235:. It is said that Pee Wee coached Gilliam into the fine fielder that he became. Pee Wee had a problem with nerves at first. He was so nervous in his first game in Baltimore that he threw 3 balls into the stands. His manager, Felton Snow gave him the nickname "Cool breeze" to help him feel comfortable. In 1949, Baltimore won the pennant and the team fell apart financially. Gilliam went to Springfield, Massachusetts to try out for the Minor Leagues and Pee Wee knew he also would be moving on.
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194:, the birthplace of boxer Tommy "Hurricane" Jackson. He spent his childhood there and attended Washington High School. He played football and baseball for Washington High and was considered one of the best quarterbacks in the area. The name "Pee Wee" came from his stature. At 5'7" and 140 pounds after a big meal, Butts was one of the smallest players on record.
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When
Gilliam left for the Dodgers, rather than have to start over with a new second baseman, Butts went to Canada to play for the Winnipeg Buffaloes of the Manitoba-Dakota League. Under manager Willie Wells, Butts batted .286 and the team won the pennant. Wells helped Pee Wee to tame his erratic arm
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in 1936. Because of his youth, opposing players tried to intimidate Butts by sliding spikes up into him. Here he also learned to throw side arm to get batters out at first. The team moved to
Indianapolis after Pee Wee's first two seasons and became known as the ABCs. In 1940, the
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came to town to play the ABCs and offered Pee Wee a tryout after the game. Pee Wee was hesitant to leave home, but he figured the Black
Crackers/ABCs team was breaking up, so he might as well.
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by telling him to remain low after fielding so he would not have to rush his throws. One season in Canada was enough for Butts. He said it was too cold in
Winnipeg and he went to
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After Pee Wee's final season in Texas, he said he just moped around for a year. He returned home to
Atlanta and played in an old timer's game in 1969. He went to visit
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For nine seasons in
Baltimore, Pee Wee was a .280 hitter and he developed a reputation as one of the finest fielders in the game. He only hit 3
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in the late 1940s and early 1950s, after the Negro league season had commenced. In 1948, Butts hit .324 with the
Santurce Crabbers.
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in nine seasons but made up for it in average and fielding ability. He often turned double plays with the help of
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178:(August 27, 1919 – December 30, 1972) was an American baseball player who played in the
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370:- Baseball-Reference.com." Baseball-Reference.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
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At age 17, Butts quit high school and began playing baseball with the
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341:"Pee Wee Butts." Pee Wee Butts. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. <
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http://www.pitchblackbaseball.com/nlotm_PeeWee_Butts.html
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Thomas Lee "Pee Wee" Butts was born August 27, 1919, in
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For several seasons, Butts played in the off season in
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368:"Thomas Butts Negro League Statistics & History
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383:Career statistics and player information from
327:. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1975. 327-338. Print.
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325:Voices from the great Black baseball leagues
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438:20th-century African-American sportspeople
428:Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state)
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103:Negro league baseball debut
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223:The Baltimore Elite Giants
176:Thomas Lee "Pee Wee" Butts
268:Two teammates of Butts',
264:Almost to the Big Leagues
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217:Negro National League
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354:Porter, David L..
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282:Dolf Luque
186:Early life
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