HALL OF FAMER, TRAILBLAZER IRVIN DIES AT 96
Fourth African-American to play in big leagues helped many during game’s integration
By Richard Justice and Chris Haft / MLB.com | 3:15 PM ET
Monte Irvin was a mentor to Willie Mays and a friend to Ted Williams. He was in the Polo Grounds’ home dugout when Bobby Thomson hit the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” and was visiting Havana when the Cubans ran out a hotshot pitching prospect named Fidel Castro.
Irvin’s long, wonderful life was the stuff of dreams, a uniquely American story and an enduring testament to talent, perseverance, grace and dignity. Perhaps it is the greatest tribute to this remarkable man, who died Monday night in Houston of natural causes at age 96, that he’ll forever be remembered as much for his decency and sense of humor as for his amazing skills.
“Monte Irvin’s affable demeanor, strong constitution and coolness under pressure helped guide baseball through desegregation and set a standard for American culture,” said Jeff Idelson, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “His abilities on the field as the consummate teammate are undeniable, as evidenced by World Series titles he contributed to in both the Negro and Major leagues, and a richly deserved plaque in Cooperstown. He was on the original committee that elected Negro League stars to the Hall of Fame, something for which the Museum will always be grateful.”
• Baseball world remembers Monte Irvin
In the 1940s, Negro League owners had recommended to Branch Rickey, then the Dodgers’ president and general manager, that Irvin would be a perfect candidate to break Major League Baseball’s color line, which Jackie Robinson did in 1947. Looking back on the subject years later, Irvin simply didn’t believe he would have been ready after having just served three years in the Army.
“I don’t have any regrets,” Irvin said in 2010. “I couldn’t aspire to becoming a Major Leaguer because the door was closed. Jackie Robinson is the real hero and the real pioneer. I was just so happy he was successful, and it made it much easier for all of us who came after him.”
But Irvin played a significant role in the integration of MLB, mentoring many of the African-American players who were breaking into the big leagues in the 1950s. He was the fourth African-American to play in the big leagues, following Robinson, Larry Doby and Hank Thompson.
He made his debut with the New York Giants at age 30 in 1949, two years after Robinson debuted with the Dodgers. Along with Mays and Thompson, he was a member of the game’s first all-black outfield in 1951. Mays joined the Giants that season. Continue reading →

HERE’S THE POLO GROUNDS AS YOU’VE (MAYBE) NEVER SEEN IT
By Dayn Perry | Baseball Writer
The Polo Grounds! The storied venue that once sat perched on the upper end of Manhattan played host to, among other sports spectacles, Giants home games for much of their New York history. Now, via Alex Belth, let’s enjoy a color, aerial photograph of the modern Polo Grounds (i.e., the one that was rebuilt in modern fashion after burning the ground in 1911)
Excelsior! This vista gives you a good grasp of just how sprawling the Polo Grounds was in center field. Said spawl, of course, helped make Willie Mays’ famed catch of Vic Wertz’s deep drive in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series one of the most iconic moments in sports history.
Anyhow, this photo is from the 1962-63 period, when the Giants were already in San Francisco and the Mets were just getting started. The Polo Grounds would be torn down for good and all in 1964.
Hey, Polo Grounds, we remember you.