The Columbus Blue Birds was a professional baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 team based in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

 in 1933.

Their name appears to have been derived from that of the Columbus Red Birds

Columbus Red Birds

The Columbus Red Birds was the name of a top-level minor league baseball team that played in Columbus, Ohio, in the American Association from 1931 through 1954. The Columbus club, a member of the Association continuously since 1902, was previously known as the Columbus Senators — a typical...

 , the top-level minor league baseball team that played in the American Association

American Association (20th century)

The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...

 from 1931 through 1954.

The Blue Birds, which was one of the five founder members of the second incarnation of the Negro National League, was organised under the ownership of WJ Peebles of Columbus.

Peebles was reported to have built up "a formidable aggregation" and one that was fast growing in favour in the capital city.

Several players, who formerly wore the colors of the Homestead Grays

Homestead Grays

The Homestead Grays were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey, and would remain in continuous operation for 38 seasons. The team was based in Homestead, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Pittsburgh.-Franchise...

 and Kansas City Monarchs

Kansas City Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro Leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri and owned by J.L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930. J.L. Wilkinson was the first Caucasian owner at the time...

 had been added to the Birds' roster for their first season.

Columbus started the season well, but proved too weak and finished the first half of the split season in last place of the six team league with a record of 11-18.

The team was disbanded and ended up merging with the Akron Tyrites, one of the top independent Negro league teams of their day.

The merged team more or less became the Cleveland Giants

Cleveland Giants

The Cleveland Giants were a Negro Leagues baseball team. The team played only one year, 1933. Their home games were contested at Cleveland's Luna Bowl in Luna Park....

, which finished the season.

Batting champion Leroy Morney and slugger Jabbo Andrews were the top stars.

Notable players

• Bill Byrd
  Bill Byrd
  William 'Daddy' Byrd was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues. Born in Canton, Georgia, he was a right-handed pitcher, and one of the last to legally throw the spitball. He participated in six All-Star games. Byrd also saw action in Venezuela and Puerto Rico where he was...
  
  
• Lou Dials
• Dizzy Dismukes
• Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe
  Ted Radcliffe
  Theodore Roosevelt "Double Duty" Radcliffe was at his death thought to be the oldest living professional baseball player , one of only a handful of major league players who lived past their 100th birthdays, and a former star in the...