The Outfield
The Outfield
2001
mixed media and found objects
16 x 20
Available for purchase. Please contact the artist.
Represented in this work are the collective portraits of one of the best outfields in all of Negro League baseball. The rifle arm of Sam Bankhead, the blinding speed of James “Cool Papa” Bell and the sure hands of Jimmy Crutchfield left little room for hits or safe base-running for opposing teams during the Pittsburgh Crawford’s stellar season of 1935. On offense all three batted over .300 and lit up the base paths with blistering speed. With four future Hall-of-Fame players on the squad, the Crawfords defeated the New York Cubans that year for the Negro National League title and are now often considered the greatest black baseball team by many baseball historians.