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Bassett, Lloyd, 1910-1981

Biography"Pepper Bassett was a 7-time All-Star in the Negro Leagues. Pepper Bassett began his career in 1934 at age 15 with the minor New Orleans Crescent Stars. The team was drawing poorly, so Pepper suggested that he catch some games in a rocking chair as a way to increase fan interest. The owner agreed and the act drew lots of attention. Bassett would continue to catch in a rocking chair on occasion as a crowd-drawing stunt at points throughout his career, usually if the game had been decided already. Bassett made it to the Homestead Grays by 1936 in a backup role. The next year, he started for the Pittsburgh Crawfords and batted .296. He led all catchers in voting for the 1937 East-West Game, with 41,463. Starting at catcher and hitting 8th for the East, he was 0 for 3 with a walk." -- Baseball Reference.