Photo courtesy of Vanessa Rose.
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Over the next two weeks leading up to Induction Day, 6 Sports will profile each of the four members of the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.
We start with Negro Leagues legend Norman “Turkey” Stearnes.
Stearnes spent nine remarkable years with the Detroit Stars as part of a 19-year career in the Negro Leagues. He died in 1979.
Known for his quirky batting stance and reserved personality, there are a few theories as to where his enduring nickname “Turkey” came from. One theory says he got the nickname from teammates who made fun of the way he puffed out his chest and flapped his arms while running, but Stearnes himself said he got the nickname as a kid because he had a beer belly when he was younger.
While he may have had his quirks on the field, his talent was undeniable. When Major League Baseball officially added the Negro League’s statistics to the record book earlier this year, he was further immortalized as one of the greatest players of all time.
He ranks in the top 10 of all time in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, yet many people are just learning his name.
“I’m starting to call him ‘Top Ten Turkey’ now, because he has those three categories that are great,” said Stearnes’ granddaughter, Vanessa Rose. “And hopefully we’ll learn more about that as the story unfolds, about how he stacks up against all these other great players in baseball history.”
Stearnes passed away before Rose was born, but she has spent a lot of time learning everything she can about her grandfather. She even wrote a book about his life and impact called Hall of Fame DNA: The Life and Legacy of Norman “Turkey” Stearnes and hosted a podcast for ABC News about the Negro Leagues called “Reclaimed: The Forgotten League.”
Rose said her interest in her grandfather’s legacy was sparked by conversations with her grandmother, Nettie Stearnes. Her grandmother campaigned for Stearnes to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame for 21 years after his death, which he finally did in 2000.
“She taught me all about his legacy and his stats and the stories of him surviving Jim Crow, which was devastating,” Rose said. “But as Turkey Stearnes’ granddaughter, she let me know and really poured herself into me that you have the same light that he did. You have the opportunity to aspire to greatness, just like he did.”
Stearnes’ career ended six years before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier. Rose said her grandfather was never bitter about the racism he faced, even though he was constantly reminded of the dream he couldn’t achieve by working a second job for the Detroit Tigers owner during his playing career.
“He worked at Briggs Manufacturing Company and Walter Briggs owned the Detroit Tigers at the time,” she said. “So the fact that he owned the factory and the Tigers and my grandfather worked there, he could have easily recognized his talent. . . . But because of segregation and Jim Crow and because of Walter Briggs’ own prejudices and his beliefs, Grandpa didn’t have that opportunity. Again, he wasn’t bitter about it. I think, again, he figured that’s just the way it is, so I’m going to be my best self and move on. But he was grateful for the job that he had and it’s really amazing to think that a professional athlete has a job in an auto factory.”
The Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame will be the fifth Hall of Fame to induct Stearnes. The tragedy for Stearnes, as for so many other stars of the Negro Leagues, is that all of these tributes and celebrations of his greatness have come after his passing.
“It’s really important to give people their flowers when they’re here and acknowledge their greatness,” Rose said. “Especially when they’re at that level of greatness. There are so many stories that we miss because he’s not here to speak for himself.”
Rose added that toward the end of his life, Stearnes was given a small gesture in recognition of the dream he was unable to fulfill.
“Before he passed, a writer named Joe Lapointe took him to Tiger Stadium and had him stand at home plate, ready to strike out,” she said. “There are some great photos from that day.”
It was a beautiful gesture. But once again, Stearnes was left standing alone on the field where he should have shined.
“I think in many ways his story is just beginning, which is great, but at the same time I wish he could have given the speech in Cooperstown, for example. Or traveled to Cooperstown to see it in all its glory.”
