Toledo Crawfords

Only a few years removed from being a national powerhouse, the Pittsburgh Crawfords moved to Toledo, OH in 1939 and finished up as a second-half replacement for the Indianapolis ABCs in the Negro American League. Managed by 1B Oscar Charleston (hitting .303 in nine games at age 42), the team went 8-11. C Tommy Dukes hit .385 and 2B Bus Clarkson batted .276. Leroy Morney and Mule Suttles hit well in limited duty. In 1940 the Crawfords vanished for good. The name was entirely inappropriate for Toledo as the club was named after the Crawford Grill in Pittsburgh's Hill District - then again, many other sports teams have had similarly improper names after a move, such as the Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sources: The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley