On Saturday, May 25 a special baseball game was held in Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame East-West Classic was at Doubleday Field and featured 30 former MLBbros.
An instant classic it was as the East defeated the West 5-4 in six innings.
The moment that decided the East-West Classic — and @ryanhoward called his shot!
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) May 25, 2024
Ryan Howard Wins East-West Classic MVP
2008 World Series champ Ryan Howard was named MVP after hitting a go-ahead three-run homer in the fifth to give the East the lead.
“It’s always been a fraternity,” Howard said after the game. “The cool part about it is you have your teammates that you play with coming up in the Minor Leagues. And a lot of the guys you play against at each level in the Minor Leagues, so in a sense you’re coming up together with them, as well. … And just to have this kind of brotherhood and continue to have it is special.”
Over 5,700 fans came out to watch former All-Star and Hall of Fame players.
Curtis Granderson hit the first home run of the game.
“It’s cool,” he said, wearing a Newark Eagles jersey. “Anytime I got a chance to play in these [Negro League throwbacks] throughout the course of a season, I always looked forward to it and loved it, so I’m happy to get a chance to put it back on again today.”
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) May 25, 2024
Your Favorite MLBbros Competed
What a better way to honor the Negro Leagues than to have former MLB players coming together for a game?
It was a wonderful sight witnessing generations of MLBbros out there on the diamond.
Edwin Jackson took the mound to start the game, and it was good to see him reminiscing about his time in the big leagues and he let people know that he still has a little left in the tank.
Adam Jones Defeated Prince Fielder In Home Run Derby
Before the game, they did a home run derby contest and Adam Jones defeated Prince Fielder. One player who received a lot of recognition from the crowd was star outfielder and Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. Along with the game, the weekend featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Souls of the Game exhibit.
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) May 25, 2024
Rowan Ricardo Phillips, an award-winning poet, was one of the consultants who was included in the development of the project, and he was pleased to see all the support.
“The fact that people really want to start and think about the roots of the story, the voices, from the beginning, people we don’t often think about — Bud Fowler, Octavius Catto, those types of players, it really excites me,” he said. “I think what’s really wonderful about the exhibit is, we can rethink the story of baseball that we want to tell to ourselves and to our future selves. Instead of thinking, well, let’s pick this up from 2020 or 2024 or whatever.”
Expect a lot more events similar to this in the near future and we can’t wait to see more of our MLBbro’s come together and fellowship with one another.
This past weekend, former Detroit Tigers star Curtis Granderson made his return to Detroit for a special honor.
Curtis Granderson, the president of the Players Alliance, was honored with the Willie Horton African American Legacy Award, part of the Detroit Tigers’ 21st annual Negro Leagues Weekend.
This award was created in 2009 “to honor African Americans who have strengthened the legacy of baseball in the African American community and have contributed to the rich history of the Tigers.”
For those who may not know, Willie Horton is a Tigers legend and has made a positive impact in the city during his playing days and well after.
Granderson has a lot of respect for Horton and he makes sure to spend time with him whenever he comes back to the city.
“The things that he would just always talk about were just so cool,” Granderson told the Detroit Free Press about his time with Horton. “Whether it was on the field, off the field, playing the game, the mental side, his stories from the Civil Rights movement.
You just are always hearing something exciting whenever you’re in his presence, so I’m so glad I got a chance to see him once already and then hopefully I get a chance to spend a little bit more time with him tomorrow.”
The city of Detroit holds a special place in Granderson’s heart. He was drafted by the Tigers with the third overall pick in the 2002 draft.
Granderson has continued to impact the game in a meaningful way ever since he retired. He has served as a mentor to young players who are beginning their baseball journey and holds a great responsibility in leading the Players Alliance.
“I remember being in those shoes and just being so excited and if I would have had a chance to ask certain questions to players I looked up to, what would I have wanted to ask, what would I have wanted to know that I didn’t know,” Granderson said. “Even for parents, a lot of parents that are getting a chance to go through something they’ve never gone through before, so education for them and then understanding some of the challenges that this new generation is facing now.”
This honor is well deserved for Granderson. He will always be a fan favorite in Detroit and he was a player that always left his all out there on the field.
Granderson was a leader during his time in Detroit
Granderson spent his first six seasons with the Tigers and was an instrumental piece on that 2006 team that made it to the World Series.
He hit .272 during those six seasons and during the 2007 season, he became one of four players in MLB history to record 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in one season.
Aside from being a threat at the plate, Granderson could play a stellar centerfield.
He could track down balls with the best of them and covered a lot of ground playing at Comerica Park.
Granderson was named an all-star in his final season with Detroit in 2009. That season he hit 30 home runs, had 71 RBI and 20 stolen bases.
First Black MLB Commissioner?
This organization will always remember the impact that Granderson made on the field and within the community.
Granderson has proven to be a leader of men and one of the most respected people in the game. Is it farfetched to think that he could become the first Black commissioner in MLB history after Robert Manfred’s tenure is complete? He checks all of the boxes and most importantly, he played the game at a high level.
When it comes to October baseball, every pitch, at-bat, substitution, and shift is going to be analyzed in the intense cauldron of competition for a World Series championship. So, it helps to have credible voices talking about those high-pressure moments. Fans expect players who have been deep into the playoffs and who know what it means to play for the sports’ ultimate prize.
Viewers checking out the studio shows on TBS during the playoffs are getting plenty of that expertise.
Jimmy Rollins and Curtis Granderson combined for six All-Star game appearances and between them they played in five World Series (Rollins won with Philadelphia in 2008).
In a group interview with fellow panelist Pedro Martinez for The Big Lead, Rollins said nothing compares to postseason baseball.
“It literally feels like you’re walking onto a stage, and you have to be ready to perform,” he said. “You’re on. You’re on. That’s what the crowd is for. That’s what the intensity is for. That’s the importance and urgency of winning.”
Rolins played in 11 playoff series, accumulating 48 hits in 50 games for the Phillies and Dodgers. Granderson reached the postseason in eight of his 16 seasons in the big leagues, making it to the World Series with the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, and Dodgers.
“The games don’t necessarily go longer, but the focus on every detail is more intense from pitch one to the last pitch of the game,” he said. “You can’t take a pitch off, even if you’re not starting.”
Now, instead of playing under that pressure they have the task of examining those details and giving that information to fans in a way that brings them inside the moment.
It’s a difficult task, but something the duo enjoys doing. They exhibit knowledge and their chemistry with the rest of the crew isn’t fake.
Discussing that chemistry with the Chicago Sun Times back in April, Granderson said, “Nothing is scripted…That makes everybody at ease. That allows everybody to flow and go, and that’s the chemistry you see on TV.”
Rollins, Granderson, and Martinez have been compared to TNT’s Inside the NBA trio of Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith.
That’s high praise considering Inside the NBA is generally regarded as the gold standard of sports studio shows.
But then again, neither Granderson or Rollins are strangers to earning accolades and praise. Not with more than 4200 hits, 2600 runs, 570 home runs, 1800 RBI, 550 stolen bases, four Gold Gloves, and two Silver Sluggers awards on their shared resumes.
Frank Thomas on Aaron Judge via MLB on FS1 Pregame:
“Why are they still leading him off? Why? You got one of the most powerful hitters in all of baseball batting first. Makes no sense. Never made any sense. He needs to be 3-4 in that lineup.”
“As the stark racial minority in all aspects of our game, The Players Alliance has given a voice and platform to our Black players, unified in our stance against systemic racism,” said Curtis Granderson, former MLB player and President of The Players Alliance. “We stand together for what is right and to change our game for the better. The power of our player membership, including our non-Black teammates, coupled with the support of MLB and the Players Association, gives us the unique ability to create increased opportunities for the Black communities we care so much about” — Curtis Granderson.
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