Mineola Black Spiders

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The Mineola Black Spiders, also called the Texas Black Spiders, were an independent, generally all-black baseball team that originated and was loosely based in Mineola, Texas. As a non-league barnstorming team, they often headquartered in other parts of the nation, especially northern Iowa from 1932 until at least 1937.

Vernon "V.A." Klingaman, an Iowa native who settled in Mineola in the late 1920's, formed the team, which first began traveling in 1932. Eventually attracting players from outside Mineola, Texas, they barnstormed throughout the nation in the 1930s, and likely traveled into Mexico with a team featuring Buck O'Neil. The Spiders played until at least 1940.[citation needed]

[edit] History

Generally an all-black barnstorming baseball team, the Spiders are from Mineola, Texas, where Klingaman formed the team. Attracting strong players from outside Mineola, the Spiders entered tournaments and barnstormed across the country. They first traveled in 1932 continued traveling until at least 1938.

Referred to in newspapers as the Texas Black Spiders, they were often noted as the "Champions of Texas." Other sources list them as the Black Spiders of Mineola.

The team set out for the Midwest in a black school bus with the team's name on the side. The bus had no windows and featured a cobweb in the back.

The club traveled extensively, arriving in Iowa in July of 1932. The players played for a percentage of the gate. By the end of July, a dispute arose over player payments and ten players voted to leave the team. The players were purchased by the managers of the semi-pro Mason City (Iowa) Bats. Klingaman returned to Mineola with the remaining players. The players that remained in Iowa played as the Mason City Black Bats [1].

The Bats played against top barnstorming teams including the Western House of David, Nebraska Indians, John Donaldson's All-Stars and the Kansas City Monarchs. J.B. Griffin became the team's featured pitcher and ace in 1932.

Following the 1932 season, most of the players returned to Texas. Two players tried out for the 1933 semi-pro Mason City Bats but were cut when the Bats joined the Southern Minnesota - Iowa League where only non-black players were welcome. Many of the same players rejoined the Black Spiders.

The 1933 Spiders traveled north and spent much of July playing games throughout Iowa and Minnesota. In 1934, they returned to Iowa in early May and headquartered in northern Iowa during the summer. Featured pitchers early in the summer included Lonnie "Big Pitch" Arthur and Argusta "Speedball" Benson. Both were known for departing the team in about mid-July with Arthur's destination as yet unknown and Benson signing on with Corwith, Iowa.

In 1935, the Spiders added Baby Tilliford, a female pitcher, to the team. She started games and pitched an inning or two before giving way to another pitcher. "Speedball" Benson was once again a featured pitcher for the Spiders.

The 1936 team carried a much improved roster and the team may have been entered in the Denver Post Tournament. Along the way, the team picked up a few ringers including Buck O'Neil. Unfortunately, the team ran into an even stronger "All-Star" aggregation that included Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard and Cool Papa Bell.

The Spiders returned to the Midwest in 1937. They continued to headquarter out of Iowa and entered the Southwest Iowa Baseball Tournament in Council Bluffs, winning the title of Iowa Semi-Pro Baseball Champions. They represented Iowa in the 1937 National Baseball Congress Tournament in Wichita.

Several team members of the 1937 squad were signed by J.L. Wilkinson to travel with Satchel Paige's All-Stars.

The Spiders are known to have traveled into Kansas and Nebraska in 1940. The Spiders defeated the Cedar Valley All-Stars in Waverly, Iowa in 1947.[citation needed]

[edit] References