Pepper Bassett

Pepper Bassett
Catcher
Born: August 5, 1910 Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Died: December 28, 1980 (aged 70) Los Angeles, California[1]
Batted: Both Threw: Right
Negro league baseball debut
1934, for the New Orleans Crescent Stars
Last Negro league baseball appearance
1954, for the Detroit Stars
Teams
New Orleans Crescent Stars (1934) Philadelphia Stars (1935) Homestead Grays (1936)[2] Pittsburgh Crawfords (1937-1938) Chicago American Giants (1939, 1941) Nuevo Laredo Tecolotes (1940) Birmingham Black Barons (1944-1950)

Lloyd "Pepper" Bassett (August 5, 1910 – December 28, 1980) was an African-American catcher in the Negro Leagues and the Mexican League. He played professionally from 1934 to 1954, playing mainly with the Birmingham Black Barons; he was All-Star seven times.^[3]

Bassett was 15 years old when began his career in 1934 with the minor league New Orleans Crescent Stars;^[3] while playing for New Orleans, he suggested to the team owner that as a stunt to draw a larger audience, he should catch some games while sitting in a rocking chair; the stunt was a success, and he would occasionally resort to that stunt throughout his career.^[3]

During the 1944 Negro World Series, Bassett was injured in a car accident, along with Tommy Sampson, John Britton, and Leandy Young.^[4]

References

1. Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento. "Lloyd Pepper Bassett". California, Death Index, 1940-1997. FamilySearch.
2. "Colored Teams to Appear at Riverside Park" Portsmouth Times, Portsmouth, Ohio, September 16, 1936, Page 8, Column 7"
3. "Pepper Bassett - BR Bullpen". Baseball-Reference.com. 16 February 2011.
4. Riley, James A. (1994). The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. New York: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-0959-6.

External links

• Negro league baseball statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Negro leagues)
• NLBPA.com