Peanuts Davis

{{short description|American baseball player (1917–1973)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Peanuts Davis

| image = Peanuts Davis.png

| position = Pitcher

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1917|8|26|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1973|5|13|1917|8|26|mf=y}}

| death_place =

| bats = Right

| throws = Right

| debutleague = Negro league baseball

| debutdate =

| debutyear = 1939

| debutteam = Miami Ethiopian Clowns Alan J. Pollock, Barnstorming to Heaven: Syd Pollock and his Great Black Teams (University of Alabama Press, 2006), p.25.

| finaldate =

| finalyear = 1951

| finalteam = Indianapolis–Cincinnati Clowns

| statyear =

| statleague =

| stat1label =

| stat1value =

| stat2label =

| stat2value =

| stat3label =

| stat3value =

| teams =

• Indianapolis–Cincinnati Clowns (1941–1943, 1946, 1949-1950)

}}

Edward Arnett Davis (August 26, 1917 – May 13, 1973), nicknamed "Peanuts", was an American Negro league pitcher in the late 1930s,"Clowns Here Tonight for Initial Clash," (Madison, Wisc.) Capital Times, May 28, 1939, p. 21. throughout the 1940s, and into the early 1950s."Undefeated Clowns Open in New Home," (Oklahoma City) Black Dispatch, May 19, 1951, p.6. He sometimes used the pseudonym "Peanuts Nyasses" when playing baseball for iterations of the Clowns in Miami, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis."Pitching Clown in Action Tomorrow Night at Stadium," St. Joseph (Missouri) Gazette, August 12, 1942, p. 9. He was often called the "Clown Prince of Negro Baseball" by sportswriters who saw him play.Everett Clay, "Spotlighting Sports," Miami Herald, August 17, 1943, p. 14. But the sportswriters also acknowledged that in addition to clowning, he was considered "one of the top pitchers in Negro baseball;" "Star Performers to Be Here for Game Wednesday," Belleville (Illinois) Daily Advocate, September 14, 1943, p. 6. in fact, many fans believed he was as talented as the much better-known Satchel Paige."Third Shutout is Goal of Nyasses," Cincinnati Enquirer, August 17, 1941, p. 33. Davis was also praised for his versatility. "He’s a brilliant hurler...and a standout also if stationed anywhere in the outfield or infield."“Ethiopian Clowns Open at Macon,” Birmingham (Alabama) Weekly Review, April 24, 1942, p. 7.

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.""Peanuts Nyasses, Baseball's Stepin Fetchit," Chicago Daily News, August 1, 1942, Pictorial Section, p. 8. 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.Alan J. Pollock, Barnstorming to Heaven: Syd Pollock and his Great Black Teams (University of Alabama Press, 2006), p. 25. He attended high school in Jackson, and maintained ties to the area: he later raised his own family there."Edward Arnett Davis Jr.," Jackson (Mississippi) Clarion-Ledger, November 3, 2016, p. A6. 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."Eagles Defeat Clowns 5-2," Cincinnati Enquirer, July 19, 1949, p. 11. His baseball career was interrupted by World War II, and he played for an Army team at Fort Benning, Georgia for three years,"Black Barons to Play Fort Benning Or Stars in Game at Rickwood," Birmingham (Alabama) News, June 25, 1944, p. 18. while fulfilling his military service. He was discharged from the Army in early May 1946 and rejoined the Clowns.“On the Baseball Front,” (Los Angeles) California Eagle, May 2, 1946, p. 16. 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.Alan J. Pollock, Barnstorming to Heaven: Syd Pollock and his Great Black Teams (University of Alabama Press, 2006), p. 195. 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."Clowns, Chicago Play 20-Inning 3-3 Tie," Chicago Defender, May 18, 1946, p. 11.

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."Davis Will Pitch for Clowns Here," Monroe (Louisiana) News-Star, April 19, 1949, p. 11. 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."Clowns Win in Six League Contest," Macon (Georgia) Telegraph, May 22, 1951, p. 2. He decided to retire,Alan J. Pollock, Barnstorming to Heaven: Syd Pollock and his Great Black Teams (University of Alabama Press, 2006), p. 258. but by late 1951, he had joined a semipro team in Jacksonville, Florida, the Jacksonville Eagles."All Stars, Eagles to Play Here," Macon (Georgia) News, November 6, 1951, p. 16. Little is known about his later years. He died on May 13, 1973, at age 55.{{Cite web |last=Halper |first=Donna |date=January 20, 2023 |title=Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/peanuts-davis/}}