BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " CANDY JIM TAYLOR " WAS A THIRD BASEMAN AND MANAGER IN NEGRO LEAGUE BASE BALL : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

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                                                                                                                  Candy Jim Taylor

James Allen "Candy Jim" Taylor
3rd Baseman / Manager
Born: February 1, 1884 Anderson, South Carolina
Died: April 3, 1948 (aged 64) Chicago, Illinois
Batted: Right Threw: Right
Teams
Birmingham Giants (1904-1909)[1] Leland Giants (1909) St. Paul Colored Gophers (1909-1910) Chicago Giants (1910) St. Louis Giants (1911) West Baden Sprudels (1912) Chicago American Giants (1912-1913) [2] Indianapolis ABCs (1914-1919) [3] Louisville White Sox (1915) Royal Poinciana Team (1916) [4] Bowser's ABCs (1916) Dayton Marcos (1919-1921)[5] Cleveland Tate Stars (1922) Toledo Tigers (1923) St. Louis Stars (1923-1929) Cleveland Elites (1926) Detroit Stars (1926) Memphis Red Sox (1930) Indianapolis ABCs (1931-1932) Detroit Stars (1933) Richmond All-Stars (1933) Nashville Elite Giants (1933-1934) Columbus Elite Giants (1935) Washington Elite Giants (1936) Chicago American Giants (1937-1939) Birmingham Black Barons (1940) Chicago American Giants (1941-1942) Homestead Grays (1943-1944) Chicago American Giants (1945-1947) Baltimore Elite Giants (1948)

James Allen "Candy Jim" Taylor (February 1, 1884 – April 3, 1948) was an American third baseman and manager in Negro league baseball.

Biography

Born in Anderson, South Carolina, Taylor was one of four brothers who played in the Negro Leagues, along with Ben, C. I. and "Steel Arm" Johnny.

Taylor began playing ball with an amateur club in Anderson, South Carolina in 1901, starting as a catcher.^[6]

He played with several different clubs in 1902 and 1903, finally landing a position with the Birmingham Giants in 1904 where he played third base. That year, the played in 55 regular season games and only made three errors.^[6]

1910 St. Paul Gophers

Taylor continued with Birmingham until 1909, and moved to the St. Paul Colored Gophers for part of a season in 1910. He was named the captain of the team. Later in 1910, he was asked to play for the Chicago Giants,^[6][7] but played instead for the West Baden Sprudels as a player/manager until 1913.

In 1914, he moved to the Indianapolis ABC's as a player/manager, and by 1916, he helped the Indianapolis ABC's to win the Black World Championship. During the War, Taylor seemed to rotate between three teams, the Indianapolis ABCs, Dayton Marcos, and the Detroit Stars.

When the newly formed Negro National League started in 1920, Candy Jim worked as aPlayer-Manager for the Dayton Marcos.^[5] But he moved on to the Cleveland Tate Stars in the next season.

A disciplinarian and a master strategist, as manager Taylor led the St. Louis Stars to their first championship in 1928. The Great Depression took its toll on the economics of the game, and while managing the 1933 Richmond All-Stars, Taylor was forced to sell the team bus, and later had to send the players home.

In 1943 Taylor managed the Homestead Grays to their first Negro League World Series title, repeating their success again the following year.

Post Baseball Career

Candy Jim Taylor died at age 64 in Chicago, Illinois and was interred in the Burr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, Illinois. He was buried in an unmarked grave which remained unmarked for nearly 54 years, until the Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project raised funds for a proper headstone in 2004.