Relatively recent minstrel shows at NY Baseball Writers Association annual dinners

[Al Smitley]

I'm on the SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) list and, much to my surprise, someone is inquiring about minstrel shows at the NY Baseball Writers Association annual dinner.........

If anyone has ideas, I suppose you could write to this Prof.

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Date:    Fri, 7 Dec 2012 13:02:08 -0500
From:    Mitch Nathanson a href="mailto:[e-mail]">[e-mail]>
Subject: New York BB Writers" Minstrel Shows

Does anyone know when the New York Baseball Writers Association ceased including a minstrel show as part of its annual dinner?  I know from Chis Lamb's "Conspiracy of Silence" that it was included in 1946 and I've found evidence that it was still taking place in 1953 (MC'd, no less, than by Ford Frick), but I can't seem to find out when, precisely, this practice stopped.  If pinning down an exact date is impossible, does anybody know if it was still included into the early 1960's?

Mitch

Mitchell Nathanson
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[Al Smitley]

Thanks for the suggestion and the offer to call and have lunch.  I think I shall take you up on that if I get out that way.  Regarding 19th C baseball/base ball songs.  I put together a amateurish CD of vintage base ball songs for my teammates.  There were twelve songs in all, but half (three instrumentals, and three songs) were actually from between 1858 and 1867.  The other six were songs I wrote lyrics for to the tune various period melodies.

Tim put "Base Ball Polka", the oldest known sheet music on the topic (1858) on this site a couple years ago.

http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/video/vintage-baseball

I could send you a copy of the CD if you promise not to have high expectations.