Ray Dandridge interview
Date1988 February 24
DescriptionTwo audio cassettes featuring an interview with Ray Dandridge conducted by Rod Roberts on the behalf of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on February 24, 1988 in Palm Bay, Florida.
Object numberHF-1994-0001-007
Interviewer
Roberts, Rod
Interviewee
Dandridge, Ray (Raymond Emmitt)
Subject
Dandridge, Ray (Raymond Emmitt)
Classificationsaudio/visual materials
Library Call NumberCTA 856
Collection NumberBA RMA 001 Rod Roberts oral history collection
Library Call NumberCTA 854
Dimensions2 audio cassettes
TrannscriptionCassette 1 content includes: Side One -- Track 1 - Born in Richmond, VA, Aug. 31, 1913; had one brother and two sisters, Dandridge is youngest; only two still living, himself and sister living in Buffalo; mother and father both from Richmond; mother moved to Buffalo; lived there from time he was 10 until 19-20 years old; came back to Richmond and started playing professional baseball; left in 1933 to play for the Detroit Stars (00:00:00 to 00:02:57) Track 2 - Playing in Richmond; Detroit Stars came through and they played the Richmond team; Dandridge was captain of the team, played outfield, but shortstop didn't show up so he played shortstop and had a great day; after the game the manager of the Stars wanted to sign him; went to his house and spoke with his father, gave him $25 to encourage him to go to Detroit, but Dandridge didn't want to go; hid out from the bus at the local pool room; bus came back the next morning; he went with them and he's glad he went because it started him playing professional ball; Detroit manager was Jim Taylor and he taught Dandridge a lot; in Mississippi he put him in the batting cage to teach him how to hit; bat weighed 36-37 ounces, a long bat; hard to hit to right field; wasn't a home run hitter, hit line drives and got so he could hit the ball where he wanted to hit it, never looked back; got one vote for East-West Game, said he would be there the next year and he was; played in every subsequent East-West Game until he started traveling in foreign countries; played in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela in the early ‘30s (00:02:57 to 00:13:46.5) Track 3 - On being treated well in foreign countries, better there than in the U.S.; money was a lot better; in Detroit he made $15 a week; made $350 a month in Venezuela; went there for the money; got on the Grace Line in New York and met another ballplayer (Miller?); then went to Mexico, where he made the most money, paid all expenses; picture with Mexican president Jorge Pasqual and Chile Gomez (00:13:46.5 to 00:17:47) Track 4 - On Pasqual trying to raid the Major Leagues for Mexico, Danny Gardella, Max Lanier; most of the better Negro League players were in Mexico; moved to Newark, NJ, 30-40 years; Pasqual was in a shipping company and threw money around; sent Ted Williams a blank check (00:17:47 to 00:20:27) Track 5 - Satchel Paige thought there were good players in Mexico; Dandridge didn't see that many excellent players; he had made a name for himself before he started playing in other countries (00:20:27 to 00:22:01) Track 6 - His Spanish got fairly good; he managed a club for Pasqual in Mexico City; food was fine; was in Mexico City during a mild earthquake; had a great life but never made any money, still not making any money; but very special to make it into the Hall of Fame; kept a lot of mementos from his travels; Satchel Paige made more money than anyone else; Josh Gibson made good money also; Dandridge inducted into the Hall of Fame the same year (1987) as Billy Williams, Catfish Hunter, Dandridge rubbed up against Catfish Hunter and said he rubbed up against a million dollars; Dandridge been to every country that plays baseball except Japan, and it was thrilling (00:22:01 to 00:26:23.2) Track 7 - On Detroit Stars; played with and against Satchel Paige; barnstorming tour in Canada; went against (Bob) Feller, Johnny Taylor; had a lot of fun on those tours; played three games in one day, played at night when lights had just started being used (00:26:23.2 to 00:29:30) Track 8 - On playing for Veracruz; the Newark Eagles, with Effa Manley, and her husband Ray, with Biz Mackey; shortstop Dick Lundy asked him to come play for the Newark Dodgers, along with Robert Evans; ‘34-‘35 was the Dodgers, then became the Eagles; left in 1940 to 1948 to play in Mexico; started managing New York Cubans in 1949; Pasqual was killed in a airplane accident (00:29:30 to 00:32:53) Track 9 - On the Cubans, Dolf Luque, took him to Havana, then he died, and played with (Jose) Mendez; photo of him with (Willie) Mays (00:32:53 to 00:34:28) Track 10 - More on Luque, playing in the Major Leagues for the Giants; Dandridge didn't see him in his prime, worked with him as a manager, used to talk to the ballplayers (00:34:28 to 00:35:34) Track 11 - On best pitchers, Satchel Paige playing on the Pittsburgh Crawfords; kidding around with each other; hit .316; farthest they could go was the Negro League, had to be good to play in the League, Leon Day, Willie Wells, Joe Black, Don Newcombe, Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, they were a bunch of rookies, he used to give them advice; Bill Veeck wanted Dandridge in Cleveland, but didn't want to give him a bonus so he said no, he was living good in Mexico; left to play for the New York Cubans; Alexander Pompez recommended him for the Major Leagues; hit .368 but lost the batting championship by two points; in 1950 Mays came up; all the ball players who saw Dandridge play told Leo Durocher that they should bring up Dandridge, but he didn't; Philadelphia Athletics wanted to buy his contract but Giants wouldn't sell; Judy Johnson wanted him; the only thing he ever wanted was to have one foot in the Major Leagues; but the Hall of Fame makes up for it (00:35:34 to 00:42:38) Track 12 - On Willie Wells, Diablo a good shortstop, played with and against him; there weren't any really great shortstops; Dick Lundy was good and another guy, Lundy had a better arm than Wells; play the way you think the batter is going to hit; I was playing third, Wells was shortstop; Dixie (?) playing second, Mule Suttles on first, Mule a power hitter along with Josh Gibson (tape runs out) (00:42:38 to 00:45:55) Side Two -- Track 1 - On great players Martin Dihago and Leon Day; Day and Wells candidates for the Hall of Fame; Satchel Paige and Judy Johnson were before his time (00:00:00 to 00:01:51) Track 2 - On (Willie) Mays being in the Western League; Dandridge in Eastern League; played together in Minneapolis; Dandridge hitting fourth, Mays hitting third, said Skipper, if he hits a home run the pitcher's going to throw at me! Pitchers would throw at people; Satchel Paige never threw at people, preferred to strike them out; first one to go into the Hall of Fame; Paige and Bob Feller made a lot of money barnstorming; Dandridge made money in Mexico, but doesn't even get a pension; ballplayers today have it made when they retire; people don't realize that players in the Hall of Fame didn't necessarily make money; Carl Hubbell in trouble even with his pension; (Javier) Lopez is not doing too badly (00:01:51 to 00:09:08) Track 3 - Played for Minneapolis for four or five years; left and went to Sacramento and then to Oakland; wound up in Bismarck, ND; Marianao Cuban League club paid a nice salary and bought a home in NJ, paid cash; Jorge Pasqual owned two teams; killed in an airplane crash; ballplayers started to come back from Mexico; good crowds in Mexico; (gap in tape) (00:09:08 to 00:13:38) Track 4 - Dandridge talks to and about his dog, Pepper (00:13:38 to 00:14:30) Track 5 - On watching television; sold his home in NJ; moved to Florida, make the best of it; watch a lot of ballgames on satellite (00:14:30 to 00:15:52) Track 6 - On being in good shape except for his legs; worked his legs too hard; haven't seen too much of Buck Leonard, used to play against each other; Leonard had a stroke; Dandridge not pushing himself; putting dog outside; legs are stiff (00:15:52 to 00:19:10) Track 7 - On granddaughter; lost one of his grandsons 2-3 months ago, fell asleep at the wheel (00:19:10 to 00:20:52) Track 8 - Interviewer Roberts taking pictures (00:20:52 to 00:22:55) Track 9 - On modern baseball not being that different from old time baseball; players using gloves to hit; Dandridge wanted his hands to be tough; Dandridge used a big glove when he played (gap in tape) (00:22:55 to 00:25:25) Track 10 - On book about Dandridge; playing pinochle on the team bus to avoid boredom; book costs $13, for baseball fans who love the game (tape runs out) (00:25:25 to 00:29:31) Cassette 2 content of the interview includess: Side One -- Track 1 - Black ball players never made any money, and most don't have any money now; on playing in the Negro League; on it taking a long time to integrate the Major Leagues; Dandridge was one of the black players that Bill Veeck wanted to bring up, but he wouldn't give him a bonus; meeting Ted Williams, wonders what kind of work he does now (00:00:00 to 00:06:27) Track 2 - On playing all year round; managing a bar, working in the recreation superintendent for City of Newark; good days in Newark; didn't work for the city long enough to get a pension; he and his wife had three children, 19 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, all in NJ; Newark honoring him in April (00:06:27 to 00:09:10) Track 3 - On watching baseball, enjoying football; wife enjoys fishing, born in Florida (00:09:10 to 00:10:14) Track 4 - On moving from Richmond to Buffalo and back again; Buffalo being integrated; Buffalo's extreme cold and snow (00:10:14 to 00:12:52) Track 5 - On going back up to Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame Weekend in July (00:12:52 to 00:13:10) Track 6 - This entire section duplicates Tracks 4-10 On CTA-854 Side 2 (00:13:10 to 00:30:46) Track 7 - Interviewer Roberts buying book (00:30:46 to 00:31:54) Track 8 - On Dandridge being a smoker; ball players weren't supposed to drink or smoke, but they go under the stands and have a cigarette; saw Juan Garay light up a cigarette; kids don't like him smoking in the car (00:31:54 to 00:33:57) Track 9 - Taking photos, on Bill Guilfoile following Dandridge around for nearly five years to get information for the Hall of Fame (00:33:57 to 00:33:57.8)Public Access NotePlease note that not all works are on view at all times - their availability is subject to change per the discretion of the Museum staff. 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