Years later when Tugerson was a shift lieutenant with the Winter Haven Police

Department, in an article titled “Former Pitcher In A League By Himself,” in The

Lakeland Ledger, Tugerson reminisced about his baseball career.  He talked about

pitching for the Bartow All-Stars and beating both the Kansas City Monarchs and the

Clowns.  Both these teams asked him to join them, but he was hesitant to go on the

road, pointing out he could stay home and cook at the Sundown Restaurant and get

$50 a game for playing once a week.  The Homestead Grays, the dominant Negro

League team, offered him a contract, but he opted instead to sign with the

Monarchs.  His stay with the Monarchs was short-lived as he got a sore arm

overthrowing in an effort to impress Buck O’Neil, the Monarch’s manager.  He then

signed with the Clowns, joining his brother, Leander, and played the 1951 and 1952

seasons there.

        Tugerson also spoke of his time with the Clowns and his rooming with future Hall

of Famer Hank Aaron.  “He was my roommate when we were with the Clowns.  He

left the Clowns and went to Indianapolis in the Braves farm system.  When he came

to camp, all he had was a li’l bitty handbag with his glove and shoes and clothes and

everything.  Both of us being rookies, and neither of us drink and both of us spend

most of the time in our rooms, so they put us together.  We had fun.  It was

wholesome and clean fun, we just didn’t drink.  And we didn’t believe in staying out

late.  We rapped the ball, and then we’d go home.”

 

       Tugerson talked about the pressure he felt from both the Cotton States League

following the forfeited game at Hot Springs and from the owner of the Clowns (Syd

Pollock) to rejoin the Clowns rather than return to Knoxville.  He also addressed the

reason he returned to Knoxville rather than rejoining the Clowns.  Tugerson said, “It

would have defeated the purpose.  See, if I had a contract there and broke it, I would

have denied the right of Negro players to play in the league at any time.  That

wouldn’t have helped the black people, baseball or nothin’.”

  
      Tugerson confirmed during this interview with The Ledger late in his life what the

newspapers had reported in 1953 – his promise the night of the forfeiture to sue the

Cotton States League.  Following his return to Knoxville after filing the lawsuit, there

was little talk of the lawsuit among his teammates, and Tugerson only voluntarily

spoke of it once.  Shortly after returning to the team, a few members of the pitching

staff, including Koehnke, Buckles, and Diehl, heard Tugerson’s own words about it. 

These pitchers, as well as their other Smokies teammates, were awed by Tugerson. 

He was such a private man, and they had such respect for him that they were always

reluctant to tread on his private turf—his inner sanctum.  This one occasion was an

exception.