Long Branch Cubans
 

For the past about year I have been very slowing assembling a collection of cards and photos of players that played for the Long Branch/Newark Cubans. The Long Branch Cuban have to be one of the strangest teams in baseball history. Organized by a Colombian doctor in 1913 they played with a team of all Cuban players in the New York- New Jersey League (Class D Minor League) and pretty much ran away with the league winning the pennant by 18.5 games with a 65 and 29 record. After two years in the league, the league disbanded and the Cubans decided to basically become a negro league team with many of the same players that it has while in Organized Ball. It has to be the only team that made the switch this switch. In addition to crossing the color line the team has more then its share of great players. Adolfo Luque would win nearly 200 games in the majors, Mike Gonzales would play almost twenty years in the majors and become the first Latin to Manage in the big leagues. At least three other players would gets cups of coffee in the majors (Angel Aragon Yankees, Jose Acosta Washington, and Ramon Herrea Boston) Possible there best player Luis Padron would never get a shot because he was just a bit to dark. Below in order are Luque , Mike Gonzales,Ramon Herrera, Jose Acosta, Angel Aragon, Jack Calvo, and Juan Viola.
Google the team - would love to see anything from any other players with team conections

Great info and research Jason! I don't have any cards of these players (maybe a w514 Ad Luque), but I will share a short story about Jose Acosta.

Acosta pitched briefly for the 1917 Vancouver Beavers in the Northwestern League. I say briefly since the Northwestern League's 1917 season was shortened by United Stated entry into World War I. Acosta was not the only player on the team to "break the color barrier" that season. A "dark-skinned" Chinese Hawaiian shortstop Vernon Ayau was traded amongst Seattle Giants, Tacoma Tigers, and finally landed on the Vancouver Beavers roster. I believe Ayau moved to New Jersey in 1918. A Cuban pitcher and Hawaiian shortstop integrating a Pacific Northwest baseball league, the game was far more global that many know prior to WW1....

Ty

I love the story. It never ceases to amaze me how the color line really was only concerned with one color -black. Mexicans, Cubans, Asians and Native Americans were all allowed in while blacks were not. It seems like these groups all faced the same type of racism in almost ever part of life except in Major League Baseball

Here's a photo (that I do not own) of the 1914 Cubans team:

Top Row (L-R): Francisco Munoz (P), Santiago Dominguez (OF), Tomas Romanoch (SS), Juan Viola (OF), Henriquez (1B), Ricardo Torres (C), Fidelio Hungo (2B), Rochlin (OF).
Bottom Row (L-R): Luis Padron (P), Manuel Jimenez (C), Tomas Calvo (OF), Angel Aragon (3B), Jose Acosta (P), Manuel Baranda (1B).
The team's leading hitters were Angel Aragon and Juan Viola, who hit .443 and .420, respectively.

I own this postcard which is the same as the photo above. Long Branch is embossed in the lower right. Same image is in a Reach or Spalding Guide of the same era.

http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/...ps58mef7nr.jpg

Just wanted to give an update on my attempts to collect the Long Branch Cubans
Since I last posted I have cards of Tomas Calvo, Ricardo Torres and photos of Fidelo Hungo (top photo)and Luis Padron (bottom) The Padron photo is an item that I never thought I would be able to get. Padron is an unknown star who probably integrated a number of minor leagues, hit over .300 in the minors, got signed by at least two major league clubs and got elected to the Hall of Fame in Cuba

Update
 

A bit of an update on my Long Branch Collection. Over the past year I have stumbled on to a couple of nice items. Most importantly I think I may have found the only example of a Ramon Herrera auto on a baseball. Its on a team ball for the 1926 Richmond Colts. Also I have added a 1919 Dolf Luque type one photo and a cut auto. I have had to settle for Helmar art card of Tomas Romanach (if anyone has any leads to actual vintage item I would be thankful) I have also added a Mike Gonzalez strip car and branched items from the teams second generation with a Havana team sheet circa 1951 with Gilberto Torres (son of Ricardo) and a post card of Angel Aragon Jr (who played one game with the Giants). As always would love to see any items from this team

I wrote a story about the Long Branch Cubans' shortstop, Tomas Romanach. Before he retired in the early 1920's, Tomás Romañach would have several flirtations with the Major Leagues, be one of the few men to play in both the white minor leagues and the Negro leagues and would be remembered as being one of the best shortstops in outsider baseball.

Romanach was repeatedly courted by the Cincinnati Reds, but he never would report. His friend Armando Marsans told reporters that Romanach was afraid he would not make good and be humiliated.

You can read the story HERE

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/i...psafkyojpo.jpg

Update- Found my Angel (Villazon)
 

In my quest to collect the Long Branch Cubans I thought that Angel Villazon may be impossible. He pitched great for the 1913 team going 20-8 for the pennant winners and then was purchased by Boston (Braves) and had a year or two with the Macon team but never really made it. Also for some reason though he was listed as only 21 when he went 20-8 he seems to have disappeared by the time he turned 24. I don't know if it was an arm injury or just a better job outside baseball. As far as I can tell the only images of Angel are on this poster put out by ICN in 1914- he is the player standing in the zoomed in shot . The image shows him just after his purchase by the Braves in his new uniform. As always would love any additional info on the player or team

thanks to a fellow board member I have crossed a major need off my long branch list with a copy of the 1913 team postcard. Also recently picked up a Fatima Washington with Jack Calvo and wanted to show of very rare Mike Gonzalez 1943 premium

Also in a more recent discovery in my own collection I found that this rare Mexican baseball book contained images and a summery of Luis Padron's 1905 season in Mexico

A few newer pickups
 

Play ball -Gonzales
Billliken -Acosta
Tomas Gutierrez -Herrera
Aguilitas- Acosta
Team photo with Jacinto Calvo in street clothes - any ideas on the team would welcome

New additions
 

Have picked up a number of rare - possibly one of a kind itemsover the last six months

1. 1904 issue of El Score with Padron on cover
2. 1914 page from Grafico which has only image I have seen of Miguel Gonzales in full Long Branch uniform
3. 1923 supplement/cut out with Acosta Calvo and Luque - along with some guys named Lloyd and Charleston

A couple recent pickups

The first and most important is a photo of Tomas Romanach. A player that was pretty much a legend in his time in both Cuba and the US. The odd part is that there is actually very little statistical record for him and his skills seem to have been shown more in less formal games as his Cuban league record shows a 224 average over 183 games. Despite this he was elected to the Cuban hall of fame in 1948. This is the only individual photo of Romanach that I have ever seen.

The second is a exhibit of Luque