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John Merida

John H. Merida (May 1879 – May 13, 1911), nicknamed "Snowball", was an American Negro league catcher and second baseman between 1907 and 1911. A native of Spiceland, Indiana, Merida suited up for the Spiceland Academy (a local high school) until 1903. He was the only African American on the team during his tenure. He played semiprofessionally around East Central Indiana through 1906 (even catching former major leaguer Jot Goar on multiple occasions). A lone exception during this time was a stint Merida spent playing for Black baseball legend Bud Fowler's Cincinnati Black Tourists in 1905. He made his Negro leagues debut in 1907 with the Indianapolis ABCs. He played three seasons with the ABCs. He was named captain and on-field manager for the ABCs during their 1908 season. After a stint with the Minneapolis Keystones in 1910, Merida finished his career in 1911 with the Kansas City Royal Giants. Merida died of spinal meningitis in Kansas City, Missouri in 1911 at age 32.

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Article summary

John H. Merida (May 1879 – May 13, 1911), nicknamed "Snowball", was an American Negro league catcher and second baseman between 1907 and 1911. A native of Spiceland, Indiana, Merida suited up for the Spiceland Academy (a local high school) until 1903. He was the only African American on the team during his tenure. He played semiprofessionally around East Central Indiana through 1906 (even catching former major leaguer Jot Goar on multiple occasions). A lone exception during this time was a stint Merida spent playing for Black baseball legend Bud Fowler's Cincinnati Black Tourists in 1905. He made his Negro leagues debut in 1907 with the Indianapolis ABCs. He played three seasons with the ABCs. He was named captain and on-field manager for the ABCs during their 1908 season. After a stint with the Minneapolis Keystones in 1910, Merida finished his career in 1911 with the Kansas City Royal Giants. Merida died of spinal meningitis in Kansas City, Missouri in 1911 at age 32.

Key claims

  1. date of death: 1911 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of death is "1911". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1367312462

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.