'The Hotel League': Forgotten slice of South Florida baseball history recalled in documentary

They called it “The Hotel League’’ – a slice of South Florida baseball history that has been forgotten. It was an element of the Negro-League history that had been glossed over.

Henry Flagler was the mastermind, building baseball fields on the grounds of his Palm Beach hotels for his rich, winter guests to watch players who would one day star in the Negro Leagues. This was in the Roaring ‘20s when patrons were desperate for titillation coming out of World War I.

There was a team that represented the Royal Poinciana in Palm Beach and another one nearby at The Breakers - both owned by Flagler. Those teams also traveled to other parts of Florida to play against resorts located in Tampa, Sarasota and other spots on the West Coast.

The wildest part is that the players doubled as cooks, waiters, bus boys and porters at the hotels.

These revelations arrive in a new documentary on Negro League baseball called “Never Drop The Ball,’’ which will have its premiere Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Florida Atlantic University.

The one-hour film that focuses mostly on the Negro League’s history in Florida will air on Feb. 2 on various PBS stations, including WLRN and WPBT in Palm Beach County.

“Henry Flagler knew that his patrons at the hotel wanted to have leisure time and enjoy golf – he created the first goal course in Florida as well – he knew they wanted different activities,’’ said co-filmmaker Michael Anderson. “Baseball as a recreational fan sport was something he was passionate about to provide that type of entertainment for his guests. Baseball is entertainment.’’

There is no memorial for the former games at the current Breakers but there’s a section in the Flagler Museum that has photos of notable players such as Spottwood Poles, Joe Williams and Sol White in their “RP’’ uniforms that stood for Royal Poinciana.

The resort opened in 1894 as a “Gilded Age’’ Palm Beach hotel that played a significant role in transforming the area into a winter tourist paradise for the rich.

It closed and was demolished in 1934 – unable to compete with Flagler’s newer “Breakers.’’

Hotel League flourished in the 1920s - before formal Negro Leagues

Playing in the winter months, “The Hotel League’’ flourished in the 1920s before there was a formal Negro Leagues. Other standouts included Oscar Charleston and CI Taylor.

“They had different jobs around the hotels and would play baseball,’’ Anderson said. “Some of these individuals who worked with the hotel were outstanding Negro League baseball players and have gone on to the Hall of Fame.’’

Buck O’Neil, the Negro League legend who grew up in Florida’s Panhandle, played in the hotel league and later for the Miami Giants, a barnstorming squad that played in the Overtown neighborhood at Dorsey Park. It is featured prominently in the new documentary. That the winter months in Florida thrived with Negro League baseball is what begot the title.

“Because of the weather, they could continue to play the game year-round,’’ Anderson said. “That’s why we coined the phrase of the documentary, “Never Drop the Ball.’’

The Miami Giants were later named the Miami Clowns. Its owner, Syd Pollock, wanted an extra dimension of comedy to the baseball in the vein of the Harlem Globetrotters. O’Neal didn’t enjoy the extra curriculars, but the team was a financial success located in an Overtown neighborhood known for electric nightlife.

“The team was a professional, high-quality team but the owner wanted the fans to enjoy a little of slapstick comedy routines to entertaining the fans (between innings),” Anderson said. “But they played a high quality brand of baseball.’’

The Miami Giants/Clowns are given credit for spreading the national pastime to places such as the Dominican Republic , Venezuela, Cuba and Mexico during barnstorming tours. When the franchise moved, Hank Aaron was a member of the Indianapolis Clowns of the official Negro Leagues.

“Miami expanded the game outside the U.S.,’’ said Anderson, a Miami native who played college football at Morehouse University, an HBCU school.

The documentary also highlights innovations the Black teams had on baseball – playing the first night games, putting numbers on jerseys, stealing bases, the suicide squeeze and the hit-and-run. The evening games were spawned because stadiums reserved space for the more attended afternoon affairs for white teams.

Fleetwood Walker first Black to play in major-league baseball system

There’s a segment on the actual first Black man to play in the major-league baseball system with white athletes - Fleetwood Walker. He debuted in 1881 but spent his years in the minors. By 1889, Walker was banned altogether. Jackie Robinson, in 1947, still gets all the credit for the integration of baseball.

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“They stopped integration back then,’’ said Anderson, who produced the film with Fabián Cárdenas. “They had a gentlemen’s agreement and handshake that no Black player would play against the teams with white players. It wasn’t in writing.’’

The secret agreement was spearheaded, says Anderson, by Hall of Famer Cap Anson. All these nuggets exemplify the dedication of the Black pioneers. The documentary states the Marlins’ roster was 70 percent foreign born.

“I think what we did was put baseball history on the map in South Florida with a connection to the Negro Leagues,’’ Anderson said. “And then made a connection between these winter leagues with playing abroad. In Cuba, Venezuela, Dominican Republic. And it was coming from South Florida.’’

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Hotel League, part of Negro Leagues, played at Palm Beach's hotels in Roaring '20s