by Special to MLBbro.com | Feb 25, 2024 | 6TH SLOT
When the Jackie Robinson statue was stolen from McAdams Park, where League 42 plays its games, on Jan. 24, then desecrated and burned by some haters, the entire baseball community ran to lend a helping hand in getting the statue found, restored and spreading the word and giving donations. The statue suffered $75K worth of damage and its remnants were discovered about seven miles from the park.
The Baseball World Unites, Raising Almost $200,000 To Replace Stolen and Damaged Jackie Robinson Statue
Cleats From Desecrated Statue Donated To Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
League 42 will donate the bronze cleats from its Jackie Robinson statue to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (Kansas City, Missouri), Bob Lutz, the founder and executive director of League 42, told ESPN on Friday.
The organization, which was founded in 2013 and named in Robinson’s honor, was started by Lutz to promote the play of African American youths in baseball.
After the plan to replace the statue was finalized thanks to great leadership by League 42 and local community leaders, in conjunction with Major League Baseball and The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, a strategy was formed to put the desecrated statue to good use.
Stolen Jackie Robinson Statue Found “Dismantled and Burned” With $75K Worth Of Damage
Donating them to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum — the league Robinson played in before breaking MLB’s color barrier — seemed like the most logical choice.
“We thought it was the absolute right thing to do,” Lutz said. “It’s looking like the cleats will be delivered by April 11, definitely before Jackie Robinson Day [April 15].”
Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, told ESPN that there will be a ceremony when the cleats arrive at the museum.
Arrest Made In Case Of Stolen, Damaged and Burned Jackie Robinson Statue
Kendrick said the museum already has a historical marker from Cairo, Georgia, Robinson’s birthplace, and the cleats will likely go in that section of the museum. In 2021, the marker was shot at with guns and donated in the aftermath.
“We have a story to tell,” Kendrick told ESPN.
by Morgan Fitzgerald | Feb 14, 2024 | THE TWO HOLE
The Wichita (Kansas) Police Department on Tuesday said an arrest has been made nearly three weeks after a Jackie Robinson statue was stolen from a park and found “dismantled” days later, to the dismay of baseball fans across the country.
The reaction to the hideous act was anger.
The Baseball World Unites, Raising Almost $200,000 To Replace Stolen and Damaged Jackie Robinson Statue
Some even criticized the local police for not moving fast enough to find the culprit.
Ricky Alderete, 45, is charged with felony theft (value over $25,000), aggravated criminal damage to property, identity theft and making false information.
The statue, which police said was valued at $75,000, was stolen from McAdams Park, the home of League 42, a youth baseball league for about 600 children that commissioned and erected the statue in 2021.
“The investigation has not revealed any evidence indicating that this was a hate-motivated crime,” Aaron Moses of the Wichita Police Department said. “We believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal.”
Bob Lutz, the executive director of the nonprofit League 42 Foundation, said “we’re feeling good that someone is being held responsible, and I do believe that all individuals involved will be apprehended.”
The statue was cut at its ankles, leaving only bronze replicas of Robinson’s cleats behind on an otherwise barren pedestal. Tony Workman, general manager of Art Castings of Colorado, which made the original work into the bronze statue, told ESPN that the Robinson statue was 95% copper.
Moses also said that police remain committed to identifying all individuals involved in the crime.
“We know from the surveillance video [released shortly after the statue was reported missing on Jan. 25] that there were at least three individuals there when statue was taken,” Moses said, “and we know it was taken somewhere where other individuals were present.”
On Jan. 28, police recovered a vehicle that it believed to be connected to the case at an apartment complex in Wichita.
Two days after that, fire crews found burned remnants of the statue while responding to a trash can fire at another park about 7 miles away.
Stolen Jackie Robinson Statue Found “Dismantled and Burned” With $75K Worth Of Damage
Donations came in approaching $300,000, Lutz said. Though the artist has died, the original mold of the statue exists and will be used by Art Castings of Colorado to rebuild a new one.
In a coordinated effort among its clubs, MLB will pay for it after several teams and individuals throughout the sport had wanted to help.
Lutz said he’s expecting the new statue to be completed by the middle of the summer.
by DA Gambler | Feb 2, 2024 | CLEAN UP
Major League Baseball and its 30 member clubs will work together to replace a statue of Jackie Robinson that was stolen from a youth baseball park in Kansas last week. Donations have also poured in from around the globe as Jackie Robinson’s 105th birthday was all the inspiration needed for this terrible situation to transform into an example of people’s true humanity.
Major League Baseball pledged support. And the total raised just through one online fundraiser surpassed $145,000, which is far in excess of the estimated $75,000 value of the bronze statue that was cut from its base last week.
Jackie Robinson Statue Stolen: $150,000 In Donations
The statue, which stood outside of McAdams Park in Wichita, was stolen last week and found on fire at a nearby park on Tuesday “dismantled and burned,” with damages in the ballpark of $75K. The Wichita Fire Department responded to the report of a trash can fire and discovered the statue ablaze.
Wichita police spokesperson Andrew Ford said the statue was “not salvageable.” The callous and destructive act ignited a firestorm of support for League 42 from fans, baseball clubs and concerned citizens who respect the legacy of Jackie Robinson and what he meant to this country.
Bob Lutz, the executive director of the League 42 youth baseball league, announced on Tuesday that Major League Baseball and its clubs would replace the statue.
“It will be a joyous occasion – unlike today, unlike the past five days,” Lutz said.
Lutz’s friend, the late John Parsons, crafted the statue.
“Fortunately, the mold from his work is still viable, and the statue that reappears at McAdams Park will be the work of John Parsons,” he said. “In a matter of months, that will be erected at McAdams Park, and we’re looking forward to that day … It’ll be a joyous occasion, unlike today, unlike the past five days. We’re ready for some joy, you know. We’re ready for some happiness, and we’re going to pursue that in the best way we can.”
There were people throughout the baseball community that felt the police weren’t acting quick enough to find the statue and the perpetrators, but Lutz commended the police for the resources they have put into investigating the crime.
“It’s a sad thing that this happened in our community, but I think the way our community is reacting to it could not be better, so we’re going to move forward here and not look back,” he said.
What Is League 42?
League 42 was founded in 2013 and is a league for baseball players ages 5-14 from urban areas around Wichita, according to MLB.com. The league serves nearly 600 youth players on 46 different teams.
The statue outside of McAdams Park will be present once again in the near future and will stand as a reference to young players of the impact that Robinson made on and off the field.
by DA Gambler | Jan 30, 2024 | Uncategorized
League 42 has announced that its stolen Jackie Robinson statue has been found seriously damaged. The statue, stolen last Wednesday night from the league located at McAdams Park at 17th Street North and Ohio, was found at Garvey Park in south Wichita, “dismantled and burned.”
Police reports say the Wichita Fire Department got a call around 8:30am Tuesday morning of a trash can fire at Garvey Park. The fire department put the fire out and found what appeared to be remnants of the Jackie Robinson statue.
Statue Suffers $75K In Damages
The Wichita Police Department said the statue is unsalvageable. The statue weighs hundreds of pounds, so damages are estimated at $75,000, according to the City.
“This was a heartbreaking discovery this morning,” Wichita City Council Member Brandon Johnson said. “I hate to see that the statue was not in one piece, but I do want everyone to know that we are undeterred in making sure that that statue gets rebuilt and put back there for our community, for League 42, for the young people. That symbol of hope will only be gone for a short time.”
Now that the statue has been recovered and the worst revealed, Johnson also stressed how important it is to now start the fundraising efforts for a replacement statue.
“This now lets us know that we need a new statue,” Johnson said. “We’re no longer looking for a complete, intact statue. We know now we need to raise money to replace it, and we will do so.”
He asked people to donate to the fund that League 42 has started. Click here for the GoFundMe site.
“Obviously, this is not the result we wanted, but it is a result, and now we can move on,” Bob Lutz, League 42 founder, said. “We know what’s ahead of us. We know we’re going to incorporate a brand-new statue that looks exactly like the old one.”
The Late John Parsons Crafted The Statue
Lutz’s friend, the late John Parsons, crafted the statue.
“Fortunately, the mold from his work is still viable, and the statue that reappears at McAdams Park will be the work of John Parsons,” he said. “In a matter of months, that will be erected at McAdams Park, and we’re looking forward to that day … It’ll be a joyous occasion, unlike today, unlike the past five days. We’re ready for some joy, you know. We’re ready for some happiness, and we’re going to pursue that in the best way we can.”
There were people throughout the baseball community that felt the police weren’t acting quick enough to find the statue and the perpetrators, but Lutz commended the police for the resources they have put into investigating the crime.
“It’s a sad thing that this happened in our community, but I think the way our community is reacting to it could not be better, so we’re going to move forward here and not look back,” he said.
Wichita Police Still Searching For Jackie Robinson Statue Thieves
Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said police are determined to catch the thieves.
“It’s disheartening to see the remnants of the statue, the disgraceful way in which it’s been disrespected,” he said. “But the other side of that is, this is a direct indication of the pressure our investigators are putting on the perpetrators that committed this act.”
“It would be in your best interest to simply turn yourself in, come forward, admit your part in this, and I’m confident that the DA will consider that. But, either way, we will be arresting several people for what they’ve done to our community.”
Police released surveillance photos and video after the theft. The WPD says investigators with the Property Crimes Bureau worked all weekend, following up on leads. They also got help from the WPD Field Community Response Team.
On Monday afternoon, the WPD announced that investigators were able to find and recover the truck they believe was used in the crime. Police would not comment on whether the owner of the truck is a suspect.
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