Editing Monte Irvin (section)

===Return to baseball===
After World War II, Irvin was approached by [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] executive [[Branch Rickey]] about being signed for the major leagues, but Irvin felt he was not ready to play at that level so soon after leaving the service.<ref>[http://www.baseballinwartime.com/player_biographies/irvin_monte.htm Monte Irvin]. ''Baseball in Wartime''. Retrieved January 13, 2016.</ref> The Newark Eagles business manager, [[Effa Manley]], would not let Rickey sign Irvin without compensation. Rickey had already obtained [[Jackie Robinson]] without paying for his rights to his Negro league clubs. Said Irvin,

<blockquote> ...&nbsp;from a purely business standpoint, Mrs. Manley felt that Branch Rickey was obligated to compensate her for my contract. That position probably delayed my entry into the major leagues&nbsp;... Mrs. Manley told Rickey that he had taken [[Don Newcombe]] for no money but she wasn't going to let him take me without some compensation. Furthermore, if he tried to do it, she would sue and fight him in court&nbsp;... Rickey contacted her to say he was no longer interested and released me&nbsp;... the Giants picked up my contract&nbsp;...<ref name="Cooperstown_Simons">{{cite book|title=The Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, 2000|editor=Alvin L. Hall|isbn=978-0786411207|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|last=Simons|first=William M.|date=2 October 2015|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OT2oXO8-5KwC&q=larry+dobby+effa+manley+bill+veeck+contract&pg=PA288}}</ref>{{rp|p.277}}
</blockquote>

Irvin earned MVP honors in the 1945–46 Puerto Rican Winter League. He returned to the Newark Eagles in 1946 to lead his team to a league pennant. Irvin won his second batting championship, hitting .401, and was instrumental in beating the [[Kansas City Monarchs]] in a seven-game [[Negro League World Series]], batting .462 with three home runs. He was a five-time [[East-West All-Star Game|Negro League All-Star]] (1941, 1946–1948, including two games in 1946). He spent the winter of 1948–49 in Cuba.