Talk about foreshadowing! Letter from Richard D. Powell, vice-President of the Baltimore Elite Giants, the "1949 Negro American League Champions." Came out of Brooklyn Dodger Archive. The letter reads, "Enclosed please find thumb-nail sketches and photos of the following players: James Gilliam, Joseph Black, and Leroy Farrell. This missive was undoubtedly in answer to a request from the Brooklyn Dodgers farm team at St. Paul, Minnesota for information on the three. Although Leroy Farrell did not have a big league career, Gilliam and Black both became Brooklyn Dodger stars. The Dodgers already had a Baltimore Elite Giant alumnus as their star catcher. Both Black and Gilliam signed with Brooklyn and in an amazing feat they became consecutive National League rookies of the year: Black, a pitcher, won in 1952, and Gilliam, an infielder, won in 1953.