James Eugene Wilkes (October 1, 1925 – August 11, 2008), nicknamed "Seabiscuit", was a

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

. He played in

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relativel ...

for the

Newark Eagles The Newark Eagles were a professional Negro league baseball team which played in the Negro National League from 1936 to 1948. They were owned by Abe and Effa Manley. History Formation The Newark Eagles were formed in 1936 when the Newark ...

from 1945 to 1948. He was a member of the

1946 Negro World Series In the 1946 Negro World Series, the Newark Eagles, champions of the Negro National League, beat the Kansas City Monarchs, champions of the Negro American League, four games to three. Summary Matchups Game 1 Game 1 matched Hilton Smith fo ...

championship team, and was an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

in 1948. In 1949 and 1950, Wilkes played for the

Houston Eagles The Newark Eagles were a professional Negro league baseball team which played in the Negro National League (1933–1948), Negro National League from 1936 in sports, 1936 to 1936 in sports, 1948. They were owned by Abe Manley, Abe and Effa Manley. ...

of the

Negro American League The Negro American League was one of the several Negro leagues created during the time organized American baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937, and disbanded after its 1962 season. Negro American League franchises :''An ...

. He then played in

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

from 1950 through 1952 in the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

organization. After only appearing in nine minor-league games in 1952, he returned to the Negro American League with the

Indianapolis Clowns The Indianapolis Clowns were a professional baseball team in the Negro American League. Tracing their origins back to the 1930s, the Clowns were the last of the Negro league teams to disband, continuing to play exhibition games into the 1980s. Th ...

that season. Wilkes subsequently played with the

Brantford Red Sox The Brantford Red Sox are an independent team of the Intercounty Baseball League based in Brantford, Ontario. They play their home games at Arnold Anderson Stadium. History The Brantford Red Sox were founded in 1911 when they joined the Canadi ...

Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a Region, primary region of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada, with approximately 13.5 million people, approximately 36% o ...

from 1953 through 1963. In five of those seasons, the Red Sox were champions of the

Intercounty Baseball League The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is a Canadian baseball league, comprising teams of college players and others from North America and beyond. The teams are located in Southern Ontario. The league was formed in 1919 and has enjoyed much succ ...

. He is considered one of the top 100 players in league history. After retiring as a player, Wilkes served as an

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French , , and , : (as evidenced in cricke ...

in the league for 23 years.

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External links

*, o
Seamheads
*Jimmy Wilkes a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkes, Jimmy 1925 births 2008 deaths Baseball outfielders Newark Eagles players Houston Eagles players Indianapolis Clowns players Elmira Pioneers players Trois-Rivières Royals players Lancaster Red Roses players Great Falls Electrics players Baseball players from Philadelphia American expatriate baseball players in Canada Brantford Red Sox players John Bartram High School alumni Baseball umpires 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen

References

Further reading

External links