By Thomas Cathey | Special to The OBSERVER
In memory of the thousands of ballplayers who were barred from joining the major leagues in the first half of the 20th century, Sacramento State on Sept. 22 held the fourth annual Honorary Negro League Game and Health Fair.
Perfect Game Pitching Solutions and the Sierra Community Medical Foundation hosted the event at John Smith Field, where Black and brown high school players from all over Northern California took the field to honor those who played in the Negro Leagues and showcase their talents for college scouts.
Players donned classic Negro Leagues jerseys. One group formed the Birmingham Black Barons, for whom Willie Mays began his stellar career and Satchel Page pitched, while the other team became the Indianapolis Clowns, for whom the great Hank Aaron first played pro ball.
The Clowns won a lopsided game, 12-4.
One of the young hopefuls, De Anza High School shortstop Nikko Taylor, has committed to Cal. Wearing No. 12 for the Black Barons that afternoon, Taylor was excited to participate in the event and to share the field with more players who more closely resembled him.
“To be given another opportunity by some people that look like me to come out here and play the game that I love, around some kids that I know and just feeling the game with the kids who look like me means the world to me,” Taylor told The OBSERVER before the game. “Because sometimes when you travel and there’s not too many people who look like you, you feel a little lost. But in this case, you don’t feel that. You just feel at home, playing the game that you love in front of the people that you love, and it just means the world, to be honest. I’m glad to be here.”
Many distinguished guests attended, including Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick, Major League Baseball legend Dusty Baker and one of the last living former Negro Leagues players, Dennis Biddle, who at 17 in his playing days was one of the youngest players. Now a spry 89, Biddle is healthy and happy to see young players on the rise the way he was in the early 1950s.
“To see my young people engaged in a sport that meant so much to me is great. It’s America’s greatest pastime and to see my young people coming on, it gives me energy to keep living,” Biddle said. “I’m one of the younger ones. There’s about 45 of us still living around the country.”
Unfairly labeled for generations as second-tier competition by Major League Baseball hierarchy, accomplishments by Negro League players have finally taken their place in MLB record books, surpassing feats of white legends like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb. For instance, Josh Gibson, who spent his entire career in the Negro Leagues, became MLB’s career leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Cobb’s .367, when Negro Leagues records for more than 2,300 players were incorporated in May after a three-year research project.
The event doubled as a health fair. Representatives from New York Life, SMUD, and Anthem Blue Cross, among others, attended.
“What we’re trying to do is make this a community event and a platform for these young men to be seen because these are high-level players,” said Quinn Gregory, a coach who’s executive director of the Placer-Nevada and Yuba-Sutter-Colusa Medical Societies. “We have about 10 or so Division I commits in this group. So it’s a great showcase, but when you uplift a certain cause for the community, you need to do it as a whole. So in that case, what we’re trying to do is provide health education, public health information, mental health services, referrals, etc.”
Todd Sullivan, owner of Perfect Game Pitching Solutions, conceived the idea for the event four years ago. Sullivan, who has been involved in baseball for 45 years and has befriended and coached many Black players and coaches, was inspired to act after the police-involved killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
“I felt I needed to do something and the only thing I know is baseball,” Sullivan said.
Proceeds collected from the $10 entry fee benefit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the Negro League Baseball Players Foundation.