[FatJack]

Joe Durham passed away on Thursday (April 28, 2016) at the age of 84. He was born and raised in Newport News, Virginia, where he learned the game of baseball on the sandlots. Joe graduated from high school in 1952 and drew the attention of scouts thanks to his tantalizing combination of speed and power. Although some sites say that Joe was signed in 1953, following a year in the Negro Leagues, Joe was actually signed by the St. Louis Browns in 1952 and placed with the Negro League's Chicago American Giants because the Brownies had too many players and not enough minor league spots, according to The Baltimore Sun.

With Class B York in 1953, Joe hit .308 with 14 home runs. The Piedmont League had several teams in the south and, although Jackie Robinson had broken the major league color barrier six years earlier, Joe experienced firsthand the racism that was still prevalent in certain towns. But Joe's affable manner in response helped make it easier for those who followed.

Joe was with Double-A San Antonio in 1954. There he matched his home run total for York, chipping in 108 RBIs. His batting average actually went up 10 points. That earned him a September call up from the now Baltimore Orioles, making him just the second African-American to play for the franchise and the first position player. In his first game with the big club, Joe beat out a slow roller in the ninth, scoring the winning run on a hit from Cal Abrams. In fact, Joe had at least one hit in each of his first five games for the Birds. One of those hits was a September 12 home run--the first hit by an African-American in franchise history.

Even before he took the field for Baltimore, Joe knew he would not be back in 1955. That was because his induction into the military was scheduled for October. When Joe returned in 1957, the team sent him back to San Antonio. Joe was hitting .391 when the Orioles recalled him in June.

But the ride was a little bumpier this time around. The Os manager was now Paul Richards. To begin with, Joe felt he should have been called up sooner. Furthermore, he thought Richards was a racist because, among other things, Richards wouldn't speak to him directly. According to Joe, even if they were sitting next to each other in the dugout, Richards would tell a coach whatever it was he wanted to tell Joe and then the coach would deliver the message. But, to Joe, the worst may have been Richards' "rope trick". Richards didn't like Joe's swing, believing that Joe was lunging too much. So he took a rope and tied it around Joe in the batting cage and pulled it, as Joe started his swing, in order to keep Joe's shoulders level. Durham didn't find this the least bit helpful and blamed Richards for his poor batting average that year. And why not? Durham had been hitting .391 before his recall, swinging the way he always had. But, when Richards was done messing around with Joe's swing, he couldn't hit a lick.

Joe spent all of 1958 in the minors and was then selected by the Cardinals in the Rule V draft. Joe lasted just a month with St. Louis. He got just 5 at bats and ho hits. And that was the last time Joe saw major league action, though he continued playing in the minors through 1964. He finished his minor league career with a .289 batting average.

Joe had settled in Baltimore and baseball was just too much a part of his life to leave it behind. He became Baltimore's batting practice pitcher for many years. He scouted for a while. In the eighties, Joe was named Community Coordinator for Baseball Operations and, in the 90s, he began a long stretch as a minor league coach.

The first picture below is from The Baltimore Afro American from the day after Joe's major league debut. The other is one of the many gorgeous images posted by John to the late lamented Baseball-Birthdays.