MVN - Most Valuable Network

In a man’s game; Maimie “Peanut” Johnson

Would a professional baseball or basketball league today be open to a female athlete joining a team? What would the reaction of the players be to a female teammate? Would race play any part in the acceptance or rejection of a female teammate? As part of Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia, an exhibit presented by the the Smithsonian Museum, brought in Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, one of only three women, to speak on her experience in Negro Baseball League.

“How are you going to strike me out; your no bigger than a peanut?” That was the question a teammate asked Johnson when she first took the mound during batting practice for the Indianapolis Clowns. “I then struck him out!” Johnson stated with a her big smile and the nickname Peanut stuck with her. “Peanut” Johnson pitched professionally for three seasons with the Indianapolis Clowns, until the Negro League disbanded in 1955, where she compiled a winning record of 33 wins and 8 losses. Johnson was brought onto the team when Henry “Hank” Aaron left the Clowns to join Major League Baseball, white professional baseball as Johnson called it. The thought behind this move by the Clowns was to maintain fan interest in the team after the loss of a fan draw like Aaron.

Johnson was not allowed to try out in Alexandria,Virginia for a professional women’s league. “They took one look at me and wouldn’t even let me try out for the team,” explained Johnson. Her confidence and strength served her well to survive the ugliness of segregation. “The restaurants that would not allow us to eat did not discourage me, we would just move on down the road and find another place to eat,” stated Johnson. Contrast her bad experience with segregation with how well she was treated by her teammates and the players on opposing teams. Johnson explained, “I was always treated with respect by my teammates, they were all gentlemen.” With the help of the great Sachel Paige, Johnson learned to become a pitcher and not just a fast ball hurler. “Don’t grip the ball so tight, Paige taught me how to grip the ball so I could throw strikes,” Peanut explained.

Johnson achieved success in professional baseball from a combination of factors. First her uncle Bones, spent time with her teaching her the game of baseball. The support in honing her skills, which Johnson received from teammates and players like Sachel Paige was invaluable in her baseball development. The aforementioned support combined with her skill and drive enabled her to succeed as a professional. When Peanut enters a room she is a presence, not unlike that of Danica Patrick or Alex Ovechkin. Like Danica and Ovechkin she shares an undeniable drive to succeed.

Johnson desires to bring back a the Negro League so as to provide inner city African American young people a chance play baseball and get paid. What the Negro Leagues brought to the African American people when the league existed was a place for the community to gather. Businesses and restaurants built up around the ball parks and were places of employment and gathering to the community. Today a park Washington, D.C. dedicated to Maimie “Peanut” Johnson lies overgrown and uncared for, much like poor neighborhoods in D.C. today. With the acception of large church congregations, the absence of baseball fields and their clubs, which had provided neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. with a gathering point and identity has been missing since baseball has left the city. Johnson’s longing for the return of the Negro League, I believe speaks more to the longing for an actual community gathering place for inner city black communities than for the actual return of a Negro League itself. City planners and recreation departments might keep this in mind when they are thinking about letting baseball fields and baseball programs lie dormant and unkempt.

A young African American boy in attendance asked what Johnson had learned from baseball. Johnson responded, “Baseball taught me to be true to yourself and who you are.” Johnson was able to follow her call and be true to herself because of her skills, drive, and the support she received from family and the Negro League. Because of the Negro League she was able to follow her dream, develop her skills, and succeed in the game as well as life. The same could be said today for Danica Patrick and the openness that Andretti Green Racing team and the IRL has shown to her. Danica has a racing skill but without a team to race for and an organization to allow her to race, she cannot actualize and develop her talents. Spending the afternoon last Wednesday with Johnson and baseball fans from the District, reminded me of how important Title 9 and the freedom to compete at whatever level an athlete’s skills take them. Johnson as a pitcher showed us this in the ’50s and Danica continues to show us today that given the opportunity and the right sport women can compete against anyone just fine; given the chance that is.

Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia is an exhibit sponsored by The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. and the Anacostia Community Museum.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 12th, 2008 at 11:13 am and is filed under Event, MLB. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.