Baseball stars to be honored by Negro Leagues museum
A-Rod hasn’t confirmed he’s coming.
But as of Wednesday, neither the Yankee slugger nor his representatives had said he isn’t.
And with all the honors bestowed on Alex Rodriguez by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum’s Legacy Awards over the years, you would think he’d make a concerted effort to pick up his hardware.
This year Rodriguez is the winner of a Josh Gibson home run award (his fifth) and an Oscar Charleston MVP award (his fourth). But he’s never been here to personally receive any of those honors.
It was just four years ago that the museum considered pulling the plug on the Legacy Awards, an event held each January to honor baseball’s best.
In the beginning, superstars balked at coming. But a barrage of criticism ensued from the media and from outraged players. Once it was deemed disrespectful to miss an event that paid homage to the men who made it possible for baseball players to make their big-time paydays, the tide began to turn.
These days the museum is no longer forced to resort to arm-twisting to persuade players to accept awards personally. Still, there are those out there, such as A-Rod, who seem to find it hard to fit the event into their schedules each year.
Let’s focus on just who is coming to the Jan. 12 event at the Gem Theater.
Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers has confirmed he’ll be here to accept a Josh Gibson award for leading the National League in home runs last year.
C.C. Sabathia, the amazing pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, is coming. Others with plans to be here include Eric Wedge, the manager of the Cleveland Indians, who will receive the C.I. Taylor Award as American League Manager of the Year, and Minnie Minoso of Chicago White Sox fame, who is coming to pick up the Jackie Robinson Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Minnie was the Latin American version of Jackie Robinson,” said Bobby Kendrick, marketing director for the museum.
Jimmie Lee Solomon, executive vice president of baseball operations for Major League Baseball, is the recipient of the John Henry “Pop” Lloyd Community Leadership Award. Solomon has been active in the creation of opportunities for African-Americans in baseball.
One bit of news that will emerge from the event will be the establishment of a new award. The late Larry Whiteside, the first black sports beat writer for The Boston Globe, will be the first recipient of the Sam Lacy Award. Lacy, who is also deceased, was an acclaimed writer for the Baltimore Afro American newspaper.
Each year, the annual award will be presented to the baseball writer of the year. To create the award, the museum collaborated with the sports task force of the National Association of Black Journalists.
“To get this award, you have to embody that same pioneering spirit that Lacy had,” Kendrick said.
The award will jumpstart the museum’s yearlong salute to the black press, which advocated the formation of the leagues and became a loud voice in pushing for the integration of the game. Anything we really know about the Negro Leagues is because of the black press. Mainstream newspapers didn’t cover black baseball back then.
Hollywood is also coming to the Legacy Awards this year. Several prominent actors and actresses who have heard about the event have confirmed they are coming.
Actor Robert Wuhl of “Arli$$” fame will be host of the event again this year. Other actors who will attend include Traci Bingham of “Baywatch”; Wendy Raquel Robinson and Hosea Chanchez from “The Game”; and Omar Benson Miller, who stars in the movie “Things We Lost in the Fire.”
It seems the star power associated with the Legacy Awards gets a little brighter each time it’s held.
Derek Jeter, A-Rod’s teammate, came to the event in 2007. If Rodriguez would decide to come just once, his presence would only add to an event that already is increasing in stature.
To reach Steve Penn, call 816-234-4417 or send e-mail to spenn@kcstar.com.
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