Black Ice

1st on the ice, but not the last
An interview with O'Ree, an NHL icon
AG and Willie O'Ree in West Philadelphia

“No great poet has ever been afraid of being himself.”

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain – Langston Hughes

I have been blesed in my career as a journalist. I have interviewed some of the great names of our past, present, and future. However there are those few instances on the job when I am both honored and humbled. If I had an assignment to interview Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, Althea Gibson, Buck O'Neil, or Roberto Clemente, I wouldn't hesitate as they have inspired millions the world over, in life and death. Willie O'Ree integrated the National Hockey League in 1958, and during his visit to Philadelphia yesterday, I not only followed his every move, but I also did my best to give him the respect that he so very well deserves. 

Below is a conversation between he and I of history, respect, dedication, and hard work:

On being the first to integrate the National Hockey League:
“I never thought about it…it didn’t register until later on. I was really excited to play against the Montreal Canadians, who were winning the Stanley Cup during those years. Now I faced a lot of racism, and bigotry, but I always knew who I was. I fought a lot when I played…not because I wanted to, but because I had to. People wanted to know what I was made of.”

On the early years:
“My brother was not only my mentor, but he was also my friend, and if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have become a professional hockey player. During my last year of Junior Hockey…in the 1st period a slap shot hit me in my right eye. The doctors told me that I lost 90% of my vision in my right eye and that I would never play hockey again. I’m a left-hand shot, a left wing, so I always had to turn my head to see everything. Back then, the team doctors never checked my eyes, and they never gave eye exams. If they did I would have never played, and I think that today people don’t know that I played on the professional level for 21 years.”

What was it like living in Boston during your playing days?
“I lived in Roxbury, a predominantly black neighborhood, and it was great. I scored my 1st NHL goal on New Years day, January 1, 1961 in the old Boston Garden. The fans there were great…it was when I played on the road in places like New York and Detroit that I experienced racism. And I'm still a [Boston] Bruins fan...a diehard!"

The media created a comparison to Jackie Robinson, talk about that:
“I met Jackie Robinson in 1949. I was 14-years old and he was playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. I told him that I play baseball and hockey. He said that he didn’t realize black kids played hockey, and then he told me, that in whatever I do, to be sure to work hard at it, because there is no substitute for hard work. I then met him again in 1962, at an NAACP luncheon in Los Angeles, and he remembered me.”

Talk about your friendship with Snoop Dogg:
“He is great. Snoop Dogg went on the ice with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and I was asked to attend…after that I had dinner with him and his sons, and we watched the game. His camera crew was there from his show and we had a really good time. He wants to learn the game and start a hockey league. I told him it would take a little time to master and that whatever he needs from me that I’m here to help.”

Watch the video for more on Willie O'Ree:

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.