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"Shoot, I had it in my mind that I was just born a little too early. I believed that eventually things were gonna come out. 'Cause I believe there's a God somewhere and he's gonna let things work out right." --
Red Moore
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Negro
Leaguer of the Month Red Moore was the top fielding first baseman in the Negro Leagues from the mid-30s to the mid-40s. Along with other flashy first sackers like Showboat Thomas and Goose Tatum, Red entertained crowds during warm-ups by fielding balls behind his back. Red grew in Atlanta in the 20s and 30s, one of the hotbeds of baseball talent in the country. Besides claiming the Atlanta Black Crackers, Atlanta had some of the top industrial semipro teams in the country including the Scripto Black Cats, Atlanta Braves and Napa Auto Parts. Red had some sensational years with the Atlanta Black Crackers, his hometown team, especially in 1938 when he helped lead the Black Crax to the Negro American League second-half pennant. In the ensuing playoffs they were beaten by the Memphis Red Sox. Red also starred for the Newark Eagles where he teamed with Ray Dandridge, Willie Wells and Dick Seay to form the "million dollar infield" (not the sum of their salaries, but more the value of their golden gloves!) Red finished his career in the Black Major Leagues with the Baltimore Elite Giants where he roomed with 16-year-old catcher Roy Campanella. Though not the typical slugging first baseman, Red was a good spray hitter and usually batted in the .280 range. It was his fielding, though, that fans came out to see and he rarely disappointed. Besides the softest hands in the business, Red had a strong arm and could turn the 3-6-3 double play like few others. Red also lost some of his best seasons to the army, and almost lost more to jail! Because he was moving around a lot as a player in the 40s, he never got his draft notice, and was confronted by military police before the 1942 North-South All-Star game, a less-prestigious form of the East-West game, but one in which only the top stars were chosen. Red was taken to military court where he was given the choice: go into the army or go to jail. Red served his country proudly, and when WWII was ovr, his best baseball was too. He played some semipro ball through the late 40s, then worked for Colonial Warehouse in Atlanta until he retired. The soft-spoken star still resides in Atlanta today.
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