2020 Baseball Exhibits

Rube Foster in 1924. Foster was instrumental in the founding of the Negro National League in  1920

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, so keep an eye out for events commemorating various teams. Several museums – including the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the Yogi Berra Museum – have announced plans for special exhibits. In addition to honoring the Negro Leagues, many museums across the country have announced baseball exhibits for 2020:

• Baseball in Fayetteville, Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum, Fayetteville, NC; March 22, 2019 – Dec. 31, 2020
• The Hollywood Shorties, “the first professional sports team ever created entirely of little people,” The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, Northridge, CA; currently on display
• Baseball: America’s Home Run, National Postal Museum, Washington, DC; June 27, 2020 – January 8, 2023
• Selections from the Collection of Jefferson R. Burdick (baseball card exhibit), The Met Fifth Avenue, New York, NY; Jan. 14 – July 12, 2020
• Take Me Out To The Ball Game: Popular Music and the National Pastime, curated by the GRAMMY Museum, Woody Guthrie Center, Tulsa, OK; Jan. 18 – May 10, 2020
• Beisbol, traveling exhibit of the Negro League Baseball Museum, Museum of North Texas History, Wichita Falls, TX; Jan. 23 – March 13, 2020
• Negro National League Centennial Exhibit, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Kansas City, MO; Feb. 1 – May 31, 2020
• Fredericksburg Baseball, Fredericksburg Area Museum, Fredericksburg, VA; opening March 1, 2020
• Negro Baseball/Beisbol Exhibit, traveling exhibit of the Negro League Baseball Museum, Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum, Springfield, IL; April 11 – June 23, 2020
• Baseball in Taneytown, Taneytown History Museum, Taneytown, MD; opens April 19, 2020
• Portraying America’s Pastime: Baseball Glove Art by Sean Kane, Butler Arts Center, Clowes Memorial Hall, Indianapolis, IN; April 30 – June 11, 2020
• David Levinthal: Baseball, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC; May 16 – Nov. 15, 2020
• Negro National League Centennial Exhibit, Bobblehead Hall of Fame & Museum, Milwaukee, WI; July 1 – Dec. 31, 2020
• Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of the Negro Leagues, Yogi Berra Museum, Little Falls, NJ; Sept. 18, 2019 – June 20, 2020
• ¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues/En los barrios y las grandes ligas, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington, DC; opens Oct. 9, 2020

Other museums/exhibits of note:

• Jackie Robinson Museum, opening in 2020
• The Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit, Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America, will be on display in various locations in Virginia, North Carolina, and Washington in 2020
• Autumn Glory, currently at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, has artifacts from the Washington Nationals’ championship season and World Series win

Let me know if you check out any of these events!

~ baseballrebecca

 

 

 

 

Baseball at the American History Museum

On the second floor of the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, is an exhibit called, “American Stories.” According to the museum’s website, in this exhibit, visitors “[f]ollow a timeline of American history through objects that highlight both new and familiar stories.” What makes this exhibit particularly interesting is that at the entrance of the exhibit, is a display case containing a glove, cap, and cleats that Willie Mays wore during his time with the San Francisco Giants. According to the museum’s curator of popular culture and sports:

‘When someone sees these items, there are three things that he or she should take away.  That Mays was a great baseball player, that Mays was African-American, and that, with the Barack Obama quote which is included with the exhibit, that Mays was important to many Americans. When President Obama presented Willie Mays with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, Obama said that it was ‘because of giants like Willie that someone like me could even think of running for president.’’

The artifacts on display in the “American Stories” exhibit are part of a much larger baseball collection maintained by the museum. Though a small portion of the current exhibits at the museum, it is great to see baseball represented – especially when the exhibit includes one of the greats, like Willie Mays!

~ baseballrebecca

 

 

Monday Baseball Motivation

Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King, Jr. receiving the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Howard University in 1957. Photo courtesy of the National Museum of American History.

“Jackie Robinson made my success possible. Without him, I would never have been able to do what I did.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, let’s remember the impact sports had on Dr. King and that King had on sports. Let his words and actions inspire us, just as Jackie Robinson inspired him (and us).

Happy MLK, Jr., Day!

~ baseballrebecca

 

 

 

 

Best of the Week: 1/12/2020 – 1/18/2020

This past week, MLB announced its decision regarding the sign-stealing allegations against the Astros. After MLB announced sanctions for manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow, Astros owner, Jim Crane, fired both of them. A day later, Alex Cora, the Astros’ bench coach in 2017, was fired by the Boston Red Sox.

While it represents a sad episode for baseball, it does represent a step toward justice.

Statement regarding the Astros. https://t.co/xvuj6zOK9x

— MLB (@MLB) January 13, 2020

Alex Cora, who is awaiting discipline from MLB for his role in a sign-stealing scheme by the Astros, will no longer be the manager of the Red Sox. https://t.co/wGMFPHZ1ki

— ESPN (@espn) January 15, 2020

If you commit the “crime” you’re going to do the time. Astro’s and Sox do the right thing. Sad day for baseball. #Cora #onlychoice @masnOrioles @Orioles

— Jim Palmer (@Jim22Palmer) January 15, 2020

Pete Rose chimes in on Astros cheating scandal: I was wrong for gambling, but I didn't taint the game https://t.co/p0glqNjm2S

— CBS Sports MLB (@CBSSportsMLB) January 14, 2020

Stat-urday, 1/18/2020

Gerardo Parra at the White House in 2019, 10 days before he signed with the Yomiuri Giants

Keeping track of free agents during the off-season? Baseball Reference – my favorite source for all things stats – has a “Free Agent Tracker” on their website. It has a list of all the free agent signings since the end of the season last year, as well lists of those who have not yet signed with a new team. Below is the list as of Monday (sorry, I haven’t had time to update it) of Free Agent Batters (note, however, that players that have signed with non-U.S. leagues, like Adam Jones and Gerardo Parra, are still on the list).

Happy Stat-urday!

~ baseballrebecca

Name	Age	Last Team	H	HR	RBI	BA	OBP
Jarrod Dyson	35	ARI	573	21	170	0.247	0.319
Adam Jones	34	ARI	1939	282	945	0.277	0.317
Caleb Joseph	34	ARI	280	31	125	0.223	0.270
Wilmer Flores	28	ARI	572	77	290	0.268	0.310
Abraham Almonte	31	ARI	245	18	97	0.239	0.298
Josh Donaldson	34	ATL	1048	219	645	0.273	0.369
Adeiny Hechavarria	31	ATL	763	37	271	0.253	0.290
Matthew Joyce	35	ATL	861	145	482	0.243	0.343
Charlie Culberson	31	ATL	210	23	110	0.249	0.295
Billy Hamilton	29	ATL	680	21	176	0.242	0.297
Rafael Ortega	29	ATL	94	3	33	0.229	0.287
Jesus Sucre	32	BAL	146	10	69	0.222	0.260
Mark Trumbo	34	BAL	1018	218	629	0.249	0.302
Mitch Moreland	34	BOS	932	166	559	0.251	0.319
Brock Holt	32	BOS	552	23	206	0.271	0.340
Steve Pearce	37	BOS	572	91	303	0.254	0.332
Chris Owings	28	BOS	515	34	210	0.241	0.284
Gorkys Hernandez	32	BOS	227	20	81	0.230	0.292
Juan Centeno	30	BOS	76	6	37	0.223	0.278
Nicholas Castellanos	28	CHC	930	120	460	0.277	0.326
Addison Russell	26	CHC	480	60	253	0.242	0.312
Ben Zobrist	39	CHC	1566	167	768	0.266	0.357
Jim Adduci	35	CHC	92	5	39	0.232	0.283
Taylor Davis	30	CHC	8	1	7	0.222	0.256
Jonathan Lucroy	34	CHC	1128	108	545	0.274	0.335
Yolmer Sanchez	28	CHW	543	31	214	0.244	0.299
Jon Jay	35	CHW	1074	36	336	0.285	0.350
Matt Skole	30	CHW	18	1	7	0.217	0.290
Charlie Tilson	27	CHW	62	1	23	0.246	0.310
Derek Dietrich	30	CIN	524	79	247	0.246	0.334
Christian Colon	31	CIN	91	1	26	0.256	0.321
Yasiel Puig	29	CLE	834	132	415	0.277	0.348
Jason Kipnis	33	CLE	1120	123	529	0.261	0.333
Ryan Flaherty	33	CLE	284	37	142	0.215	0.284
Yonder Alonso	33	COL	872	100	426	0.259	0.332
Drew Butera	36	COL	253	19	114	0.200	0.257
Noel Cuevas	28	COL	34	2	10	0.230	0.265
Jordy Mercer	33	DET	762	64	299	0.257	0.316
John Hicks	30	DET	191	28	90	0.235	0.280
Dustin Peterson	25	DET	10	0	6	0.217	0.265
Bobby Wilson	37	DET	189	18	102	0.203	0.258
Gordon Beckham	33	DET	807	80	351	0.237	0.300
Robinson Chirinos	36	HOU	411	85	262	0.234	0.329
Alex Gordon	36	KCR	1609	186	738	0.258	0.339
Cheslor Cuthbert	27	KCR	269	27	119	0.250	0.300
Justin Bour	32	LAA	433	92	303	0.253	0.337
Kevan Smith	32	LAA	178	12	71	0.272	0.318
Kaleb Cowart	28	LAA	65	6	34	0.176	0.238
Russell Martin	37	LAD	1416	191	771	0.248	0.349
Kristopher Negron	34	LAD	83	9	32	0.221	0.291
Curtis Granderson	39	MIA	1800	344	937	0.249	0.337
Neil Walker	34	MIA	1215	149	606	0.267	0.339
JT Riddle	28	MIA	153	18	79	0.229	0.269
Cesar Puello	29	MIA	38	4	21	0.239	0.346
Bryan Holaday	32	MIA	162	10	74	0.241	0.287
Isaac Galloway	30	MIA	22	3	8	0.186	0.244
Peter O’Brien	29	MIA	38	11	26	0.209	0.275
Wilkin Castillo	36	MIA	12	0	4	0.286	0.302
Rosell Herrera	27	MIA	86	3	31	0.225	0.286
Deven Marrero	29	MIA	62	5	37	0.194	0.246
Martin Prado	36	MIA	1542	100	609	0.287	0.335
Hernan Perez	29	MIL	434	45	180	0.252	0.282
Cory Spangenberg	29	MIL	320	29	119	0.256	0.315
Tyler Austin	28	MIL	114	33	91	0.219	0.292
Tyler Saladino	30	MIL	221	19	92	0.226	0.278
Ronald Torreyes	27	MIN	165	4	57	0.279	0.308
Ryan LaMarre	31	MIN	53	4	21	0.236	0.286
Ian Miller	28	MIN	3	0	1	0.176	0.176
Todd Frazier	34	NYM	1019	214	624	0.243	0.320
Juan Lagares	31	NYM	498	25	179	0.254	0.297
Joe Panik	29	NYM	657	38	233	0.271	0.334
Rene Rivera	36	NYM	313	41	167	0.221	0.272
Aaron Altherr	29	NYM	222	37	150	0.219	0.307
Rajai Davis	39	NYM	1111	62	387	0.262	0.311
Ruben Tejada	30	NYM	530	10	158	0.250	0.324
Cameron Maybin	33	NYY	949	71	347	0.256	0.324
Terrance Gore	29	NYY	15	0	1	0.224	0.325
Erik Kratz	40	NYY	175	31	101	0.205	0.252
Greg Bird	27	NYY	129	32	98	0.211	0.301
Josh Phegley	32	OAK	250	34	160	0.227	0.269
Chris Herrmann	32	OAK	182	25	103	0.205	0.282
Brad Miller	30	PHI	573	88	293	0.241	0.314
Jose Pirela	30	PHI	234	17	82	0.257	0.308
Rob Brantly	30	PHI	89	7	37	0.229	0.294
Mitch Walding	27	PHI	1	1	2	0.053	0.143
Sean Rodriguez	35	PHI	578	81	298	0.226	0.302
Elias Diaz	29	PIT	187	13	82	0.250	0.301
Steven Baron	29	PIT	3	0	1	0.115	0.115
Corban Joseph	31	PIT	15	1	10	0.170	0.213
JB Shuck	33	PIT	285	8	86	0.243	0.296
Melky Cabrera	35	PIT	1962	144	854	0.285	0.334
Domingo Santana	27	SEA	417	75	232	0.259	0.343
Tim Beckham	30	SEA	402	63	198	0.249	0.302
Ryan Court	32	SEA	5	1	5	0.208	0.240
Kevin Pillar	31	SFG	798	76	318	0.261	0.296
Pablo Sandoval	33	SFG	1248	148	622	0.280	0.332
Michael Reed	27	SFG	8	0	0	0.186	0.222
Mike Gerber	27	SFG	5	0	2	0.076	0.151
Marcell Ozuna	29	STL	963	148	538	0.272	0.329
Matt Wieters	34	STL	989	146	546	0.250	0.313
Joe Hudson	29	STL	2	0	1	0.154	0.154
Matt Duffy	29	TBR	456	22	169	0.282	0.338
Johnny Davis	30	TBR	1	0	0	0.250	0.250
Rocky Gale	32	TBR	4	1	2	0.108	0.108
Welington Castillo	33	TEX	626	98	339	0.254	0.313
Logan Forsythe	33	TEX	758	70	305	0.246	0.327
Hunter Pence	37	TEX	1786	242	936	0.280	0.335
Brian Dozier	33	WSN	1053	192	561	0.245	0.326
Ryan Zimmerman	35	WSN	1784	270	1015	0.279	0.343
Gerardo Parra	33	WSN	1312	88	522	0.276	0.323
Matt Adams	31	WSN	609	116	388	0.261	0.309

Films on Friday: Ventura v. Ryan

In honor of Robin Ventura’s return to school, here’s the footage of his infamous 1993 benches-clearing incident with Nolan Ryan:

 

Happy Friday!

~ baseballrebecca

 

 

 

 

Black Hockey History Tour

With the 100^th birthday of the Negro Leagues just around the corner, the National Hockey League’s Black Hockey History Tour can help us get ready for it. The mobile tour will visit 14 NHL cities to: “celebrate today’s stars, while also looking back at the pioneers and trailblazers who helped shape NHL history.” The NHL Diversity and Hockey Is For Everyone ambassador, Willie O’Ree, will make appearances at selected stops. O’Ree was the first Black player in the NHL.  Since 1998, he has established 39 local grassroots hockey programs to get kids interested in the game.

The Black Hockey History Tour bus may contain only a small exhibit space, but it is just the right size to tell the story of the fewer then 100 black players in the history of the NHL, teach us about diversity, and celebrate the contributions of African American, African Canadian, and women hockey players. The exhibit includes information on current players as well as notable black players in the NHL and other leagues in Canada and the United States. It even includes a brief piece on women in hockey and a video comparing the experiences of black hockey players to the careers of Jackie Robinson and other black MLB players.

Like the Negro Leagues, hockey also experienced a color barrier. The Coloured Hockey League of the Maritimes was started in 1895 by black Baptist churches in Nova Scotia. By the turn of the century, individual all-black teams were operating in the Ontario Hockey League. The first black hockey star was Herb Carnegie, who began his career with the Toronto Young Rangers in 1938. Ten years later, Carnegie was given a tryout with the New York Rangers and was offered a contract to play in the Rangers’ minor league system. He turned them down, however, because by then he was already earning more money playing in the semi-pro Quebec Provincial League.

Approximately 10 years later, Willie O’Ree made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins. O’Ree, known as the “Jackie Robinson of ice hockey” was called up from the minors to replace an injured player. According to Wikipedia, “[p]laying a short career of only 45 games, O’Ree faced racism after being recalled from the Canadian minor leagues.  While in the minor leagues, O’Ree recalls the racism he faced as predominantly muted. However, as soon as O’Ree entered into the NHL, racist remarks and actions by hostile fans and players appeared.”

The NHL’s Black Hockey History Tour kicked-off its second season this week in Washington, DC, outside of the Embassy of Canada. Its next stop is in Detroit, MI (Jan. 18-19), before heading to St. Louis and Ferguson, MO (Jan. 23-26); Pittsburgh, PA (Jan. 31); Ottawa, Toronto, and Scarborough, Canada (Feb. 2-8); Newark, NJ (Feb. 10-11); Nashville, TN (Feb. 16); Anaheim, CA (Feb. 25); San Jose, CA (Feb 29); Seattle, WA (Mar. 7-10); Tempe and Glendale, AZ (Mar. 15-16); and Dallas, TX (Mar. 22). Check out the NHL website for complete details of the tour.

~ baseballrebecca