Indianapolis Clowns

The Indianapolis Clowns were a professional baseball team in the Negro American League.

Founding

They began operation in Cincinnati in 1943, and operated between Cincinnati and Indianapolis in 1944 and 1945 before officially moving in 1946. The team won the league championship in 1950.

Barnstorming

While still fielding a legitimate team, the Clowns also toured with several members known for comic acts - sort of a baseball version of the Harlem Globetrotters, including Joe "Prince" Henry. After the decline of the Negro Leagues, the team continued operations on barnstorming tours into the 1960s.

After many years of operation as a barnstorming team, the Clowns finally disbanded around 1988.

Significant players

The Clowns' best known player was Hank Aaron, who played for them in 1952 before being sold for $10,000 to the Boston Braves organization.

The Clowns fielded such stars as Buster Haywood, DeWitt "Woody" Smallwood, showman "Goose" Tatum, and future Major Leaguers John Wyatt (Kansas City Athletics), Paul Casanova (Washington Senators), and Choo-Choo Coleman (New York Mets).

Women players

The Clowns were the first professional baseball team to hire a female player. Toni Stone played second base with the team in 1953, in which she batted .243 . The following year the Clowns sold her contract to the Kansas City Monarchs. They hired two women replacements: Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, pitcher, and Connie Morgan, second base. Women also served as umpires for the team.

Movie Reference

The 1976 movie The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, starring James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, and Richard Pryor is loosely based on the barnstorming of the Indianapolis Clowns.

External links

• Clowns of Baseball, essay of the Clowns

Book by: Bill Heward about the Clowns:

• Some are called Clowns: A season with the last of the great barnstorming baseball teams, ISBN 0-690-00469-9.