Baseball Hall of Fame Members - Monte Irvin - Unisex T-Shirt

Monte Irvin  In his Negro Leagues uniform - Newark Eagles. Monte Irvin was not the first African-American player in the modern major leagues, but of all the talented players who made the perilous trip from the Negro Leagues to the American and National leagues in the late 1940s, Irvin may have been the best. “Monte was the choice of all Negro National and American League club owners to serve as the No. 1 player to join a white major league team,” said Hall of Famer Effa Manley, owner of the Newark Eagles. “We all agreed, in meeting, he was the best qualified by temperament, character ability, sense of loyalty, morals, age, experiences and physique to represent us as the first black player to enter the white majors since the Walker brothers back in the 1880s. Of course, Branch Rickey lifted Jackie Robinson out of Negro ball and made him the first, and it turned out just fine.” It also turned out fine for Irvin, who starred for eight seasons in the majors with the Giants and the Cubs. “