A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Tonight, the Minor League Baseball team Louisville Bats will wear jerseys that honor the Louisville Black Caps, a team from the 1930s. It's part of an initiative called The Nine that celebrates stories of the Negro leagues. Here's Giselle Rhoden with Louisville Public Media.
(SOUNDBITE OF BAT THWACKING BALL)
GISELLE RHODEN, BYLINE: At Slugger Field, the Louisville Bats are gearing up for their series against the Gwinnett Stripers from Atlanta. They'll wear the black uniforms with Louisville in red lettering spread across the front of the jersey to pay tribute to the complicated history of the Louisville Black Caps.
GREG GALIETTE: I would have loved to have watched them play.
RHODEN: That's Bats President Greg Galiette.
GALIETTE: They were a colorful group, very spirited. Sounds like they played a fairly aggressive brand of baseball - loved running the bases. Sound like they were great athletes.
RHODEN: The Black Caps were part of the Negro Southern League, which had eight teams. There were six other Negro leagues across the country, including the Negro National League. That's where Jackie Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs. Galiette says the Nine tribute games also honor the baseball legend.
GALIETTE: Most people did not realize that was Jackie Robinson's minor league number. That's why this was created as The Nine. It was a tribute to Jackie and his days playing in Montreal as a minor leaguer.
RHODEN: After Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, many Negro league teams dissolved. Not much is known about the Louisville Black Caps. The few stats available show that there were about 12 players. They only had a few years in Louisville. Galiette says they paved the way for Minor League Baseball in the city. And there are still some questions he has.
GALIETTE: I would like to find out how many people actually went to the games, how big their following was. Was there ever the opportunity for them to maybe cross over and play some games against other Triple-A, Double-A?
RHODEN: They just weren't covered as much as their white counterparts, according to the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. But there is one Black Caps player that Louisville still talks about.
(SOUNDBITE OF INSECTS CHIRRUPING)
RHODEN: On a recent morning, the early dew hugged tightly to the overgrown grass at Eastern Cemetery.
(SOUNDBITE OF FOOTSTEPS CRUNCHING)
RHODEN: A short trek around the back of the property sits the burial site of Felton Snow.
TAD MYRE: He was a solid player. He played infield, third base, shortstop and probably second too.
RHODEN: Tad Myre wipes the water off the gravestone. He's with the Society of American Baseball Research and knows about the Black Caps star.
MYRE: He was one of those guys who was just a good teammate - glued a team together. And from that came his calling to be a manager.
RHODEN: After playing with the Black Caps, he became a coach. In 1945, he got to manage an all-star team of some of baseball's earliest legends, including Jackie Robinson. In the 1950s, Snow hung up his baseball career and became a barber. And that's when Galiette, the Louisville Bats president, met him.
GALIETTE: And all I knew him as was Snow. This was just a guy that, when my dad had cancer, basically came over and just took care of me and was my dad's barber.
RHODEN: Galiette had no idea the man who played catch with him in the backyard sported an impressive baseball career. He later helped get a gravestone for Snow.
GALIETTE: If it wouldn't've been for him, maybe I would've never really fallen this path.
RHODEN: Minor league teams across the country continue to honor the stories of Negro leagues through the Nine initiative and remember players, wearing their jerseys. But Galiette says there's more to learn about the Black players who carved their own legacy into America's favorite pastime.
For NPR News, I'm Giselle Rhoden in Louisville.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.