February 7, 1954 was just another day in the Hot Stove League for the 1953-54 offseason. Many leagues and teams were busy laying plans for the upcoming season and making plans for the spring training season.
The Negro American League was one such league making preparations for the upcoming season. The league accepted the Indianapolis, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky into the league, the move raised league membership to six clubs. A once thriving enterprise of Black Baseball was on its way out. The league would last the 1954 season and just seven more seasons after that. The league had already entered a period where press coverage would be harder and harder to get for the league. A once proud league was already on the way out.
On the very same day, in the Sooner State League the Sherman, Texas franchise was transferred to Seminole, Oklahoma. The interesting thing about this move was that it happened exactly four years to the day before the league itself folded after 11 seasons of play. One more event occurred in baseball on this fateful day. In the Tri-State League the Gastonia, North Carolina franchise was transferred to Greenville, South Carolina. The league would play just one more season after the 1954 season. The City of Gastonia did not have much of history before 1939, had spent just two 2 seasons in the league before the move. The city would have a firm history in the Western Carolinas/South Atlantic League with a 30 season run minus one year from 1963-92. The City of Greenville has had professional baseball continuously since 1984. After the Tri-State League folded, it took the city until 1961 to get back into professional when they started on a 12 season run. All of this just added to a history that dates back to 1907.
I could have easily made this blog lots of baseball history, but it would not do much for fans of other sports. Tomorrow we will look at a big day in the NHL.
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