[Cool Papa Bell]

Okay, I'm game. I have been using a NeL database of my own since OOTP 7 and it has over 1,100 players currently. It will keep expanding as I add more fringe players to the early years. It is for a project and a book I have been working on for a long time. I worked in professional baseball for years and met many of the NeLers who were still alive back in the mid to late 80's. I met them thru benefit nights we had for them at the minor league baseball level, long before MLB started theirs. Had many many many conversations with them over the years as well, as you did with Mr. O'Neil.

The Negro Leagues have always been a passion of mine and I've brought hundreds of them to life so to speak in Strat-O-Matic as well thru the creation of player cards and a league I have run called the Legends of Cooperstown. It incorporates SOM's Hall of Fame set and many of my created NeL/J-Ball/Caribbean HoF players and it's been a blast to play, though I've gotten out of all of my current season SOM leagues to concentrate on my other projects.

I only had a few minutes at work to go thru your set and like I said, you put in a great deal of work and you should be commended for bringing it to everyone. I guess I kind of got lost when I saw Pop Lloyd rated fairly medicore and listed as a 2B, when he was known as 'the Black Honus Wagner' and should be a SS. It was Spotswood Poles that was known as 'the Black Ty Cobb'. Willie Foster is Big Bill Foster, I don't think there were two of them...and yes, he as Rube's half-brother. Arguably the greatest LH pitcher they produced in that era. It was Hilton Smith who finished many of Satchel's games, not Foster.

I'll keep going thru it and give you my input. Like I said, it's all opinion and conjecture and you can take or leave my opinions. I'm sure I'm wrong on many of them. I'll start with this, since I'm currently working up 1860's to 1890's players for my project: Billy Whyte was the forerunner to all the great black pitchers, pitched from 1880-1894 or so and should be in the set and rated highly. George Stovey is arguably one of the greatest NeL pitchers ever and their best in that pre-1900 era, though Whyte, Shep Trusty and Bob Higgins were all solid.

Bob Footes was a C, not a SS. I'm not sure if you had Antonio Garcia on a roster, but one of the greatest Cuban players of all time with a career that spanned over 20 years. Many of the very good to great Cuban players were in Cuba for many years before coming to the NeL's, so their NeL stats are brief and sometimes often at the end of their careers and not a true reflection. Jack Frye is another earlyl NeL star at 1B and I didn't notice the Walker brothers if they were on rosters. I know it's hard to know where to put some players, since many of those teams came and went before the early 1900's.

Bill Holland was more solid pitcher than what I think you have him listed as. Not sure if you had Harry 'Green River' Buckner, but another very talented pitcher who like Walter Ball is in the upper echelon. Also I think James 'the Black Rusie' Robinson should be a little better than rated. Charlie Grant I thought I saw on the same roster as Frank Grant and Bud Fowler, though not sure. You probably already know the story about him almost being passed off as a Native American by John McGraw to sneak him onto the Giant's roster.

Anyway, as I go thru the players, I'd be more than happy to give you more feedback if you'd like. One thing I did was sort the whole league by power, contact, etc to see how they all stacked up and it was surprising to see that. Take a look who is 2nd to Josh Gibson in power...it's not Turkey Stearnes or Mule Suttles or Oscar Charleston or Jud Wilson...and maybe too much power for Ray Dandridge and Willie Wells and some others, but again, just my opinion and I only glanced thru them.

Keep at it and have fun!
CPB