Hall of Fame Will Celebrate Black Baseball with East-West Classic Game Memorial Day Weekend

Hall of Fame Will Celebrate Black Baseball with East-West Classic Game Memorial Day Weekend

(COOPERSTOWN, NY) – The greatest legends of Black baseball demonstrated their talents and desire for four decades at the annual Negro Leagues East-West All-Star Game. From Satchel Paige to Cool Papa Bell, these gifted Black Knights took center stage. 

 

What Is The Hall of Fame East-West Classic?

 

The Negro Leagues East-West All-Star Game debuted in 1933 at Chicago’s Comiskey Park and was played annually through 1962, including several years that featured multiple games. Hall of Famer Bill Foster was the winning pitcher in the inaugural East-West All-Star Game and several future Hall of Famers starred in the game throughout the years, including Ray Brown, Andy Cooper, Leon Day, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard, Jackie Robinson and Willie Wells. 

 

In 2024, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will honor that legacy by hosting the Hall of Fame East-West Classic: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues All-Star Game, presented by Boeing, during Memorial Day Weekend at Cooperstown’s historic Doubleday Field.

 

 

Scheduled for Saturday, May 25, the Hall of Fame East-West Classic will feature more than two dozen former big leaguers, with Ken Griffey Jr. and Ozzie Smith among the Hall of Famers who will serve as the East and West teams’ managers and coaches. 

 

The game, which will take the place of the Hall of Fame Classic in 2024, will be part of a weekend celebration as the Museum opens its new exhibit The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball.

“Memorial Day Weekend will serve as a landmark event within a years-long initiative among the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and our partners to rethink how the stories of Black baseball are told in Cooperstown,” said Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “The Souls of the Game exhibit will tell the story of Black baseball through the voices of the men and women who broke barriers and made history on and off the field.”

 

 

The Negro Leagues East-West All-Star Game debuted in 1933 at Chicago’s Comiskey Park and was played annually through 1962.


MLBbro.com  is naturally elated and fully supportive of this turn of events, as our entire platform is dedicated to preserving, highlighting and reporting the history and current triumphs of African-American baseball players. 

 

“We are thrilled to host many of the game’s biggest stars of the last two decades for the Hall of Fame East-West Classic, a tribute to the heroes of Black baseball who showcased their talents for years in the annual Negro Leagues All-Star Game,” continued Rawitch. “The incredible enthusiasm from players participating in this legends game faced their own challenges while helping to build on the diversity that has flowed through our National Pastime for more than a century.”

 

Who Will Be Playing? 

 

Players committed to participate in the May 25 Hall of Fame East-West Classic include team captains CC Sabathia and Chris Young; Josh Barfield, Tim Beckham, Ian Desmond, Prince Fielder, Curtis Granderson, Tony Gwynn Jr., Jerry Hairston, Scott Hairston, LaTroy Hawkins, Ryan Howard, Edwin Jackson, Jeremy Jeffress, Adam Jones, Russell Martin, Tony Sipp, Justin Upton and Dontrelle Willis. 

 

CC Sabathia pitched 19 seasons for the NY Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers. His 251 career wins is tied with “Bullet” Bob Gibson for No. 1 all-time among MLBbro pitchers. With just 161 career losses, CC flosses an ERA of 3.74 with 3,093 strikeouts. The Black Ace won 1 Cy Young award, 1 League Championship MVP award and 1 World Series.

“The East-West All-Star Game was the annual showcase for the Negro Leagues, and we are privileged to be able to honor the legacy of those stars over Memorial Day Weekend in Cooperstown as part of the Hall of Fame’s celebration of Black baseball,” Sabathia tells MLBbro.com. 

“As players, we are indebted to the pioneers who came before us, and recognizing the All-Stars of the Negro Leagues pays tribute not only to their playing ability but also to their courage and devotion to the game.”

 

The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball Exhibit 

 

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has teamed up with Sports Travel and Tours to offer baseball fans a one-stop opportunity to purchase Classic Weekend travel packages. For more information or to plan a trip to Cooperstown, please call 1-888-310-HALL (4255). Membership participants receive a 5% discount on all their baseball travel packages. 

 

Located on the Museum’s second floor in the Yawkey Gallery, The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball will cover stories of early Black baseball, the Negro Leagues era, the complexities of reintegration, Jackie Robinson, post-reintegration progress and retrogress, and calls for change in today’s game while celebrating the newest superstars of the era. Meaningful stories from Black baseball are also being added to other exhibits throughout the Museum.

 

The exhibit is part of the Hall of Fame’s Black Baseball Initiative that includes additional outreach programs, educational materials and virtual programming. 

 

The Souls of the Game, a title that pays tribute to W.E.B. Du Bois’s seminal 1903 book “The Souls of Black Folk”, will explore the Black baseball experience of those men, women and children who were and are an integral part of our National Pastime. 

 

Subtitled “Voices of Black Baseball”, the exhibit will highlight first-person accounts by the many individuals whose experiences shaped them, their community, baseball and America at large. Featuring historically significant artifacts, documents and photographs, and utilizing audio, video, and interactive elements, the exhibit will tell a more inclusive story of baseball, shine a light on and correct misconceptions about Black baseball.

 

For more information about the Museum’s Black Baseball Initiative, click here.

 

These Four MLBbros Are Baseball Hall Of Fame Finalists For 2024

These Four MLBbros Are Baseball Hall Of Fame Finalists For 2024

The Baseball Hall of Fame finalists are set for 2024. 

 

This year, some of the best big leaguers of the 90s and 2000s are among them. The MLBbro superstars of those eras are well represented. Torii Hunter, Brandon Phillps, Jimmy Rollins, and Gary Sheffield are among the 2024 finalists.

 

All of these players have had Hall of Fame moments, set franchise records and/or distinguished themselves among the best players in baseball for a decade or more.

 

Jimmy Rollins 

 

Shortstop Jimmy Rollins is now on his third HOF ballot. He received 12.9% of the vote in 2023. Rollins played a terrific 16-year career with three organizations and was the 2007 NL MVP. “J-Roll” notched more than 2,000 career hits and 231 home runs.

His combination of speed, power and athleticism was the spark for one of the golden eras in Philadelphia Phillies history.  In his prime, Rollins was considered a Top 10 player in the game and is easily one of the most multi-faceted second baseman to ever play the game.

 

 

A 30-30 guy, who also did 20-20-20 (homers, doubles and triples). A dynamic base runner and fielder, the 5-foot-8 shortstop won four Gold Gloves and made three All-Star teams with Philly.

 

The switch-hitting Rollins ranks first in Phillies history in doubles (479), at-bats (8,628) and hits (2,306). He’s also second in stolen bases (453 which is also fourth-most among active players) and total bases (3,655). He’s comfortably in the top 10 of nearly every offensive category in club history and holds the distinction of being one of 19 players in major league history with at least 400 doubles, 100 triples and 200 home runs. He also ranks among the all-time greats with 46 career leadoff homers.

 

For J Roll, Swift And Steady Wins The Race

 

For most of Rollins’ career, he would find himself overshadowed by the legendary shortstops of his era such as Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, among others.


With Derek Jeter already in the Hall of Fame and A-Rod being persecuted because of his PED affiliations, including a past suspension, Rollins is the next best option when you talk about shortstops with Hall of Fame caliber credentials. 

 

Rollins also played in two World Series and won one in 2008. During his career, he would be most beloved by Philadelphia and become a Phillies legend. 

 

Brandon Phillips 

 

Other finalists for the Hall of Fame are Brandon Phillps and Torii Hunter. These two were also big-time players in their era.

 

This is Phillips’ first year on the ballot. “Dat Dude” Phillps had a .275 career batting average while playing for 5 organizations. Phillps also gained three All-Star selections with the Cincinnati Reds. 

More than his versatility and ability to hit anywhere in the top three spots of the lineup with effectiveness, Phillips played with a swag that embodies the MLBbro.

 

 

During Phillips’ career, the second baseman would gain a silver slugger in 2011 and become a 4-time Gold Glove winner.  Although he never managed to win a championship, the rest of his stats and accomplishments reflect a great career. There is no doubt that Brandon Phillips is going down as one of the great players in Reds history and an elite MLBbro second baseman. 

 

 

Torii Hunter 

 

Torii Hunter had consistency, durability and longevity, while winning nine straight Gold Gloves in centerfield and compiling 353 homers and 2,452 hits over a 19-year MLB career. This is his fourth year on the ballot and he’s once again facing some stiff competition. His 6.9 % of the ballot in 2023 was just enough to surpass the 5% needed to remain on the ballot.

 

Gary Sheffield

With the 2024 Hall of Fame having a lot of first-year ballots, there are also some players that have been finalists for a while. Gary Sheffield is one of them. This is Sheffield’s 10th and final year on the ballot.

Sheffield played 22 years with eight different organizations and won a World Series with the Florida Marlins. Sheffield was one of the top hitters in baseball in the 90s.

 

Following his retirement, he has been staying out of sight and keeping a low profile, watching his sons embark on their own baseball journey and awaiting his Hall of Fame induction.

 

Miguel Cabrera’s 509th Career Homer Ties Gary Sheffield All-Time | Reminds Us Of The Legacy of Bro Bombers Continued Today

 

A Hall of Fame induction will mean a lot to these former players. These finalists have made tons of history on the baseball field, but to be a part of baseball history in Cooperstown would be even better.

These MLBbros getting inducted would also add to the rich legacy of African-American baseball players and allow them a spotlight to share their unique baseball journeys with the baseball world. 

‘Barry Bonds & Roger Clemens Will Get Into The Hall’| Rob Parker Joins MLB Network’s 2022 National Baseball Hall of Fame Announcement Show

‘Barry Bonds & Roger Clemens Will Get Into The Hall’| Rob Parker Joins MLB Network’s 2022 National Baseball Hall of Fame Announcement Show

The results of the 2022 National Baseball Hall of Fame election will be announced exclusively on MLB Network on Tuesday, January 25 live at 6pm. ET as part of a four-hour announcement show beginning at 4pm ET.

The program will feature National Baseball Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch revealing the results live from the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery in Cooperstown, as voted by the Baseball Writer’s Association.

Anchored by Greg Amsinger, Brian Kenny and Lauren Shehadi, MLB Network’s extensive Hall of Fame election coverage will include analysis from Bob Costas, Harold Reynolds and others.

Cleveland Guardians manager Terry “Tito” Francona, esteemed baseball reporter Tim Kurkjian and our very own legend, MLBbro.com founder, MLB journalist and Hall of Fame voter Rob Parker will also offer experienced analysis on the selection results and more.

“It’s definitely an honor and privilege to share the TV set with some of the best people who have ever covered MLB the last 30 plus years,” said Parker, who started covering MLB in 1986 for the Daily News in New York. “It’s a historic night, too. We will be live to see his Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens – two of the greatest to play the game – get in the Hall via the writers vote on their 10th and final try. That will be grand theater for sure.”

 

 

The announcement show will examine a polarizing and controversial topic as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, arguably the two best to ever do it at their respective positions, are in their 10th and final year on the ballot.

Rob has been adamant about his belief that the PED allegations of the late 1990s and early 2000s should not keep these two titans of the game out of Cooperstown.

In fact, Rob and Brian Kenny had a heated debate about the Hall of Fame worthiness of these players on a previous episode of MLB Network. Bringing these two guys together for an announcement special is sure to create fireworks, evoke emotions and keep the viewers locked in at the edge of their seats.

Will Bonds and Clemens finally make it? The only baseball question more significant than that is, when will the lockout end?