About Turkey Stearnes
Norman Thomas "Turkey" Stearnes was an American baseball center fielder. He played 18 years in the Negro leagues, including nine years with the Detroit Stars (1923–1931), six years with the Chicago American Giants, and three years with the Kansas City Monarchs (1938–1940). The Detroit Stars sent catcher Bruce Petway to Memphis to scout Stearnes, who was then playing first base and pitcher. Playing without Stearnes, the Stars finished fourth in the first half of the season; with Stearnes' return, they won the second-half pennant. In 1931, his final year with the Stars, Stearnes won his second NNL batting championship with a.376 average and again led the league in on-base percentage (.465) and slugging (.632). He won the NNL batting championship in 1929 with a.390 batting average and repeated as batting champion in 1931 with a.376 average.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.