They Stepped Up to the Plate

Deputy goes to bat for Negro Leagues players

Thank you all for taking the time to read this page.  I want to explain about a project my daughter Makayla and I have been working on for over a year.

Makayla came home one cold February day in 2014 as a 2nd grader in the Honeoye Falls-Lima School District very intrigued to learn more about civil rights.  Her teacher had taught her that day about Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges and all of a sudden, my 7 year old daughter had new heroes!  She asked me if I could find Ruby Bridges' address so she could write her a letter.  2 days later, Makayla wrote Ms. Bridges a two and a half page letter.  I seized the opportunity to teach her more about civil rights through the eyes of baseball, as I had been collecting Negro League autographs and memorabilia since before she was born.  Very excited about what I was teaching her, she said to me, "Why don't you write letters too?"

Depending on whose estimates you read, it is said that there are less than 200 living Negro Leaguers left.  So, I started writing letters.  I have now written well over 200 letters in an attempt to find these men (and one woman) and astonishingly, I have heard back from over 65 players.  The responses I have received have been very generous.  I have had players send me autographs, their own personal baseball cards, newspaper articles, personal photographs, and even memorabilia.  We will cherish all of these mementos forever.  However, what really strikes me about their responses are their stories and willingness to share them.

These players have such amazing stories.  Their stories should not go untold.  What started as a simple attempt to teach my own children about the civil rights struggles in America has turned into so much more.  There are countless stories about the players who made it to the Major Leagues, but seldom do we read about the players who, for the love of the game, continued playing segregated baseball into the 1950's and 1960's.  Their story is a compelling account of an America struggling with itself to establish a new identity.  

4 of these players have accepted our invitation to come to Rochester on Friday July 31 to share their stories with the youth in our communities.  They are the human stories of men who simply wanted to play baseball whatever the costs.  Men who would learn to love and sometimes loathe the game that helped define America.  Men whose stories have largely gone untold yet unwittingly became such an important part of baseball, civil rights, and America.

These players are in their 80's and 90's.  Their stories should not, must not, die with them.  Their stories about their struggles and their sacrifices deserve to be shared with our future generations.

The event will be held at the Boys and Girls Club of Rochester on Friday July 31 at 2:00pm.

Please consider donating to such an important and special cause.  Any donations received will be used to cover lodging and travel expenses for the players who will be attending this special event.  Any money donated in excess of the goal will be donated to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo.