Celebrating Black Baseball This Month

[Max Power]

February is Black History Month.

Is anyone celebrating black baseball in a special way this month?

To honor the Negro Leaguers, at the least, you should scan NetShrine's ICONS from the Lively Ball Era -
http://www.netshrine.com/iconslive.html - and read up on some of the black greats! :D

Me? I just ordered "Soul For The Game" and "Mr. Kansas City: The Life of Buck O'Neil" on DVD - through http://www.netshrine.com/amazon.html of course! - and look forward to watching them back-to-back before month end (once they arrive).

[Ytown Tribe fan]

"Only the Ball was White", by Robert Peterson. Still a fine read after all these years.

When compiling rosters for a few USBL fantasy teams, I was struck by the number of fine players I had to leave off because they didn't have enough ML stats to be included.

In at least one case, the player left off would have been the best pitcher on the team, by a good margin: Bullet Joe Rogan would have taken Oklahoma's slugging-rich but pitching-poor roster over the top.

If the '89ers are eliminated early, it will be due to segregation, to a great extent.

On the plus side, though, The Mississippi Rebels will be managed by Cool Papa Bell, since I couldn't find a ML manager from that state. He might just play some outfield for them too, if only he were "good enough".

[pathogan]

...soul of the game was,well, ok at best...try Ted "Double duty" radcliffe:36 years of pitching and catching in baseballs negro leagues.Un-sanitized,funny,told when he was old...also Catching dreams: by Frasier "show" robinson, told by a relatively unknown catcher who witnessed alot...I have the Negro league set from APBa which is fun to play...I wear Negro league t-shirts constantly, Annie wears a Pittsburgh Crawfords 1936 hat,and invariably i get asked questions about the shirts, the teams,etc...one of the reason i joined sabr[when i did belong was for negro league histroy, to help however i could},which is nice...

[Max Power]

I picked up Mr. KC based on your comments in another thread - thanks Pat!

[Bruce Markusen]

There are a few things we are doing at the Hall of Fame to celebrate Black History Month. On most Saturdays in February, we are airing the critically acclaimed 1984 documentary, "There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace." Also as part of our Bullpen Film Series, we have aired the 1996 HBO Film, "Soul of the Game," about Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Jackie Robinson. And later this month, I'll be hosting a Sandlot Stories presentation on the first all-black lineup, which was used by the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 1, 1971.

[Max Power]

Just finished watching "Soul of the Game" tonight - - no better way to kill time during a blizzard! - - - it is a must see for all baseball fans. If you have not seen it yet, check it out.

[Rajah]

I'm reading Beyond the Shadow of the Senators, which is about the Homestead Grays and Buck Leonard.

[Bruce Markusen]

As a follow-up to an earlier post, here are specific Black History Month programs coming up this weekend at the Hall of Fame.

Friday, February 21:
6:30 pm--The Bullpen Film Series--We'll be showing the 2002 HBO documentary, City On Fire: The Tigers of '68, about the '68 World Series against the backdrop of racial rioting in the city of Detroit. Tickets are free, but must be reserved by calling 607-547-0397.


Saturday, February 22:
12:00 noon--The Bullpen Film Series--We'll be showing the critically acclaimed 1984 documentary, There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace, about life in the Negro Leagues. No reservation necessary.

1:00 pm--Sandlot Stories--I'll be hosting a presentation on the first all-black lineup in major league history (September 1, 1971; Pittsburgh Pirates). No reservating necessary.

Admission to the Saturday programs is free for anyone with a ticket to the Museum that day. So if you're in the neighborhood of Cooperstown, or somewhere close by, stop by.