Fascinating, PB!
I second that!
From yesterday's SF Chronicle:
''... The Negro Leaguers played with a flair and exuberance... The greater baseball world got a glimpse of Negro Leagues style when a young Willie Mays, who played briefly for the Birmingham Black Barons, rocked the major leagues with his basket catches, flying cap and joyful style.
... The Negro Leaguers would bring down the house in pregame warm-ups with their phantom infield drill, dazzling plays made with a pretend ball.''https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/scott-ostler-negro-leaguers-vs-major-leaguers-who-would-win/ar-BB162HkaI saw a short interview with Mays awhile back - he's a local guy here and comes out to the ballpark quite a bit - he said he wore his cap a bit loose so that when he was chasing a well hit fly ball it would fly off his head as he ran, making the catch seem more difficult and exciting that it would appear otherwise.
I've heard mention of the phantom ball routine during infield warmups, that must have been fantastic. Some of this, the barnstorming, the flashy play, reminds me a bit of the Globetrotters.