Even if the infamous “Charlie Hustle” aka Pete Rose is made eligible to be inducted into Baseball’s Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, it will now be a posthumous honor as the “hit king” passed away today in Nevada.
TheSource.com is updating this story as details develop.
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Over the Memorial Day weekend, baseball fan as well as some of baseball’s greatest legends gathered under sunny skies in Cooperstown, New York for the inaugural East-West Classic game sponsored by The Players Alliance, the collective created by current and former ballplayers of both genders to ensure the equality of opportunities for minority players. The East-West Classic, played at Doubleday Field, arguably one of baseball’s very first diamonds, paid homage to the Negro Leagues, who are the pioneers of Black baseball. Cooperstown simultaneously presented a special treat for the attendees of the game, with the unveiling of the Souls Of The Game exhibit in the Baseball Hall Of Fame, which is only a few blocks down Main Street from Doubleday Field.
Vendors and fans jammed the entrance Saturday morning before the game just to get a glimpse of some of the players who were just arriving for warm up while a large portion of the attendees perused the new exhibit for free, courtesy of The Players Alliance. The who’s who of Black baseball players were not only in attendance, but ready to take the field. The rosters on both teams spanned several generations of ballplayers, yet all are legends in their own right including Curtis Granderson, B.J. and Justin Upton, Dave Winfield, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Russell Martin, Fred McGriff, Adam Jones(who won the Home Run Derby), Ken Griffey Jr., Little League World Series legend Mo’ne Davis, Negro Leaguers Sam Allen and Fergie Wilson and many more. Notable attendees include Linda Paige(daughter of Hall Of Famer and Negro Leaguer Satchel Paige), Hall Of Famer Ozzie Smith, Negro League Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick, Players Alliance Executive Director Margarette Purvis and many others.
CC Sabathia, former Yankees Pitcher and Vice Chairman of The Players Alliance said, “I think it’s incredibly important that we keep this legacy alive…Black baseball and Black voices in baseball. To be out here and be able to represent the Negro Leagues..the Indianapolis Clowns, the Newark Eagles, whose uniform I’m wearing…and to see all of my homeboys out here!” He continued, “I think that it’s super necessary that we tell these stories because these were the LeBron James and Kyrie Irvings of that day. Satchel Paige had his own plane flying around in the 60s, know what I’m sayin’? They were selling out stadiums 50 to 60 thousand people every night, so these were the real superstars of the game. To be able to represent that means a lot.”
The Souls Of The Game explores more than just Black and Brown baseball players who made it to the big leagues; the exhibit captures the emotional narrative of minority players who had to play on segregated teams during the country’s racist infancy. Statues of home run king Hank Aaron, Negro League great John “Buck” O’Neil and baseball icon Jackie Robinson flanked the first floor lobby while lines wrapped through several adjacent exhibits in order to get a glimpse of Souls of The Game. Original uniforms from teams such as the Newark Eagles, Birmingham Black Barons, Homestead Grays, Kansas City Monarchs, New York Black Yankess and other teams who could only play other Black and Latin teams, lined the showcases of the exhibit. There was also an unofficial film called The Stories Of Black Baseball, which played outside of the exhibit hall for only a few minutes, but showing some never-before-seen footage of Black baseball players. The Stories Of Black Baseball included the 1955 Cannon Street YMCA All Stars out of Charleston, South Carolina, who were a team of all Black Little Leaguers who went undefeated, but were not allowed to play in the Little League World Series because all of their white opponents forfeited their games because they were Black.
s for the game, the East was definitely in the house as Player of the Game Ryan Howard blasted a three-run homer to give the East a 5-4 victory over the West.
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On the day the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY will officially open The Souls of the Game exhibit, the Players Alliance will ensure museum visitors have the opportunity to experience the culmination of Black history and baseball.
In celebration of Black baseball, the Hall of Fame East-West Classic, the opening of The Souls of the Game exhibit and Museum admission will be free on Saturday, May 25, courtesy of The Players Alliance. The opening of the exhibit will be the same day as the Hall of Fame East-West Classic is played at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown.
“The story of Black baseball, told through the voices of those who lived and live it, is a vital part of the American narrative and one from which everyone can learn,” said Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “We are so grateful to The Players Alliance for making it possible for everyone to enter the Museum on Saturday, May 25, as we open The Souls of the Game exhibit. This partnership will allow visitors to experience the stories of Black baseball as never before possible.”
As part of the fan experience at the Hall of Fame East-West Classic, The Players Alliance will bring their Level Up Lab to the concourse outside the front gates of Doubleday Field. The Level Up Lab is a retail-style pop-up experience offering one on one tips from current and former pro players ensuring access and engagement of urban and rural players. Players learn proper sizing for bats, gloves and more.
“The Players Alliance is thrilled to support our many leaders playing in the East-West Classic by helping fans enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Margarette Purvis, interim executive director of The Players Alliance. “Through this partnership with the Hall of Fame, we will give access to Black history to thousands of fans who will visit the Museum on May 25. By experiencing Black baseball history, guests will see the path to build a stronger and more inclusive game going forward.”
Located on the Museum’s second floor in the Yawkey Gallery, The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball will cover stories of early Black baseball, the Negro Leagues era, the complexities of reintegration, Jackie Robinson, post-reintegration progress and retrogress, and calls for change in today’s game while celebrating the newest superstars of the era. Meaningful stories from Black baseball are also being added to other exhibits throughout the Museum.
The exhibit is part of the Hall of Fame’s Black Baseball Initiative that includes additional outreach programs, educational materials and virtual programming and is made possible by the Yawkey Foundation with additional support from Bill Janetschek in honor of his siblings Robert and Ann, the Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation and the Bisignano Family. The initiative will also enhance Black Baseball stories found throughout the Museum.
The Souls of the Game, a title that pays tribute to W.E.B. Du Bois’s seminal 1903 book “The Souls of Black Folk”, will explore the Black baseball experience of those men, women and children who were and are an integral part of our National Pastime.
Subtitled “Voices of Black Baseball”, the exhibit will highlight first-person accounts by the many individuals whose experiences shaped them, their community, baseball and America at large. Featuring historically significant artifacts, documents and photographs, and utilizing audio, video, and interactive elements, the exhibit will tell a more inclusive story of baseball, shine a light on and correct misconceptions about Black baseball.
For more information about the Museum’s Black Baseball Initiative, please visit baseballhall.org/BBI.
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