Summary: Ledgendary Negro league baseball player Larry LeGrande : At the age of fourteen, Larry was anchored behind the plate for the local Webster All-Stars. In the spring of 1957, the Memphis Red Sox and the Birmingham Black Barons played a game in Salem, Virginia. His decision to go had really been made a long time before this - one more summer in the hog pens would be unbearable. In 1958 LeGrande joined the line-up of the Detroit Stars owner and fellow NLB Living Legend (remembered) Ted Rasberry. He was mostly a catcher, however, sometimes he played a little right field. The Kansas City Monarchs organization, also owned by Mr. Rasberry, brought Larry into town in 1959 where he caught for the legendary Satchel Paige. Later that season, LeGrande was called upon to play for the Yankees in the Florida State (minor) League. He was released later that same season and returned to the Kansas City Monarchs. As the 1961 season came around, Larry decided to barnstorm the countryside with his good friend Satchel Paige and his Satchel Paige All-Stars. They knocked down the miles and the teams they challenged along the way, from Nebraska through Wyoming and back to Kansas City.Career: 1957-1959..Positions: c, ofTeams: Memphis Red Sox, Detroit Stars, Kansas City Monarchs Born: May 25, 1939, Roanoke, Virginia Baseball Career Highlights:I hit .300 three consecutive years (1957-1959), led the Negro Leagues in outfield assists (1958-1959) I travel to baseball shows with 'Yesterday's Stars', and play in charity golf tournaments. I played three years in the "Hank Aaron Charity Tournament. As a Negro Leagues player, I was chosen by Satchel Paige to play on his All-Star team. More recently, I was honored by the Salem Historical Society."Source: NLBM Legacy 2000 Players' Reunion Alumni Book, Kansas City Missouri: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Inc., 2000. contact:caribbeanradioshow@gmail.com call - 661-467-2407
