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James "Red" Moore's
Bio
"I thought about playing in the majors after we played
against them and knew that we could beat them like they beat
us. We had some people with natural ability and we would
beat the major leaguers some and they would beat us some.
"Shoot, I had it in my mind that I was just born a little
too early. I believed that eventually things were gonna come
out. 'Cause I believe there's a God somewhere and he's gonna
let things work out right."
-- Red Moore
James "Red" Moore
Position: 1B
Career: 1935-1948 Teams: Chattanooga Choo Choos, Mohawk
Giants, Atlanta Black Crackers, Newark Eagles, Indianapolis
ABCs, Baltimore Elite Giants, Macon
Peaches
HT: 5'-10"; WT: 168 lbs
batted and threw left
Born: 1916 in Atlanta, Georgia
Red Moore was the top fielding first baseman in the Negro
Leagues from the mid-30s to the mid-40s. Along with other
flashy first sackers like Showboat Thomas and Goose Tatum,
Red entertained crowds during warm-ups by fielding balls
behind his back.
Red grew in Atlanta in the 20s and 30s, one of the hotbeds
of baseball talent in the country. Besides claiming the
Atlanta Black Crackers, Atlanta had some of the top
industrial semipro teams in the country including the
Scripto Black Cats, Atlanta Braves and Napa Auto Parts.
Red had some sensational years with the Atlanta Black
Crackers, his hometown team, especially in 1938 when he
helped lead the Black Crax to the Negro American League
second-half pennant. In the ensuing playoffs they were
beaten by the Memphis Red Sox.
Red also starred for the Newark Eagles where he teamed with
Ray Dandridge, Willie Wells and Dick Seay to form the
"million dollar infield" (not the sum of their salaries, but
more the value of their golden gloves!)
Red finished his career in the Black Major Leagues with the
Baltimore Elite Giants where he roomed with 16-year-old
catcher Roy Campanella.
Though not the typical slugging first baseman, Red was a
good spray hitter and usually batted in the .280 range. It
was his fielding, though, that fans came out to see and he
rarely disappointed. Besides the softest hands in the
business, Red had a strong arm and could turn the 3-6-3
double play like few others.
Red also lost some of his best seasons to the army, and
almost lost more to jail!
Because he was moving around a lot as a player in the 40s,
he never got his draft notice, and was confronted by
military police before the 1942 North-South All-Star game, a
less-prestigious form of the East-West game, but one in
which only the top stars were chosen.
Red was taken to military court where he was given the
choice: go into the army or go to jail. Red served his
country proudly, and when WWII was ovr, his best baseball
was too. He played some semipro ball through the late 40s,
then worked for Colonial Warehouse in Atlanta until he
retired.
The soft-spoken star still resides in Atlanta today.
James "Red" Moore Highlights
• Career Highlights- played five seasons in
the Old Negro Major Leagues (1936-37, 1939-41), posting a
lifetime batting average of .280, being voted to three
all-star teams and winning acclaim as one of the games
premier first baseman. A defensive whiz. A peerless fielder
and a crowd favorite. Played five seasons ( 1935, 1938,
1946-48) with the Old Atlanta Black Crackers.
• Competed against Satchel Paige, Josh
Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Buck Leonard, Double Duty Radcliffe,
Buck O'Neal, Hilton Smith and Judy Johnson. Monte Irvin and
Mr. Moore were teammates in 1937 (Newark Eagles) Teammates
with Roy Campanella in 1939-41 (Baltimore Elite Giants)
• Mr. Moore is 90 years old and is the only
living Atlanta Black Cracker that played on the 1938 team.
• Graduate of Booker T. Washington High
School 1939. (1929-1933-Semi Pro, Baseball Career postponed
• Played with the Baltimore Elite Giants,
Newark Eagles and the Atlanta Black Crackers.
• According to Buck O'Neal, former Negro
League player- Mr. Moore could pick it. Pick it means he had
an outstanding glove.
• Many of the Negro League players state
that Mr. Moore was the best first baseman they had seen
anywhere.
• Played in the Million Dollar Infield that
included the following players- James Moore(1B ), Dick Seay
(2B), Willie Wells (SS), Ray Dandridge( 3rd)
• Recently featured in the baseball book
"The Crackers"
• Featured in the Biography Encyclopedia of
the Negro Baseball League- James A Riley
• Pioneer Award presented by the National
Association of Black Journalist on August 5, 2005
• Guest Appearance with the Roadway Express
Negro League Mobile Museum at Turner Field on August 20,
2005
• Atlanta Braves Celebrate Negro Leaguers:
Honored at the Atlanta Braves vs Cincinnati Reds game
September 2, 2005 with other Negro League players. Featured
in the game day program.
• Atlanta Tribune 2006 Hall of Fame
Inductee. Ceremony to be held on December 2, 2005, at the
ESPN Zone in Atlanta.
• Atlanta Native Club on September 10, 2005
honored James Moore and former Crackers under the Magnolia
Tree. Site of the Old Ponce De Leon Ball Park. Home Plate
Plaque.
• James "Red" Moore Exhibit was on display
from February 13- May 29, 2006 at the Old Courthouse, DeKalb
County.
• Featured in the AJC, DeKalb Neighbor,
Decatur Focus, WABE Radio, Decatur Dispatch, DeKalb History
Center Web Site in 2006.
• James "Red" Moore collaborated with the
Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame to
provide education sessions with students during February of
2006.
• March 12, 2006 Mr. Moore was featured at
the Old Courthouse in DeKalb County. Mr. Moore discussed his
playing days, signed autographs and took plenty of pictures.
• March 30, 2006 Mr. Moore was announced as
a member of the 2006 Atlanta Sports Hall Fame Class. Class
includes Furman Bisher, Evander Holyfield, Bobby Cremins,
Phil Niekro and Wyomia Tyus.
• Uniform # while playing in the Negro
League #3.
• Grew up in Oakland City and community was
called Bush Mountain.
• June 9, 2006 Mr. Moore inducted into the
Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame along with Furman Bisher,
Evander Holyfield, Bobby Cremins, Phil Niekro and Wyomia
Tyus.
• Mr. Moore was honored by Michael Glenn,
former Atlanta Hawk and numerous athletes on December 18,
2006 as a part of the Tom Molineaux celebration.
• Mr. Moore participated in the Riverdale
Veterans Day Parade on November 4th and recently
participated in the Chick-Fil-A parade on December 31st .
(As a member of the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame)
• Mr. Moore will be featured in the March
issue of Atlanta Magazine.
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