It started with a simple podcast. The Forgotten League. It’s created and narrated by Vanessa Ivy Rose, the granddaughter of Norman “Turkey” Stearns (who is a Negro League great who I’d never heard of). She takes you through the whole history of the Negro Leagues, but at the same time tells you the story of her search for her grandfather’s story. It’s really well done and emotional as hell.
As I listened to it, I found myself stopping the podcast to look up some of the stories in more detail. Which leads me to…T-Shirts.
So I almost exclusively wear baseball T-shirts. I’ve probably got 10 Yankees T-Shirts plus a zillion shirts from other teams. Whenever Jack and I hit a new stadium we buy a shirt from that team. This year I got the Twins and the As.
And I’ll tell ya’ — those Negro League teams have some cool logos. I found myself making a Christmas list of shirts I wanted. Detroit Stars, Homestead Greys, Cuban X-Giants…
But something didn’t feel right. I didn’t earn them the way I have the MLB shirts. Which led me to another idea. What if I visited the old Negro League stadiums and parks? They are absolutely everywhere — those guys played in every single city in the U.S. You name it, you’ll find Negro League history. And those stories are just terrific.
So…that’s the plan. Road trips, baby! I’ll share the stories when I visit the different locations. And then, and only then, do I get to buy a shirt.
Cool right? And Now my Christmas list is all books about the different Negro League teams. Can’t wait to dive in.
Oh, and a final note. I posted a few things on social media about how much I loved The Forgotten League podcast, and the creator, Vanessa Ivy Rose, actually saw the posts and thanks me. We ended up going back and forth a bit, and…
Jackpot!
NuckolBall 