TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Lacoochee's Mudcat Has Made His Mark

AP File Photo (1965)

Forty years ago, on October 7, 1965, James "Mudcat" Grant of Lacoochee beat Don Drysdale and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the 1965 World Series.

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 14, 2009

Way back then, just after World War II when the Pasco County town of Lacoochee was best known for its cypress mill, he was James Grant.

No nickname.

Viola's little boy.

His biggest goal was to play baseball in the Negro Leagues.

"Nothing else was even a possibility," he said.

Then one day, he went to the bus stop to pick up the New York Amsterdam News and the Pittsburgh Courier, the out-of-town black newspapers he delivered throughout the community. He glanced at one headline and immediately knew his world had changed.

Jackie Robinson Signs Contract With Dodgers.

Baseball's color barrier was shattered.

"In a way, I still thought it was a joke," Grant said. "I couldn't believe it was true. I ran so fast through town, delivering all those papers. I was excited. Looking back, that was the start of a great life."

People still remember two-time All-Star pitcher Jim "Mudcat" Grant, whether it's for his colorful nickname, his outstanding 1965 season (21-7, 3.30 ERA and six shutouts to lead the Minnesota Twins to the American League pennant) or his life after baseball.

He became an entertainer, a blues singer who traveled with the "Mudcat and his Kittens" group, a man who kept company with Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. He became a historian and author - his book, "The Black Aces," chronicles the lives of the 13 black pitchers to win 20 games in the major leagues. He is still an entrepreneur, and his latest project, the first African-American Youth Baseball World Series, is scheduled for launch in 2010.

He's 73 and walking with a cane because of a hip replacement that didn't take. After the next surgery, he expects to be moving without any aid.

"It slows me down," Grant said. "And I don't want to slow down. I've got too much going on, too much still to do."

Friday night marked an accomplishment that Grant didn't expect. He was inducted into the Sports Club of Tampa Bay's Hall of Fame during the club's 48th annual awards banquet at Higgins Hall.

All these years later - and this?

Grant, who lives in Los Angeles, was humbled.

"Even if somebody was born in Lacoochee, they might say they're from Tampa because they want to be identified with a big city," Grant said. "No, I'm from Lacoochee. Always have been. That's the town that raised me up, saw something in me and helped me along. It's home.

"I know a lot of time has passed. Some people might see the name 'Mudcat' and wonder, 'Who is this guy?' Well, if they're looking at my name in this Hall of Fame, they're going to see Lacoochee, Florida. That's who I am."

Grant debuted with the Cleveland Indians in 1958, played 14 major-league seasons and registered 145 career victories (and 53 saves). He made a mark with the 1965 Twins, becoming the first black 20-game winner in the AL and going 2-1 in a seven-game World Series defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He doesn't think much about the potential opportunities of this era - "All the old-time players wonder about the modern money a little, but we're proud of what we did and what we built," Grant said - but would like to see black players remain a cornerstone of baseball's tradition.

"I had to deal with a lot," Grant said. "Couldn't drink from the same water fountain, stay in the same hotel, eat at the same restaurant in a lot of those seasons. But I'm not bitter. I never want to be bitter. That's not how I was raised.

"My momma always told me if I wasn't treated fairly, it wasn't me who had the problem, it was the other person who had the problem. And maybe I could be part of the solution by being a good person. The whole idea of talking about race in baseball isn't to be bitter about anything. It's simply to tell what happened. This is history that should be documented."

Grant is part of that history - through his career, through his upbringing in Lacoochee. He made a mark, and it will be remembered. He has a permanent place in the sports history of his hometown region.

"What does that mean?" he said. "It means a lot."

Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT