| Peanuts Davis | |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Birth Date: | August 26, 1917 |
| Birth Place: | Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | Negro league baseball |
| Debutyear: | 1939 |
| Debutteam: | Miami Ethiopian Clowns [1] |
| Finalyear: | 1951 |
| Finalteam: | Indianapolis–Cincinnati Clowns |
| Teams: |
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Edward Arnett Davis (August 26, 1917 – May 13, 1973), nicknamed "Peanuts", was an American Negro league pitcher in the late 1930s,[2] throughout the 1940s, and into the early 1950s.[3] He sometimes used the pseudonym "Peanuts Nyasses" when playing baseball for iterations of the Clowns in Miami, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis.[4] He was often called the "Clown Prince of Negro Baseball" by sportswriters who saw him play.[5] But the sportswriters also acknowledged that in addition to clowning, he was considered "one of the top pitchers in Negro baseball;" [6] in fact, many fans believed he was as talented as the much better-known Satchel Paige.[7] Davis was also praised for his versatility. "He’s a brilliant hurler...and a standout also if stationed anywhere in the outfield or infield."[8]
Little is known about Davis's childhood. He was a native of Jackson, Mississippi, and he supposedly got the nickname "Peanuts" from working as a vendor at local minor league baseball games, where he sold roasted peanuts "more rapidly than any of his boyhood rivals."[9] Another version of how he got the nickname states that his first job was bagging the peanuts, prior to their being sold at the ballpark.[10] He attended high school in Jackson, and maintained ties to the area: he later raised his own family there.[11] Davis played off-and-on for the various iterations of the Clowns, first in Miami, and later for the Indianapolis–Cincinnati Clowns between 1939 and 1946, and again beginning in 1949.[12] His baseball career was interrupted by World War II, and he played for an Army team at Fort Benning, Georgia for three years,[13] while fulfilling his military service. He was discharged from the Army in early May 1946 and rejoined the Clowns.[14] In addition to his skill at being a comedian, he was known for having an impressive knuckle ball; he even defeated Satchel Paige on several occasions during his career.[15] But perhaps his most noteworthy pitching feat occurred during a 20-inning game against the Chicago American Giants. Both he and opposing pitcher Gentry Jessup were locked in a pitching duel that was finally called because of darkness. Both men pitched all 20 innings.[16]
At some point, he left the Clowns, and returned in the spring of 1949. The newspapers said he had "jumped" his club and pitched elsewhere, evidently in violation of his contract; he was reinstated in time for the 1949 season.[17] He returned to pitch some games for the Clowns in 1950, but in 1951, he got into a contract dispute with the team's ownership, and was suspended from the team.[18] He decided to retire,[19] but by late 1951, he had joined a semipro team in Jacksonville, Florida, the Jacksonville Eagles.[20] Little is known about his later years. He died on May 13, 1973, at age 55.[21]
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