Big Bill Smith
William T. "Big Bill" Smith (1869 – ?) was a Negro leagues catcher and manager for several years before the founding of the first Negro National League. He played for several teams, most of the seasons appear to be played for the Chicago Unions, Brooklyn Royal Giants and Cuban Giants. Smith attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. He started with Frank Leland and the Chicago Unions at the age of 20, working with the team until 1897. In his 30s, Smith played for the Cuban X-Giants for a couple seasons, moved on to the Brooklyn Royal Giants The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1905 by John Wilson Connor (1875–1926), owner of the Brooklyn Royal Cafe, the team initially played against white semi-pro teams. ... in 1905, then half a dozen other teams. He was still playing baseball for the Schenectady Mohawk Giants and the Brooklyn All Stars at the age of 45 years. References Externa ...
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Catcher
Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher is also called upon to master many other skills in order to field the position well. The role of the catcher is similar to that of the wicket-keeper in cricket. Positioned behind home plate and facing toward the outfield, the catcher can see the whole field, and is therefore in the best position to direct and lead the other players in a defensive play. The catcher typically calls for pitches using hand signals. The calls are based on the pitcher's mechanics and strengths, as well as the Batting (baseball), batter's tendencies and weaknesses. Essentially, the catcher controls what happens during the game when the ball is not "in play". Foul tips, bouncing balls in ...
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