The Indianapolis saga in the Negro Leagues is basically a story of two teams bearing unusual names.  They are the Negro national League Indianapolis ABCs, named for the American Brewing Company, and the Negro American League Indianapolis Clowns, so titled due to their antics on the field.

The ABCs cam to Indianapolis in 1914 from Birmingham Alabama via West Baden, Indiana.  Their field commander, Charles Isam Taylor, had become manager of the Birmingham Giants in 1904, and moved the club to West Baden, dubbing it the Sprudels, prior to settling in Indianapolis.  The ABCs quickly became recognized as one of the top independent baseball teams in the Midwest and claimed the “colored World’s Championship” after edging past Rube Foster’s powerful Chicago American Giants in a late season series tainted by controversy in 1916.

Taylor, commonly known as C.I., utilized his disciplined and persuasive manner to weld the ABCs into an effective and close-knit unit.  His players reflected their manager’s gentlemanly attitude, normally appearing in suit and tie.  One demonstration of their camaraderie was the enlistment of several ABCs into the Army en masse in 1918.

After World War 1, the ABCs became charter member of the Negro National League.  Indianapolis hosted the circuits initial contest on May 2, 1920.  Taylor was named a Vice President of the fledgling circuit and continued to manage.  However, the ABCs experienced limited success and failed to secure an NNL pennant.  The 1922 season represented the club’s high water mark in the league, as they finished in second place with a 46-33 log.  They won 10 more games than the champion American Giants but also lost 10 more.  But  a single game separated the top four teams in an unbalanced schedule.  The ABCs (35-38) had finished fifth the previous season.  In 1923 they wound up fourth at 45-34.

Taylor had passed away just prior to the 1922 season, and by 1924 the ABCs were struggling under his wife’s leadership to compete in the NNL.  They withdrew from the league early in the campaign, but rejoined it in 1925 and suffered through a horrendous 17-57 last place performance.  1926 saw the club improve to 43-45, but it chose not to return for the 1927 NNL schedule.  A revived version of the ABCs reentered the NNL for the loop’s final season in 1931 and competed in the Negro Southern League in 1932.  A third incarnation of the ABCs joined the Negro American League for 1938 and 1939.  Indianapolis was also represented in the NAL by 1937 Athletics and the 1940 Crawfords.

As Various Negro Leagues struggled through the ‘30s,  more and more of the black clubs were returning to barnstorming with no league affiliation.  One such team was Syd Pollock’s Ethiopian Clowns.  Operating out of Miami, Florida, Pollock’s charges went to extremes to attract crowds.  The Clowns’ comic endeavors were deplored by much of the black ball community.  However, the team was also stocked with skilled and talented players.  The team was good enough to win the prestigious Denver Post Baseball Tournament crown in 1940.  The tournament was a marathon 16-team double elimination affair drawing top clubs from around the country.

As times changed during World War II, Pollock sought to trade the Clowns’ independence for the security of a spot in the Negro American league.  In 1943, the team was accepted into the NAL on the condition that its undignified field behavior cease.  Pollock accepted the requirements of the league and located in Cincinnati.  The newest NAL entry claimed both Cincinnati and Indianapolis as home turf the following season.  By 1946, the Clowns were operating exclusively out of Indianapolis and represented the city in the NAL through1954.  While the 1944 Clowns (40-31) finished as the league’s runners-up, the team normally finished in the second division throughout the ‘40s. 

However, the Clowns became a dominant force in the constantly realigning Negro American League of the early ‘50s.  They topped the circuit’s Eastern Division in 1950 and 1951, and claimed the NAL pennant both seasons.  These claims to league supremacy remain unsubstantiated as no record of a League Championship Series involving Indianapolis and the Western Division leader has been discovered for either season.  The Clowns clearly captured the circuit crown in 1952 by defeating the Birmingham Black Barons in a lengthy LCS, seven games to five.  After dropping to 31-43 in 1953 they recaptured the NAL title with a 43-22 mark in 1954.

Foreseeing the inevitable demise of the Negro American League and race baseball, the Clowns withdrew from the circuit and returned to their barnstorming ways.  The club integrated, and may continue to be active to this day.  Still billed as the Indianapolis Clowns, the 1973 edition played 70 games in the Eastern half of the country.  In their heyday, as many as 180 contests had dotted their schedule.  Of the 70 games played in 1973, none was played in Indianapolis and games played in 1973, none was played in Indianapolis and but two were held in Indiana.  The club had become the Indianapolis Clowns in name only.

A number of outstanding players performed for the Indianapolis Negro Leagues, entries.  Of particular note during the ABCs’ tenure are C.I. Taylor’s younger brothers:  James, a third baseman, and Ben, a first baseman.  Both enjoyed ling distinguished baseball careers.  William “Dizzy” Dismukes was a successful pitcher and later manager for the ABCs. 

The Clowns featured a variety of interesting figures during their existence including Harlem Globetrotter basketball star Goose Tatum; Toni Stone in 1954; Connie Morgan in 1954; a pair of feminine performers; 2’7” Dero Austin during the club’s later years; the major leagues’ all-time homerun leader, Hank Aaron, in his initial professional season (1952), and baseball’s best known pitcher, Satchel Paige, in his last year as a player (1967).  Ray Neil was a Clown mainstay, hitting NAL pitching a .329 clip from 1948 through 1954.  Neil was the league batting champion in 1953 and twice topped the NAL in hits.  And of particular note is Indianapolis native and National Baseball Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston.  Charleston began his stat-studded professional baseball career with the 1915 Indianapolis ABCs and ended it managing the 1954 Indianapolis Clowns to their final NAL championship.  Buster Haywood piloted them to the 1952 title.  ABCs Field, located at Route 40, was the home field for the ABCs, Athletics, and Crawfords.  Victory Field, now known as Bush Stadium, was Indianapolis home of the Clowns.