Black Diamond

                                  The best of the best

                Ryan Howard is the most known unknown

               Derek Jeter the Captain and AG the writer

Last night while flipping channels around the 10 o'clock hour, I stumbled upon the show Costas Now on HBO. The sports coverage on HBO is top tier and the telecast on Wednesday was no different, as they did a special on the legends of baseball. 

I absolutely LOVE baseball, and as a black man I respect it more than any other sport. Baseball is considered America's pastime. However when I study the game it shows the history of black people in America, therefore I am not only entertained, it also serves as moments of enlightenment. I have often heard that baseball is a thinking person's game, and does it ever get my gears turning.

During the episode, David Winfield, Jim Palmer, Henry Aaron, and Willie Mays were interviewed and it was truly amazing to hear their stories and struggles within the game that has served as a metaphor for life, for them and countless numbers of fans. One point that Willie Mays made was that, had he not served in the Army during the Korean War, he would have surpassed the home run record (714) that was once held by Babe Ruth. Mays lost approximately 2 seasons away from the San Francisco Giants, and finished his career with 660 home runs. 

Henry Aaron is best known for his playing days in Atlanta as well as having actually breaking Ruth's record and he expressed how trying those times were for him and his family. In fact instead of looking back upon those days with fondness, he actually is more relieved that it is over and that his family survived unscathed. He had to not only play the game, but he also endured death threats, hate mail, and disrespect at the highest power. I don't get it, and it is really a shame that these instances were a part of his life and the game. My grandmother says that when the Brooklyn Dodgers used to come to Philadelphia, that the fans through a black cat on the field because of Robinson. Imagine something like that in today's game?

David Winfield is the ultimate athlete, as he was drafted, yes drafted by teams in 3 professional sports...Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the NBA. I best remember him as a member of the New York Yankees, and during an interview I had with Derek Jeter he recalled watching Winfield. As Jeter spoke, he lit up like a Christmas tree when speaking about his childhood hero. He wanted to emulate him both on and off the field because of Dave Winfield's athletic ability and his work within the community. 

In the modern game of baseball the black hero is there in people, like Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Torii Hunter, Curtis Granderson, Juan Pierre, and Ken Griffey Jr. However the major problem is that no one within the black is looking up to them. In this day and age the children want to play basketball and football first, and sports like tennis, soccer, baseball, and swimming are last on the list or not at all. 

Things have really changed from yesteryear. From the Negro Leagues and the greatest man in baseball Buck O'Neil, to April 1947 when Jackie Robinson was called up to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. 

What happened to the soul of the game? 

I really do not know how to answer this question, but I love baseball and all that it has meant to my culture over the generations. I couldn't imagine Major League Baseball without black players...and I hope that it never comes to fruition. 

Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies is currently leading ALL players with 28 home runs, yet he wasn't in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. If he wasn't tops among league leaders it might not have been an issue, but it was the final All-Star Game to ever be played in the old Yankee Stadium. That was an opportunity that he should not have been denied. 

Somethings in life just don't seem fair. 

Did you know that the top home run leaders of all-time are black? Where would baseball be had Jackie Robinson and Larry Dolby not integrated the sport? 

The only thing constant in this world is change, and in this case, the change was as good as it was necessary.