Barnstorming to Heaven: Syd Pollock and His Great Black Teams

A rare insider’s perspective on baseball’s great barnstorming age.    
The Indianapolis Clowns were a black touring baseball team that featured an entertaining mix of comedy, showmanship, and skill. Sometimes referred to as the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball—though many of the Globetrotters’ routines were borrowed directly from the Clowns—they captured the affection of Americans of all ethnicities and classes.
Alan Pollock’s father, Syd, owned the Clowns, as well as a series of black …