Negro Leaguer of the Month
October, 2000

Marcenia "Toni" Stone

HT: 5"-7"; WT: 145 lbs
Batted: Right; Threw: Right
Position: Second Base

Born: 1921 in St. Paul, MN
Died: 1996 in Oakland, CA

Career: 1953-54
Teams: Indianapolis Clowns,
Kansas City Monarchs, San Francisco Sea Lions, Twin Cities Colored Giants

Toni Stone was one of only a handful of women to play in the Negro Leagues, and definitely the most prominent.

The fact is, Stone only played in the Negro Leagues because scores of its talented players were in the Major and Minor Leagues by 1953, but Stone brought in crowds when they were tough to come by.

However, Toni was undboubtedly a talented baseball player, and had she played in the professional women's leagues, which were segregated, she would have been a superstar.

Stone batted in the .240s in her Negro League career and played a good second base.

Stone grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota and played baseball with boys all through school, including on the American Legion team--probably the first black girl to ever do so!

In 1937, as a 16-year-old, Stone pitched several games for the Twin Cities Colored Giants. "She was as good as most of the men," remembered teammate Harry Davis. "She could throw just like a man!"

In the late 1940s, Stone moved to California and played with the San Francisco Sea Lions of the West Coast Negro League. Her manager was Harold "Yellow-horse" Morris, a great pitcher with the Kansas City Monarchs, Detroit Stars and Chicago American Giants in the '20s and '30s. The league was run by Harlem Globetrotter's owner Abe Saperstein, Birmingham Black Baron's skipper Winfred Welch and track star Jesse Owens.

From '49-'52 , Stone played with the New Orleans Creole of the Negro Southern League.

In 1953, Stone played about 50 games with the Clowns, who the year before had boasted a shortstop named Hank Aaron.

The '53 Clowns featured centertfielder Woody Smallwood, who remembered Toni as being an excellent female player, but not up to usual Negro League standards.

In 1954, Toni played her final season in the Negro Leagues with the Kansas City Monarchs.

Stone, like many players before and after her, named getting a hit off Satchel Paige as her greatest thrill in baseball.

There is a baseball field in St. Paul named after Stone, and she was elected into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Stone, though a gate attraction, was resented by some teammates and opponents. "Some of 'em used to give me a hard time," remembered Stone. "But I didn't pay them no mind. They didn't mean any harm."