Barnstorming Black Sox

They were dubbed an “extraordinary attraction” featuring players who “would be in the big leagues but for the fact that their race bars them.”

In the summer of 1921, the Calgary Black Sox challenged teams and entertained fans with a unique brand of baseball and comedy as they traveled from Chicago to Alberta and back again.

As their history has little documentation, we decided to dive into the history books and newspapers of yesteryear to learn more about the barnstorming squad.

Bell of the Ball

He was a barnstorming beauty who gave Canadian baseball fans a glimpse of what the Negro Leagues had to offer.

That’s if you could spot him at the ballpark.

James “Cool Papa” Bell was fast … ridiculously fast. If you blinked, you just might miss him.

Dominant John Donaldson

He was, in his prime, the best pitcher in the world.

In a playing career that covered more than three decades, John Donaldson traveled to hundreds of cities across North America, where he collected 413 wins and recorded 5,081 strikeouts.

Donaldson struck out more than 500 batters in three straight years and he registered 14 no-hitters, including one that dazzled baseball watchers in Saskatchewan.