You want to know something remarkable?
Bud Selig hasn’t been an awful comissioner. He hasn’t been great. But considering some of the winners who were baseball comissioners? You could argue that he’s in the Top 3.
Really. You want to say Spike Eckert or Happy Chandler is ahead of him? You would be wrong. That being said?
Okay, here’s the thing. Those who love baseball know about the majestry of the Negro Leagues. Josh Gibson was the greatest power hitter that you’ve never heard of. Satchel Paige was a mystical creature of both baseball and age-defying protein powder. Cool Papa Bell was the single greatest force for good in baseball history.
And having teams mock draft Negro Leage Superstars destroys that. Having the Tampa Bay Rays draft Josh Gibson means nothing to extend the knowledge of the baseball fan.
“OOH! A POWER HITTING CATCHER WE’RE NOT REALLY GONNA GET! AWESOME!”
Don’t believe me? Ask yourself this.
If they say that the Minnesota Twins drafted Willie Wells. Would a Twins fan give a shit? If the Dodgers signed Ted Radcliffe? Would the Dodger fan give a shit?
No. They wouldn’t. This doesn’t even have the symbolic value of an all-time team.
You want to have the Negro Leagues honored? Easy. You want to market the great African-Americans of Today’s game? Even easier.
I have a two birds with one stone pitch for Major League Baseball. It’s a free one.
You have your modern day African-American player. Let’s say for this example…
Jimmy Rollins.
And it would be Jimmy. Simply staring into a camera, holding a picture of Willie Wells.
And then he gives us a quick 25 second synopsis on Mr. Wells.
“Willie Wells was nicknamed El Diablo for his trademark intensity. A great all around player, he had a career .328 average and was absolutely masterful with the glove. He taught Jackie Robinson the art of the double play and played 18 seasons in the Negro Leagues. But do you know what he’s best known for?”
Jimmy Rollins taps his batting helmet.
“Willie Wells was the first ever to use a batting helmet.”
And then you flash the MLB logo. And then the slogan.
“These are our heroes.”
It’s a freebie, MLB. It’s a freebie.
