Larry LeGrande found someone to play with

Outside of Roanoke, Va., only the most diehard of baseball fans or Negro League historians might recognize the name Larry LeGrande.
But the way author M.M. (Mary) Angelo figures it, some stories simply need to be told. Thus LeGrande, who served as the legendary Satchel Paige?s last regular catcher and once played alongside singer Charley Pride on the Memphis Red Sox, is the subject of a new book, which has hit the market in time for Black History Month.
I Found Someone to Play With(Tate Publishing, $17.99) chronicles the life of LeGrande, whose baseball talents went greatly untapped and underappreciated in an era of segregation and racial tension.
Today, LeGrande, 75, lives in a one-bedroom Roanoke home after a 33-year career as a wireman for General Electric. He?s survived the death of two of his five children and survived the loss of the family homestead after his parents (each of whom lived beyond 100 years) passed away.
Much as he was stumbled upon as a player, he was stumbled upon by Angelo and her husband J.J. Angelo (James, a collectibles enthusiast), when they walked into a baseball memorabilia show at the Raleigh (N.C.) Fairgrounds several years ago.
?Larry LeGrande was sitting right inside the door with his uniforms and bats,” recalls J.J., a longtime Roy Hobbs League player who edited thePlay Withmanuscript. “We talked for a long while and I told him, right then, maybe my wife and I will write your story for you.
?We kind of like righting wrongs and speaking up for the ?little man.? For 55 years, this man has literally been decimated, (wondering) why the Yankees didn?t take him to the majors when he was one of the best players ? not just on his team but in his (Negro) league.”
By all accounts, LeGrande could do it all: run, throw, hit for power, hit for average. At 14 he was playing against men 26-40 in a Roanoke industrial league. At 17, he was recruited essentially off the street, by Goose Tatum (later of the Harlem Globetrotters), who invited him to a tryout with the Memphis Red Sox.
?Goose Tatum was walking around Roanoke, asking if anyone knew of any good black ballplayers,” says M.M. Angelo. “He ran into a fellow named Butters Lewis who said he knew of this guy, Larry LeGrande, who lived up the street. Goose went to see him and agreed he was a very good player, so he invited him to tryouts in Memphis.
?Larry was a senior in high school. So he had to go to his principal and ask if he could be excused for two weeks. The principal ? and Larry?s parents — agreed, as long as he promised to memorize his homework and finish his studies. When he got to the tryouts, there were 86 players but only 21 uniforms. He made the team.”
In a fairy tale world, LeGrande might have rocketed to stardom from his life of tending chickens and hogs on the family farm. Known for his accurate arm, LeGrande was primarily a catcher and outfielder. Accurate statistics are sketchy, but he is said to have batted at least .300 from 1957-59 and led all Negro League outfielders in assists in 1958-59.
But after stints with Memphis, the Detroit Stars and Kansas City Monarchs, the closest LeGrande came to the big time was one season with the St. Petersburg (Class A) Yankees of the Florida State League. “To this day, Larry doesn?t understand that,” J.J. Angelo says.
The Yankees were one of the last Major League teams to integrate with catcher Elston Howard in 1955 and, like most teams, was reluctant to add additional black faces. The Red Sox were the last to integrate with Pumpsie Green in 1959, although Boston had its first black player in 1950 when the Braves brought Sam Jethroe to the majors.
Before trading in his cleats for a career with GE, LeGrande barnstormed for four years with Paige, getting to fulfill part of his dream by playing at Yankee Stadium.
?One of the most memorable stories is about Larry and shooting target practice in Satchel Paige?s basement,” J.J. Angelo says. “They?re down there shooting a rifle while the res