Negro Baseball Leagues

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Upcoming US postage stamps will feature Negro Leagues

— In June, stamps will be released honoring Negro Leagues baseball, which operated from 1920 to about 1960, drawing some of the most remarkable athletes ever to play the sport.

via blog.taragana.com

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Books for Kids | Baseball legend also a caring dad | The Columbus Dispatch

One of the most courageous sports figures in American history stared racism in the face but had a secret fear: Jackie Robinson couldn't swim.

In the delightful picture book Testing the Ice (Scholastic, $16.99, ages 5 to 9), Sharon Robinson -- daughter of the baseball legend -- tells young readers the tale of the first player to integrate professional baseball as well as a family story that reflects her father's character.

via www.dispatch.com

Christmas Gifts: Negro Leagues Throwback Jerseys and Jackets

Looking for gift ideas?  Consider a throwback jersey or team jacket from the Negro Leagues:

1945 Kansas City Monarchs Road Throwback Jersey (Sizes 3XL - 5XL) With #23 (Jackie Robinson) from Ebbets Field Flannels

Negro League Baltimore Black Sox Wool & Distressed Leather Jacket

Buck O'Neil Tribute

From KansasCity.com:

It’s been three years since Buck O’Neil died, but his presence is still felt at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which plans to celebrate the life of this Kansas City icon.

O’Neil would have turned 98 on Friday, so on that day, all 10 FirstWatch restaurants in the area will donate 100 percent of their profits to Buck’s Hall of Education at the NLBM. In addition, a number of former players will be at select restaurants to sign autographs.

Former Negro Leagues players Jess Rogers and DeMorris Smith will be at 1022 Westport Road from 8-9 a.m. Former Royals second baseman Frank White will be at that location from 9-10 a.m. Former Royals pitcher Al Fitzmorris will be at 12040 Blue Valley Pkwy, Overland Park, from 9-10 a.m. Former Royals outfielder Brian McRae will be at 9916 College Blvd., Overland Park, from 8-9 a.m. Former Royals Paul Splittorff and Les Norman will be at 19321 E. Highway 40 #L in Independence from 9-10 a.m.

The celebration will continue Saturday with a series of events at the NLBM, 1616 E. 18th Street. There will be a special admission price of $1 (a Buck) for the museum. Children under age 12 when accompanied by an adult are free. There will be free cupcakes throughout the day.

From noon to 4 p.m. there will be free live jazz in the atrium of the Museums at 18th & Vine featuring the Valerie Price Trio (noon-2 p.m.) and Wes Blackmon (2-4 p.m.).

For more information, call the museum at 816-221-1920.

Bringing the Negro Leagues to Life: STRAT-O-MATIC

From Suburban Chicago News:

Baseball historians often read between the lines to grasp the essence of the Negro Leagues. They were formed out of necessity in 1920 in Chicago when black players were excluded from the Major Leagues because of racial discrimination. After Jackie Robinson broke the color line in 1947, the leagues continued until 1955.

The Negro Leagues have been characterized by folklore, mystery and intrigue.

But the players come to life with uncanny detail in "Strat-O-Matic Negro League All-Stars," which debuts this week through the Strat-O-Matic game company in Glen Head, N.Y. The Strat-O-Matic board game debuted in 1962.

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Palm Beach baseball featured Negro Leagues, high-society teams a century ago

From the Palm Beach Daily News:

A century ago, just south of Royal Poinciana Way, some of the nation's best athletes, clad in woolen uniforms and stubby-billed caps, smacked triples and caught line drives with their bare hands.

Money-bags E.F. Hutton, in prison-convict garb, huddled behind home plate, delighting high-society A-list onlookers in feathered hats.

One afternoon, Babe Ruth dropped by.

As Major League Baseball's World Series fast approaches, Palm Beach's illustrious baseball past echoes its primacy — ash-wood bats, roaring crowds and all.

For decades after the turn of the 20th century, baseball in Palm Beach reigned supreme — from Negro League games to high-society contests — on a diamond flanked by two of the finest resort hotels in the world.

A look back at Negro Leagues Baseball - Photo Gallery - Kansas City Star

A look back at Negro Leagues Baseball - Photo Gallery - Kansas City Star.

A look back at Negro Leagues Baseball

In his own words: A Conversation with Negro League legend Buck O’Neil « The Chris Murray Report

When I was a sportswriter/columnist with the Philadelphia Tribune back in 2005, I wrote a series of articles on the plight of African-Americans in baseball. One of the stories that I wrote focused on the impact that former Negro League players had on Major League Baseball once the game was integrated. One of the people that I interviewed for this series for this series was legendary Negro League manager the late John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil (born:November 13 1911-died: October 6, 2006).

O’Neil was Satchel Paige’s roommate on the road during the course of their barnstorming throughout the country. He shared the stories of Paige’s exploits in a number of documentaries including Ken Burns acclaimed PBS series, “Baseball.”

Among baseball historians and well-wishers, he was the unofficial ambassador of the Negro Leagues. O’Neil was the griot of the Negro Leagues who regaled Americans, regardless of races, with the tales of Josh Gibson, Judy Johnson, and “Cool Papa Bell. Even beyond Negro League Baseball, O’Neil was a student, if not a professor, of baseball history in general.

Continue reading at In his own words: A Conversation with Negro League legend Buck O’Neil « The Chris Murray Report.