Salute to the Negro Leagues

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and American Jazz Museum at 18th and Vine via Wikimedia Commons

Tonight, the Royals celebrate the Negro Leagues by sending Kansas City and the Washington Nationals on the field in replica uniforms. The Royals will don threads that mimic the 1942 Kansas City Monarchs, while the Nationals will resemble the 1942 Homestead Greys.

Buck O’Neil

Other teams in other cities will honor the Negro Leagues at various points of the season, but it’s always more special in Kansas City. The Monarchs, the greatest team in the League, played here. Buck O’Neil played here. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is here.

Over the years, I’ve gotten to meet and talk with (but mostly listen to – the man tells a great story) Bob Kendrick, the President of the NLBM. Under his watch, the museum is seeing great success, and this morning, they were the focus of a New York Times article that I recommend you read. If you haven’t seen the museum, go. Pick a Saturday and stop by. Each time I’m in there, I see something new and interesting and if I’m lucky, I’ll run into Bob.

We’ve had Kendrick on the podcast a number of times. He’s always happy to talk about the museum and the players of that era. And it’s a joy to listen to him as well. Below are the numerous episodes that have included Bob over the years. Who better to hear stories about the Negro Leagues than the man who runs the museum?

• 10/30/11 – The first time we talked to Bob Kendrick. We enjoyed it so much…
• …that we had him on the next week for the full hour.
• Just before the All-Star Game, Bob joined us on the Kansas City Baseball Vault to discuss the events coming up for All-Star Weekend.
• After the premiere event of “42” in Kansas City, we talked to Bob again to get his feelings on the event and what it means for the museum going forward.

We’ve also talked to Aaron Stilley before about Jackie Robinson’s time with the Monarchs. Alan Barrington wrote about an encounter with Buck O’Neil. I also talked about Buck on his 100th birthday.

And later tonight, I’ll be out at the stadium joining in on the Baseball Prospectus event which will also include a session with Bob Kendrick as part of the lineup, so I’d imagine you’ll hear more from him again on the podcast soon.