Indianapolis Clowns – Havana La Palomas Syd Pollock letter (1946)

This letter is from Syd Pollock, the owner of the Indianapolis Clowns and the Havana La Palomas baseball teams. The letter was written to Joe Lewis who was a promoter in the Portsmouth, Virginia area. The purpose of the letter is to reconfirm the booking of an Indianapolis Clowns baseball game and review the entertainment program that the Clowns would be featuring. The content of the letter really speaks to Pollock’s attention to detail in his business dealings. The letter is signed by Pollock.

The Indianapolis Clowns was the longest running black baseball team. They were founded in 1938 by Syd Pollock when the Miami Giants became the Ethiopian Clowns. Pollock would continue to use Miami, Florida as his base of operation, but the Clowns would barnstorm all over the United States and Canada. The Clowns entered the Negro American League (NAL) in 1943 as the Cincinnati- Indianapolis Clowns. In 1946 they became known only as the Indianapolis Clowns. They dropped out of the Negro American League in 1955 to pursue a barnstorming schedule that was financially more successful. The Clowns continued to barnstorm under four different owners: Syd Pollock (1938-1968), Ed Hamman (1955-1976), George Long (1976-1983) and Dave Clark (1984-1988). The Clowns baseball barnstorming tour ended with the 1988 season.

When this letter was written, the Clowns were still playing in the Negro American League. The Clowns had finished the season in third place behind the league leading Kansas City Monarchs and the second place Birmingham Black Barons. The Clowns continued to play a barnstorming schedule during the off season. The 1946 Clowns were managed by Negro League veteran Jesse “Hoss” Walker. Some of the key players on the 1946 Indianapolis Clowns Team were: Verdes Drake, Sam Hairston, Buster Haywood, Ray Neil, Gene Smith, Goose Tatum, Armando Vasquez and Johnny Williams.

The letterhead also mentions a Havana La Palomas team. This team was also owned by Syd Pollock. The Havana La Palomas  was a barnstorming team that played primarily during the 1940’s and early 1950’s. Most of the team members were from Cuba. The La Palomas club served as the unofficial minor league team for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League. Having this traveling team made it possible to orient young Latin ball players to playing baseball in the United States and gave the owners a better opportunity to evaluate their talent.

Joe Lewis Contract Envelope