Athletes - Louis Santop

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	Athletes - Louis Santop

Louis Santop Loftin (January 17 1890 - January 22 1942) was an American catcher in baseball's Negro Leagues, who became one of black baseball's earliest superstars.

Santop was born in Tyler, Texas. An amazing .406 lifetime hitter, Santop would often hit long home runs. In 1911, he hit an astonishing .470 and then, three years later, hit .455 for the Lincoln Stars. At this time, he was catching the two players considered the hardest throwing pitchers in the league: Smokey Joe Williams and "Cannonball" Dick Redding.

After military service in the U.S. Navy in World War I, Santop went on to have many more powerful years. After the war, he was the league's biggest drawing card and received $500 a month, one of the highest salaries paid, playing for the Hilldale Daisies. Hilldale won pennants from 1923-25, but an error in the 1924 Negro World Series basically ended Santop's career.

With Hilldale leading a game 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Santop dropped a popup that would have ended the game. On the next pitch, the batter delivered a bases-loaded game-winning hit to win the game. In addition to the embarrassment, Santop was berated by his manager, Frank Warfield, in a public, profanity-filled tirade. The following year, Biz Mackey took over as starting catcher, and Santop was released by the team the next season. He also managed for some time.

The 6'4", 240-pound Santop was noted for his outlandishness and his confidence while playing. He was reported to have called home runs while in the batter's box. In a 1912 game, he was credited with a tape-measure 500-foot bomb -- not only well before the juiced ball, but well before the dead ball had died. In another game, Santop was the recipient of a knockdown pitch from ex-New York Giant Jeff Tesreau in an exhibition game. Both Tyler, Texas natives, Santop yelled to Tesreau, "You wouldn't throw at a hometown boy, would you?" But the gentle giant could become perturbed if provoked. On another occasion, he broke three of Oscar Charleston's ribs in an altercation.

It should be noted that, while fairly accurate, Santop's seasons were almost all not fully documented; with the exception of 1924, while he was playing for Hilldale and batted .389.

In 14 exhibition games against white major leaguers, he hit .296. Santop was a match for Josh Gibson. Gibson was often called "The Black Babe Ruth;" but he wasn't the first to bear that title. It was a Santop original. When Ruth and Santop faced each other in 1920, Ruth went 0-4, while Santop had 3 hits in 4 at bats.

He was rated by Rollo Wilson, described as the Grantland Rice of black sports writers, as the first-string catcher on his all-time black baseball team.

Santop became a broadcaster and eventually a bartender in Philadelphia after retiring from the game, before falling ill and eventually dying in a Philadelphia naval hospital in 1942, at age 52. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

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