Like their cohorts in the white major leagues, some ballplayers in black baseball headed home to jobs outside baseball once the league season ended, for unlike today, most players' salaries would not cover an entire year's expenses. Many entered factory work and others labored in the fields. For a large group, though, baseball happily turned into a twelve-month occupation. Once they finished their league play and the barnstorming tours, those athletes headed to distant climes, where a much friendlier reception awaited them.

Florida and California Winter Ball

As soon as the Negro league season wound up with the World Series in September, many players joined winter ball clubs located in Florida and California. They did so for two reasons— they loved playing the game, and they needed the money. "None of us made enough that we didn't have to work in...