Silas Simmons, 111; called oldest pro baseball player

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Silas Simmons, a pitcher and outfielder in Negro leagues who was said to be the oldest living professional baseball player, died two weeks after his 111th birthday.

He died Oct. 29 in a retirement nursing home.

Mr. Simmons, a left-hander, played for several teams from 1912-1929, including the New York Lincoln Giants of the Eastern Colored League, the Cuban Stars, and the Blue Ribbons of Germantown, who became the Homestead Grays.

He was born in Middleton, Del., in 1895, the same year as Babe Ruth, and honored by the Center for Negro League Baseball Research on his birthday Oct. 14.

A Tampa Bay Devil Rays fan, Mr. Simmons was presented with a No. 111 jersey.

Researchers identified him this year as the oldest living man to have played professionally.

In an interview with The New York Times in September, Mr. Simmons said he was paid about $10 a game but never thought about trying to play for major league baseball because any tryout would have been useless.

"A lot of good black players, but they couldn't play in the league," he said. "So that was it. After Jackie Robinson came up, they found out how good they were and started recruiting. You have to give them a chance to play.

"Negroes had a lot of pride. They felt like baseball, that was the greatest thing in the world for them."