The franchise that began as the Miami Giants and evolved into the Ethiopian Clowns found a home in Indianapolis in 1946-1950 while playing in the Negro American League. For financial reasons the city of Indianapolis shared the Clowns' franchise with Cincinnati in other years. In 1950, when the Negro American League was in decline in player quality and organization, the Clowns won the first-half title of the Eastern Division and were awarded the second half title, despite a third place finish among four teams, due to a ruling that teams must play at least 30 games in a half. There was no playoff with the Kansas City Monarchs, Western Division winners, for the league pennant.
The Clowns' franchise continued on into the 1950s and 1960s but was not a high-quality ballclub during these later years after the major league's color line had been eradicated. Their continued history is beyond the scope of this volume.
Source: James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994.
Duration:
1943-1950
Honors:
Negro American League Eastern Division title (1950)
Affiliation:
Negro American League
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