from team to team. He opened 1930 with the Black Sox and played the first Negro League games at Yankee Stadium in a doubleheader versus the Lincoln Giants on July 5.
Dixon had a reputation for saving his best for big occasions. He opened the scoring in the first game with a home run in the first inning off Bill Holland, but the Giants prevailed easily, 13-4. In the second game, Dixon again homered in the first, then added an inside-the-park blow to deep left-center in the third as Baltimore won, 5-3.
There were 15 Black ballclubs in 1930: nine in the NNL and six Eastern Independent teams. The competition between the two leagues led to players jumping from one circuit to the other. Dixon was one of three big names (with Suttles and Jenkins) to leave the Black Sox as he skipped to the NNL Chicago American Giants. He hit .305 with eight home runs in 49 games for Baltimore and Chicago.
Dixon opened the 1931 season playing left field for the Hilldale club that featured Mackey and Martin Dihigo. He struggled to a .226 average in 44 games before joining the Black Sox late in the season. In 1932, he reunited with manager Oscar Charleston with the Pittsburgh Crawfords. He wowed the fans at Greenlee Field on May 28 with a single and double, two stolen bases, and four runs scored in a 13-4 win over Birmingham. The Crawfords featured 20-year-old catcher Josh Gibson, whose eight home runs took the team title over Dixon’s seven home runs.
Dixon married Rosa (aka Rose) Yarbrough in August 1931 in Richmond, Virginia. The couple was divorced in October 1934, also in Richmond. The decree listed desertion as the cause and noted that Rap had not contested the proceedings. Dixon’s death certificate shows a second wife, Edith Dixon.
Dixon joined the independent Philadelphia Stars in 1933 and came out slugging. He hit a robust .360, finishing second on the team to Jud Wilson (.376). The Stars finished out of contention with a 22-13 mark. Fans rewarded Dixon with a spot on the East roster in the first East-West All-Star game. While the East squad lost 11-7, Dixon had a strong game, going 1-for-3 with a walk, sacrifice fly, and stolen base against Bill Foster.
In November 1933, Dixon joined Josh Gibson and league players on a boat trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The players formed a team that the Pittsburgh Courier called the Ramirez Stars. Following the Puerto Rican season, Dixon and Gibson joined the Concordia team from Venezuela. Dr. Leyton Revel and Luis Munoz list Dixon with 21 at-bats with Concordia. It has often been suggested that Dixon injured his back badly during the winter of 1933-34. Concordia played in four series, one of them going nine games, so it appears (from his limited at-bats) that Dixon was injured while with this team. We can further pinpoint the timing by noting that the Philadelphia Tribune reported a trade offer of Cool Papa Bell for Dixon in early February 1934. News of a serious injury had presumably not made its way back to the States by that time.
In the spring of 1934, the Philadelphia Stars released Dixon while he was in the hospital. Was he being treated for the back injury that plagued him the remainder of his life? Dixon’s numbers when he returned to action from 1934-37 indicate a severe downturn. He batted .272 in those seasons, 50 points below his career average.
The Baltimore Black Sox entered the NNL for the second half of the 1934 campaign, and Dixon served as their player/manager. Confident in his recovery, he used himself as a utilityman, even playing third base in a win over the Homestead Grays. That was one of just three wins the team earned. As a manager, he won praise for his work with the young, unknown players, including rookie Leon Day. Dixon’s reputation was rewarded with a spot on the East roster in the All-Star Game. He replaced Vic Harris midgame and went 1-for-2 in the East’s classic win, 1-0.
The following year the Brooklyn Eagles’ Ben Taylor invited Dixon to training camp in Gadsden, Alabama. Soon after his arrival, Dixon was referred to a dentist who discovered four infected molars. Once they were removed, Dixon’s health improved remarkably, and he showed flashes of his athletic talent.
Dixon split the season with Brooklyn and the New York Cubans, batting .301. The Cubans were the second-half champions and faced the Crawfords in the championship. In the spotlight for the final time in his career, Dixon responded by leading all hitters with a .421 average and 1.079 OPS, but was on the losing side.
He joined the Grays in 1936, then finished with a few games with the Crawfords in 1937. He joined the all-star contingent, often labeled the Ciudad Trujillo team, which captured the crown in the Denver Post tournament that August. He played sparingly in the games, quite possibly managing the team. Upon leaving that team, the 35-year-old returned home to Steelton. Dixon took a job with Bethlehem Steel, then in the 1940s, he took a job with the county. Later, he operated a pool hall in Steelton.
While his professional days were over, Rap Dixon still played with Harrisburg area semipros. But mostly he dreamed of bringing the NNL back to Harrisburg. To that end, he became a great advocate for the game in his area, throwing his support and reputation behind numerous efforts to keep the sport alive during the Depression and ensuing war years. This included managing an American Legion team in 1940 and an integrated semipro team.
In 1943 Dixon made an unsuccessful run as a Republican nominee for constable. After the election defeat and a burglary at his pool hall, he left Steelton for greener pastures in Detroit, supposedly for a job coaching a baseball team. A heart attack hospitalized him on July 18, followed by his death on July 20. His body was returned to Harrisburg for funeral services that were attended by his parents, two brothers, a sister, and other family and friends. On June 8, 2007, a citizen’s group dedicated a fitting grave marker in the Midland Cemetery where he had been laid to rest. The Orioles sent Paul Blair and Curt Motton to honor the former Baltimore Black Sox.
Sources
Unless otherwise cited, Rap Dixon’s baseball statistics were compiled by SABR members Gary Ashwill and Kevin Johnson and are available at Seamheads.com. Extensive use of the Harrisburg newspapers provided background. Ancestry.com provided extensive family background information, complemented by 10 years of research and family interviews conducted by Ted Knorr.
