African Marketplace features vendors, former baseball player

February 15, 2015 at 12:06a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

It may have been cold and blustery outside, but some people enjoyed talking about baseball and perhaps feeling a bit warmer while inside at the annual African Marketplace.

“I started to catch the eye of some real important men around the Negro Leagues,” remembered Ted “Lefty” Toles Jr., a former Negro League baseball player who also played in the minor leagues.

That was one of the recollections the 89-year-old Braceville native shared during Saturday’s event in Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center.

The four-hour gathering, which was part of Black History Month, brought together about 15 local and regional vendors and community members to celebrate African life. On hand was a diverse array of products from a variety of artists and entrepreneurs.

Wearing a Cleveland Buckeyes shirt and ball cap, Toles told several stories about his playing days from the mid-1940s to the early ’50s, which included being a pitcher and a center fielder with the Pittsburgh Crawfords and having been asked to travel with Jackie Robinson’s All Star club. The excitement was short-lived, however, because the Crawfords’ owner informed Toles that two other players — Monte Irvin and future Cleveland Indians star Larry Doby — were to join the roster instead.

Also short-lived was his disappointment, because Don Newcombe, a former Major League Baseball pitcher with the Indians and the Cincinnati Reds, tried to persuade the owner to reconsider. But the offer came with a caveat: Toles had to sing a song for everyone in the room, he continued.

“Well, ain’t no person heard me sing; the only thing hearing me sing [were] the cows out on the field back home,” he said with a laugh.

Toles also signed copies of his autobiography, “Living on Borrowed Time: The Life and Times of Negro League Player Ted Toles Jr.”

Among the recipients were Brittany Wylie of Boardman and her 3-year-old daughter, Aurora.

Merchandise for sale included numerous types of bracelets, necklaces and colorful scarves, varieties of incense, mini banners, handbags for $10 to $15, purses, fragrances, books, CDs and rings.

“I have fashion fit for a king or a queen,” said Queen Chui, who owns Kings and Queens Fashion and frequently travels between Cleveland and Columbus selling her items.

Chui, who sews and designs her line of clothing, explained that she has family in the Caribbean and in Africa, which influences her styles.

Those interested in everything from handmade dolls to tea sets likely found Natasha Gates helpful.

“I specialize in multi-cultured dolls and unique gift items and specialize in gift cards,” Gates said, referring to her Canal Winchester, Ohio-based business, Natasha’s Doll Boutique.

Gates, who also works as a paralegal for an insurance-brokerage firm, said she designs mainly porcelain, vinyl and cloth dolls as part of her 15-year-old business. Also on display were replicas of Raggedy Ann dolls, porcelain tea sets, pillows and quilts with small dolls attached.

“I’m always trying to do something different for my customers,” she added.

Providing the dancing, drumming and entertainment were the Harambee dancers and New Bethel Baptist Church’s Youth Choir.

Ted “Lefty” Toles Jr., a Braceville native who was a pitcher and outfielder during the mid-1940s in the Negro Leagues, signed copies of his book and was on hand to speak to those who attended Saturday’s annual African Marketplace in Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center. Some career highlights regarding the 89-year-old Toles:

In 1946, he signed with and pitched for Gus Greenlee’s Pittsburgh Crawfords and made $200 per month.

Toles’ hitting prowess that year was such that he also was assigned to the outfield. He went 3-4 in two consecutive games.

He got his first big break in Louisville, Ky., when asked to travel with the Jackie Robinson All Stars Barnstorming team but was told two other players would join instead.

After being recalled to the team, Toles traveled to San Bernardino, Calif., to play against Bob Feller’s All Stars. Because of a sore pitching arm, Robinson placed him in right field.

In early 1947, he reported to the Newark Eagles’ training camp. Teammates included Monte Irvin and Larry Doby, who later played for the Cleveland Indians and was the first black player to integrate the American League.

TED “LEFTY’ TOLES JR. | At a glance

Toles spent part of the 1948 season playing winter ball with the Cleveland Buckeyes across the South before finishing in the Negro Leagues with the Jacksonville Eagles.

In the early 1950s, he was offered a contract to play for the New Castle (Pa.) Indians. In a minor league game against Butler on May 13, 1951, New Castle scored 17 runs in a single inning.

In 1952, Toles became the first black player for the Magic Valley Cowboys in Twin Falls, Idaho, and finished the season leading the Pioneer League in base hits and second in stolen bases. He also was invited that year to the New York Yankees’ spring-training camp in Florida.

In 2009, Toles and former Major League Baseball pitcher Jim “Mudcat” Grant appeared at Progressive Field in Cleveland as part of the Josh Gibson Foundation’s Negro League Tribute Night.

He was honored during a game Sept. 3, 2010, between the Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Jamestown Jammers at Eastwood Field.

Source: “Living on Borrowed Time”