The best baseball player of all time? (Rebroadcast)

WAMU 88.5

Published June 24, 2024 at 9:38 AM EDT

A detailed view of first base celebrating the 18th Annual Negro League Tribute Game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on in Detroit, Michigan. The Pirates defeated the Tigers 4-3.

When you think of the greatest baseball players of all time, who comes to mind? For many it’s Willie Mays, the “Say Hey Kid.”

Fans have been paying tribute after his death was announced last week. He was 93.

But it’s hard to come up with a name for the single greatest baseball player of all time. And when it comes to Black baseball, the choice is even harder.

For decades the talents of Black baseball players were excluded from the major leagues. That led to the creation of the Negro Leagues in 1920.In May, Major League Baseball confirmed that Negro Leagues statistics would become part of the baseball’s historical record.

Still, many Black baseball players’ stories are unknown. And thehistories and legaciesof oppression, racism, and segregation still weigh heavily on the sport.

Thepodcast“Reclaimed: The Forgotten League”explores the stories of some overlooked greats, includingNorman ‘Turkey’ Stearnes. His granddaughter and host of the podcast,Vanessa Ivy Rose, shares her journey and her grandfather’s story.